Bill Text: TX SB1511 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Comm Sub
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to minimum standards for approval of educator preparation programs.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-05-22 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB1511 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB1511-Comm_Sub.html
Bill Title: Relating to minimum standards for approval of educator preparation programs.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2011-05-22 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB1511 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB1511-Comm_Sub.html
By: West | S.B. No. 1511 | |
(In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2011; March 22, 2011, read | ||
first time and referred to Committee on Education; April 20, 2011, | ||
reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the | ||
following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 20, 2011, sent to printer.) | ||
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1511 | By: West |
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relating to minimum standards for approval of educator preparation | ||
programs. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended to | ||
read as follows: | ||
Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall | ||
propose rules establishing the training requirements a person must | ||
accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or enter | ||
an induction-year program. The board shall propose rules | ||
specifying [ |
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for a certificate. | ||
(b) In addition to satisfying applicable requirements and | ||
meeting applicable qualifications established under Subsection | ||
(a), to obtain a classroom teaching certificate, including a | ||
certificate qualifying a person to teach career and technical or | ||
special education classes, unless a certificate is awarded under | ||
Subsection (c), a person must: | ||
(1) maintain an overall grade point average of at | ||
least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent while enrolled in | ||
an educator preparation program; or | ||
(2) earn a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a | ||
four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester credit | ||
hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher | ||
education. | ||
(c) Based on extraordinary circumstances, as determined by | ||
the board in accordance with board rule, the board may award a | ||
certificate to a person who would be eligible for a certificate if | ||
not for the person's failure to satisfy a grade point average | ||
requirement as specified under Subsection (b)(1) or (2). In any | ||
year, the board may not award certificates under this subsection to | ||
more than five percent of an educator preparation program's | ||
candidates for certification for that year. | ||
(d) An educator preparation program may impose requirements | ||
or qualifications in addition to requirements and qualifications | ||
established under this section. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 21.045, Education Code, is amended by | ||
adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows: | ||
(d) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must | ||
include a requirement that an educator preparation program, | ||
including an undergraduate, alternative certification, or | ||
postbaccalaureate program, admit only an applicant for admission | ||
who: | ||
(1) has, except as provided by Subsection (e): | ||
(A) maintained an overall grade point average of | ||
at least 2.5 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on any course | ||
work previously attempted at a public or private institution of | ||
higher education; or | ||
(B) earned a grade point average of at least 2.5 | ||
on a four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester | ||
credit hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher | ||
education; | ||
(2) demonstrates, in a manner determined by the | ||
board, basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics; | ||
(3) has successfully completed at least 18 semester | ||
credit hours in the subject-specific content area in which the | ||
applicant is pursuing certification; and | ||
(4) if the applicant is seeking initial certification, | ||
has achieved a satisfactory level of performance on a content | ||
certification examination, which may be a content certification | ||
examination administered by a vendor approved by the commissioner | ||
for purposes of administering such an examination for the year for | ||
which the applicant is applying for admission to the program. | ||
(e) The performance standards under Subsection (c) must | ||
permit an educator preparation program to admit an applicant who | ||
fails to satisfy a grade point average requirement prescribed by | ||
Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B), provided that: | ||
(1) not more than five percent of the total number of | ||
applicants admitted to the program in a year fail to satisfy the | ||
requirement under Subsection (d)(1)(A) or (B); and | ||
(2) for each applicant admitted as described by this | ||
subsection, the director of the program: | ||
(A) determines, based on documentation provided | ||
by the applicant, that the applicant's work, business, or career | ||
experience demonstrates achievement; and | ||
(B) maintains and makes available at the request | ||
of the board the documentation provided under Paragraph (A). | ||
SECTION 3. Subsection (a), Section 21.048, Education Code, | ||
is amended to read as follows: | ||
(a) The board shall propose rules prescribing comprehensive | ||
examinations for each class of certificate issued by the board. The | ||
board shall determine the satisfactory level of performance | ||
required for each certification examination. The board shall | ||
require a satisfactory level of examination performance in English | ||
language arts, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies | ||
for the issuance of a generalist or multi-subject certificate. | ||
SECTION 4. Subchapter A, Chapter 21, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 21.008 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 21.008. BIENNIAL REPORT ON EDUCATORS. (a) Not later | ||
than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the agency shall | ||
prepare, publish, and submit to the legislature a report regarding | ||
public school staffing and the working conditions for public school | ||
educators. The report also shall be posted on the agency's Internet | ||
website. | ||
(b) The report must contain, at a minimum, the following | ||
staffing information for each public school campus: | ||
(1) the percentage of teachers assigned to teach | ||
subjects outside the teacher's area of certification or expertise; | ||
(2) the percentage of teachers employed under | ||
emergency certificates; | ||
(3) teacher turnover rates; and | ||
(4) the number and percentage of teachers who have | ||
less than one year of teaching experience. | ||
(c) The report must contain information regarding working | ||
conditions in each school district based on a statewide survey | ||
conducted by the agency of educators. To encourage the uninhibited | ||
participation of educators, the survey must be designed to prevent | ||
the disclosure of the identity of a survey participant. The agency | ||
shall include in the report recommendations for improving the | ||
working conditions at campuses identified by the agency, based on | ||
the results of the survey, as having poor working conditions. | ||
(d) The commissioner is directed to seek private funding for | ||
the creation, implementation, and analysis of the survey. | ||
Implementation of this section is contingent upon securing funding. | ||
SECTION 5. Sections 21.044 and 21.045, Education Code, as | ||
amended by this Act, apply only to a person admitted to an educator | ||
preparation program on or after January 1, 2012. | ||
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, 2011. | ||
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