Part 7.
STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION
Chapter 230.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR PREPARATION AND CERTIFICATION
Subchapter N. CERTIFICATE ISSUANCE PROCEDURES
19 TAC §230.436
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC or Board)
adopts an amendment to §230.436, relating to the schedule of fees for
certification services without changes to the proposed text as published in
the November 15, 2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg 10696) and will not be republished.
Section 230.436 was previously amended on an emergency basis in the August
23, 2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27
TexReg 7677). The State Board for Educator Certification submitted a notice
of Renewal of Effectiveness for §230.436, published in the December 6,
2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg
11353). The renewal was for an additional 60 days (for a final total of 180
days). The Texas Register published an incorrect expiration date of January
19, 2003. The correct expiration date is February 8, 2003. Section 230.436
is currently adopted so the amendment will become permanent. This adoption
shall supercede the emergency amendment.
The following is a summary of the factual basis for the rule as adopted
that demonstrates a rational connection between the factual basis for the
rule and the rule as adopted:
The amendment to 19 TAC §230.436 would reduce by $20, from $75 to
$55, the fee a school district must pay to have SBEC issue an emergency permit
to employ a person who is not appropriately certified for a teaching assignment.
The decreased fee would apply only to permits requested by school districts
using the new web-based system beginning with the 2002-2003 school year.
School districts apply to SBEC for emergency permits to employ or to assign
teachers who are not appropriately certified. SBEC has replaced the current
permit application process with a new, more efficient web-based system to
be used to process emergency permits, nonrenewable permits, and temporary
exemption permits. Some cost savings related to permit processing have been
realized since implementation of the system on September 1, 2002. Reducing
the fee will benefit school districts by annually returning an estimated $240,000
to $300,000 to school districts statewide in reduced permit costs. School
districts may convert the savings into enhanced professional development activities
for emergency permit holders to help them become fully certified.
No comments were received in response to the notice of proposed rules as
published in the above-referenced issue of the
Texas
Register
.
Because no party submissions or proposals were received, an explanation
of the Board's reasons for disagreement is not required.
The amendment is adopted under the statutory authority of Section
21.041(c), Education Code, which provides that SBEC shall propose rules adopting
a fee for the issuance and maintenance of an educator certificate, including
an emergency permit, that is adequate to cover the costs of administration
of Chapter 21, Subchapter B, in a manner consistent with that subchapter.
This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State on January 16, 2003.
TRD-200300243
William Franz
Executive Director
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: February 5, 2003
Proposal publication date: November 15, 2002
For further information, please call: (512) 469-3011
19 TAC §230.601
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC or Board)
adopts an amendment to §230.601, relating to assignment of public school
personnel certified by SBEC, without changes to the proposed text as published
in the November 29, 2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg 11030) and will not be republished.
Elsewhere in this issue of the
Texas Register
, SBEC contemporaneously adopts amendments to §§233.2-233.6
and new §233.7 and §233.8, concerning Categories of Classroom Teaching
Certificates.
The following is a summary of the factual basis for the rules as adopted
that demonstrates a rational connection between the factual basis for the
rules and the rules as adopted:
At its March 1, 2002, meeting, the Board asked staff to convene a focus
group to recommend changes, if any, for the improvement of the rules related
to assignment of public school personnel. A group composed of public school
administrators, educator preparation program staff, representatives of professional
organizations, SBEC Board members and staff from various curriculum areas
at the Texas Education Agency was organized. The members of the group represented
a wide range of interests and experiences in the educational community.
The group met on April 29 and June 5, 2002 to review current assignment
rules, discuss critical issues related to assignments and to make recommendations
regarding any possible rule changes. The group discussions focused primarily
on two critical issues:
1. continuation of current assignment rules for certain educators, and
2. flexibility in assignment of teachers who will receive one of the new
EC-4, 4-8 and 8-12 certificates that will be available beginning in fall 2002.
