81R7869 CAE-D
By: Van de Putte S.B. No. 2206
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to certification of an educator in Texas who is certified
in another state or country.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 21.052, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsections (e), (f), and (g) to
read as follows:
(a) The board shall [may] issue a certificate to an educator
who applies for a certificate and:
(1) holds:
(A) a degree issued by an institution accredited
by a regional accrediting agency or group that is recognized by a
nationally recognized accreditation board; or
(B) a degree issued by an institution located in
a foreign country, if the degree is equivalent to a degree described
by Paragraph (A);
(2) holds an appropriate certificate or other
credential issued by another state or country; [and]
(3) performs satisfactorily on:
(A) the examination prescribed under Section
21.048; or
(B) if the educator holds a certificate or other
credential issued by another state or country, an examination
similar to and at least as rigorous as that described by Paragraph
(A) administered to the educator under the authority of that state;
and
(4) holds a certificate or other credential issued by
another state or country to teach mathematics, science, special
education, or bilingual education, or another subject area that the
commissioner determines has a shortage of teachers.
(e) An educator who receives a certificate as provided by
Subsection (a) must perform satisfactorily on the examination
prescribed under Section 21.048 not later than the second
anniversary of the date the certificate under Subsection (a) was
issued.
(f) The board shall post on the board's Internet website the
procedures for obtaining a certificate under Subsection (a).
(g) The commissioner shall provide guidance to school
districts that employ an educator certified as provided by
Subsection (a) on procedures to classify the educator as a highly
qualified teacher in a manner consistent with the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.).
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.