Bill Text: TX SB529 | 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.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2017-05-18 - Committee report sent to Calendars [SB529 Detail]

Download: Texas-2017-SB529-Comm_Sub.html

---

By: Lucio S.B. No. 529
(González of El Paso)
Substitute the following for S.B. No. 529: No.

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) may 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.