Bill Text: TX HB2209 | 2017-2018 | 85th Legislature | Comm Sub


Bill Title: Relating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-05-05 - Committee report sent to Calendars [HB2209 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-HB2209-Comm_Sub.html
 
 
  By: González of El Paso, Wu H.B. No. 2209
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2209:
 
  By:  King of Hemphill C.S.H.B. No. 2209
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to improving training and staff development for primary
  and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve
  all students.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 21.001, Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         Sec. 21.001.  DEFINITIONS [DEFINITION]. In this chapter:
               (1)  "Commissioner"[, "commissioner"] includes a
  person designated by the commissioner.
               (2)  "Universal design for learning" means a
  scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice
  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 in 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.
         SECTION 2.  Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (a), (b), (c-1), and (g) and adding Subsection
  (a-1) to read as follows:
         (a)  The board shall propose rules:
               (1)  specifying what each educator is expected to know
  and be able to do, particularly with regard to students with
  disabilities;
               (2)  establishing the training requirements a person
  must accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or
  enter an induction-year program; and
               (3)  specifying[. The board shall specify] the minimum
  academic qualifications required for a certificate.
         (a-1)  The minimum academic qualifications for a certificate
  specified under Subsection (a) must require that the person
  demonstrate:
               (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; and
               (2)  competence in the use of evidence-based inclusive
  instructional practices, including:
                     (A)  universal design for learning principles;
                     (B)  general and special education collaborative
  and co-teaching models and approaches;
                     (C)  multitiered 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;
                     (D)  classroom management techniques using
  evidence-based behavioral intervention strategies and supports;
  and
                     (E)  appropriate adaptation strategies, including
  accommodations, modifications, and instruction in the use of
  assistive technology for instruction provided using universal
  design for learning principles.
         (b)  The [Any] minimum academic qualifications for a
  certificate specified under Subsection (a) [that require a person
  to possess a bachelor's degree] must [also] require that the person
  receive, as part of the training required to obtain that
  certificate, instruction in detection and education of students
  with dyslexia.
         (c-1)  The [Any] minimum academic qualifications for a
  certificate specified under Subsection (a) [that require a person
  to possess a bachelor's degree] must [also] require that the person
  receive, as part of the training required to obtain that
  certificate, instruction regarding mental health, substance abuse,
  and youth suicide.  The instruction required must:
               (1)  be provided through a program selected from the
  list of recommended best practice-based programs established under
  Section 161.325, Health and Safety Code; and
               (2)  include effective strategies for teaching and
  intervening with students with mental or emotional disorders,
  including de-escalation techniques and positive behavioral
  interventions and supports.
         (g)  Each educator preparation program must provide
  information regarding:
               (1)  the skills that educators are required to possess,
  the responsibilities that educators are required to accept, and the
  high expectations for all students, including students with
  disabilities, in this state;
               (2)  the effect of supply and demand forces on the
  educator workforce in this state;
               (3)  the performance over time of the educator
  preparation program;
               (4)  the importance of building strong classroom
  management skills; and
               (5)  the framework in this state for teacher and
  principal evaluation, including the procedures followed in
  accordance with Subchapter H.
         SECTION 3.  Section 21.0443(b), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  To be eligible for approval or renewal of approval, an
  educator preparation program:
               (1)  may use a universal design for learning framework
  integrating inclusion for all students, including students with
  disabilities, and evidence-based instruction and intervention
  strategies throughout course work, clinical experiences, and
  student teaching to [must] adequately prepare candidates for
  educator certification; and
               (2)  must meet the standards and requirements of the
  board.
         SECTION 4.  Section 21.045(a), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (a)  The board shall propose rules necessary to establish
  standards to govern the continuing accountability of all educator
  preparation programs based on the following information that is
  disaggregated with respect to race, sex, and ethnicity:
               (1)  results of the certification examinations
  prescribed under Section 21.048(a);
               (2)  performance based on the appraisal system for
  beginning teachers adopted by the board;
               (3)  achievement, including improvement in
  achievement, of all students, including students with
  disabilities, taught by beginning teachers for the first three
  years following certification, to the extent practicable;
               (4)  compliance with board requirements regarding the
  frequency, duration, and quality of structural guidance and ongoing
  support provided by field supervisors to candidates completing
  student teaching, clinical teaching, or an internship; and
               (5)  results from a teacher satisfaction survey,
  developed by the board with stakeholder input, of new teachers
  performed at the end of the teacher's first year of teaching.
         SECTION 5.  Section 21.0453(a), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (a)  The board shall require an educator preparation program
  to provide candidates for teacher certification with information
  concerning the following:
               (1)  skills and responsibilities required of teachers
  with regard to all students, including students with disabilities;
               (2)  expectations for student performance, including
  students with disabilities, based on state standards;
               (3)  the current supply of and demand for teachers in
  this state;
               (4)  the importance of developing classroom management
  skills; and
               (5)  the state's framework for appraisal of teachers
  and principals.
         SECTION 6.  Section 21.046(b), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (b)  The qualifications for certification as a principal
  must be sufficiently flexible so that an outstanding teacher may
  qualify by substituting approved experience and professional
  training for part of the educational requirements. Supervised and
  approved on-the-job experience in addition to required internship
  shall be accepted in lieu of classroom hours. The qualifications
  must emphasize:
               (1)  instructional leadership, including the ability
  to create an inclusive school environment and to foster parent
  involvement;
               (2)  administration, supervision, and communication
  skills;
               (3)  curriculum and instruction management;
               (4)  performance evaluation;
               (5)  organization; and
               (6)  fiscal management.
         SECTION 7.  Section 21.047(c), Education Code, is amended to
  read as follows:
         (c)  A center may develop and implement a comprehensive
  field-based educator preparation program to supplement the
  internship hours required in Section 21.050. This comprehensive
  field-based teacher program must:
               (1)  be designed on the basis of current research into
  state-of-the-art teaching practices applicable to all students,
  including students with disabilities, curriculum theory and
  application within diverse student populations, evaluation of
  student outcomes, and the effective application of technology; and
               (2)  have rigorous internal and external evaluation
  procedures that focus on content, delivery systems, and teacher and
  student outcomes.
         SECTION 8.  Sections 21.051(b) and (f), Education Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (b)  Before a school district may employ a candidate for
  certification as a teacher of record, the candidate must complete
  at least 15 hours of field-based experience in which the candidate
  is actively engaged in instructional or educational activities
  involving a diverse student population that, to the greatest extent
  practicable, includes students with disabilities under supervision
  at:
               (1)  a public school campus accredited or approved for
  the purpose by the agency; or
               (2)  a private school recognized or approved for the
  purpose by the agency.
         (f)  The board shall propose rules providing flexible
  options for persons for any field-based experience or internship
  required for certification. The options must, to the greatest
  extent practicable, involve interaction with a diverse student
  population, including students with disabilities.
         SECTION 9.  Section 21.4511(b), Education Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         (b)  The training under this section shall include training
  relating to implementing curriculum and instruction that is aligned
  with the foundation curriculum described by Section 28.002(a)(1)
  and standards and expectations for college readiness, as determined
  by State Board of Education rule under Section 28.008(d). In order
  to create a classroom environment that meets the individual
  learning needs of each student, the training may emphasize
  inclusive collaborative strategies and providing instruction using
  a universal design for learning framework to the greatest extent
  practicable.
         SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
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