By: Bernal H.B. No. 1453
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to updating requirements for special education training
and the make up of the SBEC Board.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 21.033(a), Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (1) to read as follows:
(1) four members must be teachers employed in public
schools., one of whom must be a teacher who is certified in special
education with classroom experience;
SECTION 2. Section 21.051, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
(g) The board shall propose rules to establish a minimum
requirement of field-based experience in which the candidate is
actively engaged in instructional or educational activities to
implement individualized education plans for students with
disabilities.
SECTION 3. Section 21.451, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsections (d-4), (d-5), and (d-6) and amending Subsection
(e) to read as follows:
(d-4) The training on instruction for students with
disabilities described in Subsection (d)(2) shall include:
(1) basic knowledge of each disability category under
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section
1400 et seq.) and how each category can affect student learning and
development;
(2) proactive instructional planning techniques using
a framework that
(A) provides flexibility in the ways:
(i) information is presented;
(ii) students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills; and
(iii) students are engaged;
(B) reduces barriers to instruction;
(C) provides appropriate accommodations,
supports, and challenges; and
(D) maintains high achievement expectations for
all students, including students with disabilities and students of
limited English proficiency; and
(3) evidence-based inclusive instructional
practices, including:
(A) general and special education collaborative
and co-teaching models and approaches;
(B) multi-tiered systems of support, including
response to intervention strategies, classroom and school level
data-based collaborative structures, and evidence-based strategies
for intervention and progress monitoring systems in academic areas
(C) classroom management techniques using
evidence-based behavioral intervention strategies and supports;
(D) appropriate adaptation strategies, including
accommodations, modifications, and instruction in the use of
assistive technology for instruction.
(d-5) The training on instruction for students with
disabilities described in Subsection (d)(2) must a minimum of four
hours of instruction, delivered in person and be provided:
(1) on an annual basis, as part of a new employee
orientation, to all new school district and open-enrollment charter
school educators;
(2) competency-based, interactive and experiential
providing teachers the opportunity to improve their practice by
integrating these skills through demonstration, observation,
collaboration, fieldwork, and reflection in different
instructional contexts; and
(3) to existing school district and open-enrollment
charter school educators, subject to Subsection (e), who are
responsible for classroom implementation of a student's
individualized education plan.
(d-6) The training on instruction for students with
disabilities described in Subsection (d)(2) is required to be
completed once every five years upon initial completion of the
training.
SECTION
4. Section 8.051(d), Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (7) to read as follows:
(7) assistance through responsive remote coaching for
teachers in rural areas to guide teachers through specific issues
in the delivery of instruction and services to students with
disabilities offered as needed through existing agency
infrastructure.
SECTION 5. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020
school year.
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, 2019.