By: West S.B. No. 1511
(Patrick)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to minimum standards for approval of educator preparation
programs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall
propose rules establishing the training requirements a person must
accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or enter
an induction-year program. The board shall propose rules
specifying [specify] the minimum academic qualifications required
for a certificate.
(b) In addition to satisfying applicable requirements and
meeting applicable qualifications established under Subsection
(a), to obtain a classroom teaching certificate, including a
certificate qualifying a person to teach career and technical or
special education classes, unless a certificate is awarded under
Subsection (c), a person must:
(1) maintain an overall grade point average of at
least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent while enrolled in
an educator preparation program; or
(2) earn a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a
four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester credit
hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher
education.
(c) Based on extraordinary circumstances, as determined by
the board in accordance with board rule, the board may award a
certificate to a person who would be eligible for a certificate if
not for the person's failure to satisfy a grade point average
requirement as specified under Subsection (b)(1) or (2). In any
year, the board may not award certificates under this subsection to
more than five percent of an educator preparation program's
candidates for certification for that year.
(d) An educator preparation program may impose requirements
or qualifications in addition to requirements and qualifications
established under this section.
SECTION 2. Section 21.045, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
(d) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must
include a requirement that an educator preparation program,
including an undergraduate, alternative certification, or
postbaccalaureate program, admit only an applicant for admission
who:
(1) has, except as provided by Subsection (e):
(A) maintained an overall grade point average of
at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on any course
work previously attempted at a public or private institution of
higher education; or
(B) earned a grade point average of at least 2.5
on a four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester
credit hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher
education;
(2) demonstrates, in a manner determined by the
board, basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics; and
(3) either:
(A) has successfully completed at least 18
semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area in which
the applicant is pursuing certification; or
(B) if the applicant is seeking initial
certification, has achieved a satisfactory level of performance on
a content certification examination, which may be a content
certification examination administered by a vendor approved by the
commissioner for purposes of administering such an examination for
the year for which the applicant is applying for admission to the
program.
(e) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must
permit an educator preparation program to admit an applicant who
fails to satisfy a grade point average requirement prescribed by
Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B), provided that:
(1) not more than five percent of the total number of
applicants admitted to the program in a year fail to satisfy the
requirement under Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B); and
(2) for each applicant admitted as described by this
subsection, the director of the program:
(A) determines, based on documentation provided
by the applicant, that the applicant's work, business, or career
experience demonstrates achievement; and
(B) maintains and makes available at the request
of the board the documentation provided under Paragraph (A).
SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 21.048, Education Code,
is amended to read as follows:
(a) The board shall propose rules prescribing comprehensive
examinations for each class of certificate issued by the board. The
board shall determine the satisfactory level of performance
required for each certification examination. The board shall
require a satisfactory level of examination performance in English
language arts, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies
for the issuance of a generalist or multi-subject certificate.
SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 21.008 to read as follows:
Sec. 21.008. BIENNIAL REPORT ON EDUCATORS. (a) Subject to
Subsection (d), not later than December 1 of each even-numbered
year, the agency shall prepare, publish, and submit to the
legislature a report regarding public school staffing and the
working conditions for public school educators. The report also
shall be posted on the agency's Internet website.
(b) The report must contain, at a minimum, the following
staffing information for each public school campus:
(1) the percentage of teachers assigned to teach
subjects outside the teacher's area of certification or expertise;
(2) the percentage of teachers employed under
emergency certificates;
(3) teacher turnover rates; and
(4) the number and percentage of teachers who have
less than one year of teaching experience.
(c) The report must contain information regarding working
conditions in each school district based on a statewide survey
conducted by the agency of educators. To encourage the uninhibited
participation of educators, the survey must be designed to prevent
the disclosure of the identity of a survey participant. The agency
shall include in the report recommendations for improving the
working conditions at campuses identified by the agency, based on
the results of the survey, as having poor working conditions.
(d) The commissioner shall seek from private sources the
funding necessary to pay the costs for the creation,
implementation, and analysis of the statewide survey described by
Subsection (c). If the commissioner does not acquire the necessary
funding to pay the costs of the survey, the agency may not, for the
applicable year, prepare, publish, or submit the report described
by this section.
SECTION 5. Sections 21.044 and 21.045, Education Code, as
amended by this Act, apply only to a person admitted to an educator
preparation program on or after January 1, 2012.
SECTION 6. 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, 2011.