The group generally agreed that the assignment criteria specified in 19
TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter U,
Assignment of Public
School Personnel
, should remain in place for persons who are issued
certificates based on standards developed before SBEC approved new certificates
aligned with the current statewide curricula for public schools, the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The group also agreed with SBEC staff
recommendations to make any necessary amendments to streamline Subchapter
U, where possible, and to ensure continued alignment with the state-adopted
curriculum and other applicable state and federal regulations.
Amendments to 19 TAC §230.601 are discussed below:
In assigning personnel who became certified by passing the appropriate
Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) tests based
on standards promulgated in 1987 or obtained certification based on standards
promulgated prior to 1987 and revalidated their certificate by passing the
Texas Examination of Current Administrators & Teachers (TECAT), school
administrators may rely on SBEC assignment rules promulgated under the appropriate
standards. Grandfathering holders of certificates issued under former standards
will promote stability in the public-school system by not requiring these
educators to obtain another certificate based on new standards to remain in
their positions, thereby avoiding interruption of the delivery of needed educational
services during a period of teacher shortages. Though holding certificates
not issued under standards aligned with the TEKS, these educators have been
provided opportunities to participate in professional development and continuing
education programs that address the TEKS.
A cross-reference is made to 19 TAC Chapter 233 to ensure classroom teachers
issued certificates based on new standards are assigned in conformity with
the TEKS. Special education assignments are aligned with current state and
federal requirements.
Certified teachers who are assigned prior to the 2003-2004 school year
to teach one or more of the six Technology Applications courses offered at
grades 9-12 will be allowed to continue to teach those course(s) (and only
those courses) without further certification. When the TEKS were adopted by
the State Board of Education, SBEC offered no teaching certificate in the
new area of Technology Applications. Although SBEC now issues a Technology
Applications certificate, no certification exam exists for this area. Certificates
are currently available in Technology Applications and Computer Science for
grades 8-12 to qualified candidates who have completed and been recommended
by an SBEC-approved preparation program. SBEC rules (Chapter 230, Subchapter
U) also allows a district to assign a teacher with any elementary or secondary
certificate to teach Technology Applications courses in grades 6-8 if it determines
they are competent to do so. Similarly, a district may determine that any
certified secondary teacher is competent to teach six of the Technology Applications
courses offered at grades 9-12 (Web Mastering, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia,
Digital Graphics and Animation, Video Technology, and Independent Study in
Technology Applications). To teach Computer Science I and II, a teacher must
hold the superseded Computer Information Systems certificate or the new Computer
Science certificate.
Current assignment rules are streamlined by appropriately removing specific
public school courses listed under certain broad curriculum areas. This change
will provide districts more flexibility in offering courses aligned with the
affected broad curriculum areas and in assigning personnel to them.
All credentials issued by other state and national licensing agencies are
removed from the current assignment rules. Arising from the Texas Legislature's
rewrite of the Education Code in 1995, this overdue change reflects the Board's
current statutory authority and jurisdiction in linking public school assignments
to the credentials issued by SBEC.
Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 233, which establish the new standard classroom
teacher's certificates aligned with the TEKS, are discussed below:
Section 233.2: The amendments provide flexibility by allowing educators
holding the Standard EC-4 Generalist, EC-4 Bilingual Education Generalist,
or the EC-4 English as a Second Language Generalist Certificate to be assigned
in self-contained 5th and 6th grade classrooms during the 2003-2004, 2004-2005
and 2005-2006 school years only under certain conditions. A discussion of
issues related to the assignment of individuals who will hold the new TEKS-aligned
certificates in grades EC-4, 4-8, and 8-12 generated concerns related to the
potential difficulties that school districts will face in staffing 5th and
6th grade classrooms, particularly those in self-contained settings. These
concerns stemmed from the low numbers of educator preparation programs currently
approved to offer the 4-8 Generalist Certificate and the potential impact
that this will have on the teacher pool for middle grade assignments. There
are approximately twelve programs throughout the state that are currently
approved to offer the 4-8 Generalist Certificate. There are less than 100
students currently registered in these programs.
