| 1 | 1 | | 86R14015 JES-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1760 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to creating a special education certification to teach |
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| 8 | 8 | | students with disabilities. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 21.04891 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 21.04891. SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION. (a) To |
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| 13 | 13 | | ensure that there are teachers with special training in providing |
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| 14 | 14 | | instruction to students with disabilities, the board shall |
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| 15 | 15 | | establish a special education certificate. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (b) To be eligible for a certificate established under this |
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| 17 | 17 | | section, a person must: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) satisfactorily complete the course work for that |
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| 19 | 19 | | certificate in an educator preparation program, including a |
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| 20 | 20 | | knowledge-based and skills-based course of instruction and |
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| 21 | 21 | | field-based experience in providing instruction to students with |
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| 22 | 22 | | disabilities; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) perform satisfactorily on a special education |
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| 24 | 24 | | certificate examination prescribed by the board; and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) satisfy any other requirements prescribed by the |
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| 26 | 26 | | board. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (c) If the board determines that there is a shortage of |
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| 28 | 28 | | teachers who hold special education certificates, the board may |
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| 29 | 29 | | offer incentives to teachers to become certified under this |
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| 30 | 30 | | section. |
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| 31 | 31 | | SECTION 2. The State Board for Educator Certification shall |
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| 32 | 32 | | propose rules: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (1) establishing requirements and prescribing an |
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| 34 | 34 | | examination for a special education certificate examination as |
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| 35 | 35 | | required by Section 21.04891, Education Code, as added by this Act; |
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| 36 | 36 | | and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) establishing standards to govern the approval and |
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| 38 | 38 | | renewal of approval of educator preparation programs for special |
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| 39 | 39 | | education certification. |
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| 40 | 40 | | SECTION 3. Beginning on or after January 1, 2021, a person |
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| 41 | 41 | | must satisfy the requirements for certification under Section |
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| 42 | 42 | | 21.04891, Education Code, as added by this Act, to receive a |
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| 43 | 43 | | certification in special education. |
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| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 45 | 45 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 46 | 46 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 47 | 47 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 48 | 48 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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