Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1511 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: West S.B. No. 1511
2	2	(Patrick)
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to minimum standards for approval of educator preparation
8	8	programs.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended to
11	11	read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall
13	13	propose rules establishing the training requirements a person must
14	14	accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or enter
15	15	an induction-year program. The board shall propose rules
16	16	specifying [specify] the minimum academic qualifications required
17	17	for a certificate.
18	18	(b) In addition to satisfying applicable requirements and
19	19	meeting applicable qualifications established under Subsection
20	20	(a), to obtain a classroom teaching certificate, including a
21	21	certificate qualifying a person to teach career and technical or
22	22	special education classes, unless a certificate is awarded under
23	23	Subsection (c), a person must:
24	24	(1) maintain an overall grade point average of at
25	25	least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent while enrolled in
26	26	an educator preparation program; or
27	27	(2) earn a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a
28	28	four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester credit
29	29	hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher
30	30	education.
31	31	(c) Based on extraordinary circumstances, as determined by
32	32	the board in accordance with board rule, the board may award a
33	33	certificate to a person who would be eligible for a certificate if
34	34	not for the person's failure to satisfy a grade point average
35	35	requirement as specified under Subsection (b)(1) or (2). In any
36	36	year, the board may not award certificates under this subsection to
37	37	more than five percent of an educator preparation program's
38	38	candidates for certification for that year.
39	39	(d) An educator preparation program may impose requirements
40	40	or qualifications in addition to requirements and qualifications
41	41	established under this section.
42	42	SECTION 2. Section 21.045, Education Code, is amended by
43	43	adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
44	44	(d) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must
45	45	include a requirement that an educator preparation program,
46	46	including an undergraduate, alternative certification, or
47	47	postbaccalaureate program, admit only an applicant for admission
48	48	who:
49	49	(1) has, except as provided by Subsection (e):
50	50	(A) maintained an overall grade point average of
51	51	at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on any course
52	52	work previously attempted at a public or private institution of
53	53	higher education; or
54	54	(B) earned a grade point average of at least 2.5
55	55	on a four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester
56	56	credit hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher
57	57	education;
58	58	(2) demonstrates, in a manner determined by the
59	59	board, basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics; and
60	60	(3) either:
61	61	(A) has successfully completed at least 18
62	62	semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area in which
63	63	the applicant is pursuing certification; or
64	64	(B) if the applicant is seeking initial
65	65	certification, has achieved a satisfactory level of performance on
66	66	a content certification examination, which may be a content
67	67	certification examination administered by a vendor approved by the
68	68	commissioner for purposes of administering such an examination for
69	69	the year for which the applicant is applying for admission to the
70	70	program.
71	71	(e) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must
72	72	permit an educator preparation program to admit an applicant who
73	73	fails to satisfy a grade point average requirement prescribed by
74	74	Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B), provided that:
75	75	(1) not more than five percent of the total number of
76	76	applicants admitted to the program in a year fail to satisfy the
77	77	requirement under Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B); and
78	78	(2) for each applicant admitted as described by this
79	79	subsection, the director of the program:
80	80	(A) determines, based on documentation provided
81	81	by the applicant, that the applicant's work, business, or career
82	82	experience demonstrates achievement; and
83	83	(B) maintains and makes available at the request
84	84	of the board the documentation provided under Paragraph (A).
85	85	SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 21.048, Education Code,
86	86	is amended to read as follows:
87	87	(a) The board shall propose rules prescribing comprehensive
88	88	examinations for each class of certificate issued by the board. The
89	89	board shall determine the satisfactory level of performance
90	90	required for each certification examination. The board shall
91	91	require a satisfactory level of examination performance in English
92	92	language arts, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies
93	93	for the issuance of a generalist or multi-subject certificate.
94	94	SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
95	95	amended by adding Section 21.008 to read as follows:
96	96	Sec. 21.008. BIENNIAL REPORT ON EDUCATORS. (a) Subject to
97	97	Subsection (d), not later than December 1 of each even-numbered
98	98	year, the agency shall prepare, publish, and submit to the
99	99	legislature a report regarding public school staffing and the
100	100	working conditions for public school educators. The report also
101	101	shall be posted on the agency's Internet website.
102	102	(b) The report must contain, at a minimum, the following
103	103	staffing information for each public school campus:
104	104	(1) the percentage of teachers assigned to teach
105	105	subjects outside the teacher's area of certification or expertise;
106	106	(2) the percentage of teachers employed under
107	107	emergency certificates;
108	108	(3) teacher turnover rates; and
109	109	(4) the number and percentage of teachers who have
110	110	less than one year of teaching experience.
111	111	(c) The report must contain information regarding working
112	112	conditions in each school district based on a statewide survey
113	113	conducted by the agency of educators. To encourage the uninhibited
114	114	participation of educators, the survey must be designed to prevent
115	115	the disclosure of the identity of a survey participant. The agency
116	116	shall include in the report recommendations for improving the
117	117	working conditions at campuses identified by the agency, based on
118	118	the results of the survey, as having poor working conditions.
119	119	(d) The commissioner shall seek from private sources the
120	120	funding necessary to pay the costs for the creation,
121	121	implementation, and analysis of the statewide survey described by
122	122	Subsection (c). If the commissioner does not acquire the necessary
123	123	funding to pay the costs of the survey, the agency may not, for the
124	124	applicable year, prepare, publish, or submit the report described
125	125	by this section.
126	126	SECTION 5. Sections 21.044 and 21.045, Education Code, as
127	127	amended by this Act, apply only to a person admitted to an educator
128	128	preparation program on or after January 1, 2012.
129	129	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
130	130	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
131	131	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
132	132	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
133	133	Act takes effect September 1, 2011.