Sections 233.3 - 233.5: The amendments clarify the curriculum areas that
the holder of the EC-4, 4-8 and 8-12 certificates may teach.
Section 233.6: The amendments provide that the holder of the Bilingual
Generalist or Bilingual Education Supplemental certificate may teach English
as a Second Language at the same grade levels and in the content areas of
the holder's base certificate. This section is also amended to reflect the
flexible assignment criteria provided by changes to §233.2 above.
Section 233.7: This new section establishes in rule the revised English
as a Second Language Generalist EC-Grade 4 and Grade 4-8 certificates and
the English as a Second Language Supplemental certificate, which were approved
by the Board in October 2001. These certificates will work much like the Bilingual
Generalist and Bilingual Supplemental certificates already in rule.
Section 233.8: This new section establishes in rule the revised Special
Education EC-Grade 12 and Special Education Supplemental certificates, which
were approved by the Board in October 2001. The new all-level Special Education
Certificate will serve as an initial or stand-alone certificate. Unlike the
current special education certificate or endorsement, this certificate will
include mathematics and English language arts and reading content in addition
to the special education standards. The amendments allow the holder of the
certificate to teach in a special education classroom at any grade level without
an additional content area certificate. The Special Education Supplemental
certificate will be similar to the current special education endorsement.
It is based on the new special education standards but excludes standards
related to mathematics and English language arts. As a supplemental certificate,
this certificate must be added to an existing content area certificate. The
amendments limit the validity of the Special Education Supplemental certificate
to the grade levels and content area(s) of the holder's base certificate.
No comments were received in response to the notice of proposed rules as
published in the above-referenced issue of the
Texas
Register
.
Because no party submissions or proposals were received, an explanation
of the Board's reasons for disagreement is not required.
The amendments to 19 TAC §230.601 and the amendments to
and the new rules in 19 TAC Chapter 233 are proposed under the following sections
of the Education Code: §21.031(a), which vests SBEC with the authority
to regulate and oversee all aspects of the certification, continuing education,
and standards of conduct of public school educators; §21.041(b)(1), which
requires the SBEC to propose rules that provide for the regulation of educators
and the general administration of Chapter 21, Subchapter B, Education Code,
in a manner consistent with that subchapter; and §21.041(b)(2), which
requires SBEC to propose rules that specify the classes of educator certificates
to be issued.
This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State on January 17, 2003.
TRD-200300259
William Franz
Executive Director
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: February 6, 2003
Proposal publication date: November 29, 2002
For further information, please call: (512) 469-3011
Subchapter R. CERTIFICATE RENEWAL AND CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
19 TAC §232.851
The State Board for Educator Certification adopts an amendment
to §232.851, relating to the number of required continuing professional
education hours by classes of certificates and specifically for the Reading
Specialist Certificate, without changes to the proposed text as published
in the November 22, 2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg 10859) and will not be republished.
Elsewhere in this issue of the
Texas Register
, SBEC contemporaneously adopts new §239.90-239.95, concerning
Reading Specialist Certificate.
The following is a summary of the factual basis for the rule as adopted
that demonstrates a rational connection between the factual basis for the
rule and the rule as adopted:
New 19 TAC Ch. 239, Subch. D (§§239.90 - 239.95) is discussed
below:
§239.90 (General Provisions): This new section establishes in rule
the Reading Specialist Certificate. As consumers of professional educational
services, students and their parents should be able to trust that any person
holding a Reading Specialist Certificate has demonstrated competence and is
accountable to a professional board of governance, such as SBEC.
In 1997, Congress asked the Director of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development (NICHD), along with the Secretary of Education,
to convene a national panel on reading. The National Reading Panel (Panel)
was asked by Congress to assess the status of research-based knowledge about
reading, including the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children
to read. The Panel determined that reading instruction should be scientifically
based and that more interactions between teachers and researchers need to
be encouraged. The Panel also determined that in-service professional development
for teachers results in significantly higher achievement for their students.
