Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2780 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R11460 PRL-D
2	2	By: Dutton H.B. No. 2780
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the creation of the Texas Teacher Residency Partnership
10	10	Program and a residency partnership allotment under the Foundation
11	11	School Program.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding
14	14	Subchapter R to read as follows:
15	15	SUBCHAPTER R. TEXAS TEACHER RESIDENCY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
16	16	Sec. 21.821. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
17	17	(1) "Board" means the State Board for Educator
18	18	Certification.
19	19	(2) "Mentor teacher" means a classroom teacher who:
20	20	(A) meets the qualifications for assignment as a
21	21	mentor under Section 21.458; and
22	22	(B) is employed by a school district or
23	23	open-enrollment charter school participating in a partnership
24	24	program under this subchapter and paired with a partnership
25	25	resident at the district or school.
26	26	(3) "Partnership program" means a Texas Teacher
27	27	Residency Partnership Program established at a school district or
28	28	open-enrollment charter school in accordance with this subchapter.
29	29	(4) "Partnership resident" means a person enrolled in
30	30	a qualified educator preparation program participating in a
31	31	partnership program as a candidate for educator certification.
32	32	(5) "Qualified educator preparation program" means an
33	33	educator preparation program approved in accordance with rules
34	34	proposed under Section 21.823.
35	35	Sec. 21.822. ESTABLISHMENT OF PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. (a)
36	36	The commissioner shall establish the Texas Teacher Residency
37	37	Partnership Program to enable qualified educator preparation
38	38	programs to form partnerships with school districts or
39	39	open-enrollment charter schools to provide residency positions to
40	40	partnership residents at the district or school.
41	41	(b) The partnership program must be designed to:
42	42	(1) allow partnership residents to receive
43	43	field-based experience working with classroom teachers in
44	44	prekindergarten through grade 12 classrooms; and
45	45	(2) gradually increase the amount of time a
46	46	partnership resident spends engaging in instructional
47	47	responsibilities, including observation, co-teaching, and
48	48	lead-teaching responsibilities.
49	49	Sec. 21.823. QUALIFIED EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. The
50	50	board shall propose rules specifying the requirements for board
51	51	approval of an educator preparation program as a qualified educator
52	52	preparation program for purposes of this subchapter. The rules
53	53	must require an educator preparation program to:
54	54	(1) use research-based best practices for recruiting
55	55	and admitting candidates into the educator preparation program to
56	56	participate in the partnership program;
57	57	(2) integrate curriculum, classroom practice, and
58	58	formal observation and feedback;
59	59	(3) use multiple assessments to measure a partnership
60	60	resident's progress in the partnership program; and
61	61	(4) ensure a school district or open-enrollment
62	62	charter school with which an educator preparation program partners
63	63	under this subchapter meets the requirements for participating
64	64	districts and schools under Section 21.824.
65	65	Sec. 21.824. REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATING DISTRICTS AND
66	66	SCHOOLS. (a) A school district or open-enrollment charter school
67	67	participating in the partnership program shall:
68	68	(1) enter into a written agreement with a qualified
69	69	educator preparation program to:
70	70	(A) provide a partnership resident with at least
71	71	one school year of clinical teaching in a residency position at the
72	72	district or school in the subject area and grade level for which the
73	73	resident seeks certification; and
74	74	(B) pair the partnership resident with a mentor
75	75	teacher;
76	76	(2) use money received under Section 48.157 only to:
77	77	(A) implement the partnership program; and
78	78	(B) provide compensation to:
79	79	(i) partnership residents in residency
80	80	positions at the district or school; and
81	81	(ii) mentor teachers who are paired with
82	82	partnership residents at the district or school;
83	83	(3) pay at least 50 percent of the compensation paid to
84	84	partnership residents using money other than money received under
85	85	Section 48.157; and
86	86	(4) provide any information required by the agency
87	87	regarding the district's or school's implementation of the
88	88	partnership program.
89	89	(b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may
90	90	pair a partnership resident only with a mentor teacher who agrees to
91	91	participate in that role in a partnership program at the district or
92	92	school partnership program.
93	93	(c) A partnership resident may not serve as a teacher of
94	94	record, as that term is defined by Section 21.051.
95	95	Sec. 21.825. RESIDENCY EDUCATOR CERTIFICATE. The board
96	96	shall propose rules specifying the requirements for the issuance of
97	97	a residency educator certificate to a partnership resident who has
98	98	successfully completed a qualified educator preparation program
99	99	under Section 21.823. The rules may not require the partnership
100	100	resident to pass a pedagogy examination unless the examination
101	101	tests subject-specific content appropriate for the grade and
102	102	subject area for which the partnership resident seeks
103	103	certification.
104	104	Sec. 21.826. AGENCY SUPPORT. The agency shall provide
105	105	technical assistance, planning, and support to school districts,
106	106	open-enrollment charter schools, and qualified educator
107	107	preparation programs, which must include:
108	108	(1) providing model forms and agreements a district,
109	109	school, or educator preparation program may use to comply with the
110	110	requirements of this subchapter; and
111	111	(2) support for district and school strategic staffing
112	112	and compensation models to incentivize participation in a
113	113	partnership program.
114	114	Sec. 21.827. AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT CERTAIN FUNDS. The
115	115	commissioner may solicit and accept gifts, grants, and donations
116	116	from public and private entities to use for the purposes of this
117	117	subchapter.
118	118	Sec. 21.828. RULES. (a) The board shall propose rules
119	119	necessary to implement this subchapter, including rules under
120	120	Sections 21.823 and 21.825.
121	121	(b) The commissioner shall adopt rules as necessary to
122	122	implement this subchapter.
123	123	SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 48, Education Code, is
124	124	amended by adding Section 48.157 to read as follows:
125	125	Sec. 48.157. RESIDENCY PARTNERSHIP ALLOTMENT. (a) In this
126	126	section, "partnership program" and "partnership resident" have the
127	127	meanings assigned by Section 21.821.
128	128	(b) For each partnership resident employed at a district in
129	129	a residency position under Subchapter R, Chapter 21, the district
130	130	is entitled to an allotment equal to a base amount of $22,000
131	131	increased by the high needs and rural factor, as determined under
132	132	Subsection (c), to an amount not to exceed $42,000.
133	133	(c) The high needs and rural factor is determined by
134	134	multiplying $5,000 by the lesser of:
135	135	(1) the average of the point value assigned to each
136	136	student at a district campus under Sections 48.112(e) and (f); or
137	137	(2) 4.0.
138	138	(d) In addition to the funding under Subsection (b), a
139	139	district that qualifies for an allotment under this section is
140	140	entitled to an additional $2,000 for each partnership resident
141	141	employed in a residency position at the district who is a candidate
142	142	for special education certification.
143	143	(e) The Texas School for the Deaf and the Texas School for
144	144	the Blind and Visually Impaired are entitled to an allotment under
145	145	this section. If the commissioner determines that assigning point
146	146	values under Subsection (c) to students enrolled in the Texas
147	147	School for the Deaf or the Texas School for the Blind and Visually
148	148	Impaired is impractical, the commissioner may use the average point
149	149	value assigned for those students' home districts for purposes of
150	150	calculating the high needs and rural factor.
151	151	SECTION 3. Subchapter Q, Chapter 21, Education Code, is
152	152	repealed.
153	153	SECTION 4. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
154	154	this section, this Act takes effect immediately if this Act
155	155	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
156	156	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
157	157	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
158	158	effect, the entirety of this Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
159	159	(b) Section 48.157, Education Code, as added by this Act,
160	160	takes effect September 1, 2025.