| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 4152 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to certification of an educator in Texas who is certified |
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| 6 | 6 | | in another state or country. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 21.052, Education Code, is amended by |
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| 9 | 9 | | amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (e), (f), (g), and |
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| 10 | 10 | | (h) to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) The board may issue a certificate to an educator who |
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| 12 | 12 | | applies for a certificate and: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) holds: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (A) a degree issued by an institution accredited |
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| 15 | 15 | | by a regional accrediting agency or group that is recognized by a |
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| 16 | 16 | | nationally recognized accreditation board; or |
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| 17 | 17 | | (B) a degree issued by an institution located in |
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| 18 | 18 | | a foreign country, if the degree is equivalent to a degree described |
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| 19 | 19 | | by Paragraph (A); |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) holds an appropriate certificate or other |
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| 21 | 21 | | credential issued by another state or country; and |
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| 22 | 22 | | (3) performs satisfactorily on: |
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| 23 | 23 | | (A) the examination prescribed under Section |
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| 24 | 24 | | 21.048; or |
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| 25 | 25 | | (B) if the educator holds a certificate or other |
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| 26 | 26 | | credential issued by another state or country, an examination |
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| 27 | 27 | | similar to and at least as rigorous as that described by Paragraph |
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| 28 | 28 | | (A) administered to the educator under the authority of that state. |
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| 29 | 29 | | (e) An educator who has submitted all documents required by |
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| 30 | 30 | | the board for certification and who receives a certificate as |
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| 31 | 31 | | provided by Subsection (a) must perform satisfactorily on the |
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| 32 | 32 | | examination prescribed under Section 21.048 not later than the |
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| 33 | 33 | | first anniversary of the date the board completes the review of the |
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| 34 | 34 | | educator's credentials and informs the educator of the examination |
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| 35 | 35 | | or examinations under Section 21.048 on which the educator must |
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| 36 | 36 | | perform successfully to receive a standard certificate. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (f) The board shall post on the board's Internet website the |
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| 38 | 38 | | procedures for obtaining a certificate under Subsection (a). |
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| 39 | 39 | | (g) The commissioner shall provide guidance to school |
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| 40 | 40 | | districts that employ an educator certified as provided by |
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| 41 | 41 | | Subsection (a) on procedures to classify the educator as a highly |
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| 42 | 42 | | qualified teacher in a manner consistent with the No Child Left |
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| 43 | 43 | | Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.). |
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| 44 | 44 | | (h) This subsection applies only to an applicant who holds a |
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| 45 | 45 | | certificate or other credential issued by another state in |
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| 46 | 46 | | mathematics, science, special education, or bilingual education, |
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| 47 | 47 | | or another subject area that the commissioner determines has a |
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| 48 | 48 | | shortage of teachers. In any state fiscal year, the board shall |
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| 49 | 49 | | accept or reject, not later than the 14th day after the date the |
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| 50 | 50 | | board receives the completed application, at least 90 percent of |
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| 51 | 51 | | the applications the board receives for a certificate under this |
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| 52 | 52 | | subsection, and shall accept or reject all completed applications |
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| 53 | 53 | | the board receives under this subsection not later than the 30th day |
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| 54 | 54 | | after the date the board receives the completed application. An |
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| 55 | 55 | | applicant under this subsection must submit: |
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| 56 | 56 | | (1) a letter of good standing from the state in which |
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| 57 | 57 | | the teacher is certified on a form determined by the board; |
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| 58 | 58 | | (2) information necessary to complete a national |
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| 59 | 59 | | criminal history record information review; and |
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| 60 | 60 | | (3) an application fee as required by the board. |
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| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 62 | 62 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 63 | 63 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 64 | 64 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 65 | 65 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 66 | 66 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 67 | 67 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 68 | 68 | | I certify that H.B. No. 4152 was passed by the House on April |
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| 69 | 69 | | 30, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 131, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 70 | 70 | | voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B. |
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| 71 | 71 | | No. 4152 on May 29, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 144, Nays 0, |
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| 72 | 72 | | 1 present, not voting. |
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| 73 | 73 | | ______________________________ |
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| 74 | 74 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 75 | 75 | | I certify that H.B. No. 4152 was passed by the Senate, with |
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| 76 | 76 | | amendments, on May 26, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays |
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| 77 | 77 | | 0. |
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| 78 | 78 | | ______________________________ |
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| 79 | 79 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 80 | 80 | | APPROVED: __________________ |
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| 81 | 81 | | Date |
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| 82 | 82 | | __________________ |
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| 83 | 83 | | Governor |
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