The Panel found this to be true for established as well as new teachers.
Likewise, the Reading Specialist Standards Development Committee convened
by SBEC concluded that the holder of the Reading Specialist Certificate must
understand the theoretical foundations of literacy and implement a research-based
reading/literacy curriculum for all students. The Standards Committee also
decided that the Reading Specialist must participate in professional development
programs.
For these reasons, new §239.90 requires the Reading Specialist to
possess the knowledge and skills necessary to improve all students' performance.
Further, each individual serving as a reading specialist is expected to actively
participate in professional development activities to continually update his
or her knowledge and skills. Compliance with §239.90 requires the Reading
Specialist to maintain currency in best practices and research as related
to both campus leadership and student learning.
Section 239.91 (Minimum Requirements for Admission to a Reading Specialist
Preparation Program): Applicants to a Reading Specialist Preparation Program
must meet the same admission requirements as those seeking another student-services
certificate, such as School Librarian, School Counselor, or Educational Diagnostician.
In addition to other requirements set out in 19 TAC §227.10, relating
to general admission criteria for any educator preparation program, the Reading
Specialist applicant must have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution
of higher education. These admission requirements help ensure that Reading
Specialist applicants have acquired the following minimum knowledge and skills
before entering a preparation program: reached a satisfactory level of general
educational development; obtained a foundation for lifelong learning and self-development
and responsibility for one's own learning; acquired an understanding of theoretical
studies and how they may guide practical applications; developed critical,
analytical, and problem-solving abilities; and developed communication and
interpersonal skills that enable them to function effectively both as individuals
and with a group.
Section 239.92 (Preparation Requirements): This new section requires the
certificate candidates to receive training in the approved Reading Specialist
standards through field-based experiences and applications at diverse types
of campuses. According to Louisa C. Moats, a former project director for the
Washington, D.C., site of the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development (NICHD) Early Interventions Project, and clinical associate professor
of pediatrics, University of Texas, Houston, Health Sciences Center, knowledge
of best reading instruction practices does not necessarily equip the teacher
with practical teaching skills. Without instruction and practice, teachers
are unlikely to develop the questioning techniques and discussion strategies
that promote thoughtful reading by groups of children knowledge teachers must
have and how that knowledge may be applied in teaching reading. Translating
knowledge into practice requires experience with a range of students. Internship
programs should be designed to allow new teachers to collaborate with peers
and with mentor teachers, and to observe experts applying skills new teachers
need to manage the range of reading levels and instructional challenges they
will encounter in their classrooms.
Section 239.93 (Requirements for the Issuance of the Reading Specialist
Certificate): In this section, the experience requirements for the new standards-based
Reading Specialist Certificate are consistent with those for the other new
student services certificates (School Librarian, School Counselor, and Educational
Diagnostician). They differ, however, from the current Reading Specialist
requirements in that the adopted rules require two years of classroom teaching
experience in a public or accredited private school. The superseded rules
required a candidate to have a valid teaching certificate and three years
of classroom teaching experience. The Board determined that providing the
option of having taught in a private school outweighed the need to have obtained
a teacher's certificate. Additionally, the Board found that requiring three
years of classroom teaching experience was an unnecessary barrier to certification
as a Reading Specialist and that two years was adequate. Because such a large
number of teachers drop out of the profession after three years, more qualified
candidates would be inclined to pursue the Reading Specialist Certificate
after two years of classroom teaching as a way of advancing their careers
and would be less likely to leave the profession altogether.
Section 239.94 (Requirements to Renew the Standard Reading Specialist Certificate):
For the Reading Specialist Certificate renewal requirements, the section makes
a cross-reference to 19 TAC Chapter 232, Subchapter R, relating to certificate
renewal and continuing professional education requirements. See the explanation
of the amendment to 19 TAC §232.851, relating to the number of required
continuing professional education hours by classes of certificates.
Section 239.95 (Transition and Implementation Dates): The Reading Specialist
Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) is scheduled
for deletion on August 31, 2003, and the new Texas Examination of Educator
Standards (TExES) Reading Specialist test and associated standards-based Reading
Specialist Certificate are scheduled for implementation on September 1, 2003.
The adopted rule provides for candidates who have taken and passed the Reading
Specialist ExCET prior to September 1, 2003, to have until August 31, 2004,
to meet all other requirements for the current (ExCET-based) Reading Specialist
Certificate issued under 19 TAC §230.310. Specifically, some candidates
will have taken and passed the Reading Specialist ExCET but may not have finished
their three years of teaching experience requirement or may not have completed
all of their coursework for program completion. The adopted rule will allow
those candidates one additional year for that test to remain valid for certification
while completing all other requirements for the current (ExCET-based) Reading
Specialist Certificate.
The amendment to 19 TAC §232.851, relating to the number of required
continuing professional education hours by classes of certificates, requires
holders of a Standard Reading Specialist Certificate to complete 200 hours
of continuing professional education (CPE) every five years in order to renew
the certificate. This renewal requirement is consistent with the requirements
for other Student Services Certificates (e.g., School Counselor, Educational
Diagnostician). For the reasons presented in the justification of new 19 TAC §239.90,
relating to general provisions for the Reading Specialist Certificate, the
Board determined that these certificate holders should obtain the maximum
amount of CPE currently required of any certificate class. With federal funding
of research into and regulation of effective reading instruction rapidly expanding,
it is essential for the Reading Specialist to maintain currency in the field.
No comments were received in response to the notice of proposed rules as
published in the above-referenced issue of the
Texas
Register
.
Because no party submissions or proposals were received, an explanation
of the Board's reasons for disagreement is not required.
The amendment to 19 TAC §232.851 is adopted under the statutory
authority of the following Education Code sections: §21.031(a), which
vests SBEC with the authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of the certification,
continuing education, and standards of conduct of public school educators; §21.041(b)(1),
which requires SBEC to propose rules that provide for the regulation of educators
and the general administration of Chapter 21, Subchapter B, in a manner consistent
with that subchapter; §21.041(b)(2), which requires SBEC to specify the
classes of certificates to be issued; §21.041(b)(3), which requires SBEC
to specify the period for which each class of educator certificate is valid; §21.041(b)(4),
which requires SBEC to specify the requirements for the issuance and renewal
of an educator certificate; and §21.041(b)(9), which requires SBEC to
provide for continuing education requirements.
This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State on January 17, 2003.
TRD-200300260
William Franz
Executive Director
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: February 6, 2003
Proposal publication date: November 22, 2002
For further information, please call: (512) 469-3011
19 TAC §§233.2 - 233.8
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC or Board)
adopts amendments to §233.2, relating to the generalist certificates
for teaching in early childhood programs through grade 4 or in grades 4-8; §233.3,
relating to the certificates for teaching English language arts and reading,
social studies, or history in grades 4-8 or 8-12; §233.4, relating to
the certificates for teaching mathematics or science in grades 4-8 or 8-12; §233.5,
relating to certificates for teaching technology applications in grades; §233.6,
relating to certificates for teaching in bilingual education programs and
new §233.7, relating to certificates for teaching English as a second
language and new §233.8, relating to certificates for teaching in special
education. The rules are adopted without changes to the proposed text as published
in the November 29, 2003, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg 11031), and §233.2 and §233.5 as corrected in
the December 13, 2002, issue of the
Texas Register
(27 TexReg 11833). The text of the rules will not be republished.
Elsewhere in this issue of the
Texas Register
, SBEC contemporaneously adopts an amendment to §230.601, relating
to assignment of public school personnel certified by SBEC.
The following is a summary of the factual basis for the rules as adopted
that demonstrates a rational connection between the factual basis for the
rules and the rules as adopted:
At its March 1, 2002, meeting, the Board asked staff to convene a focus
group to recommend changes, if any, for the improvement of the rules related
to assignment of public school personnel. A group composed of public school
administrators, educator preparation program staff, representatives of professional
organizations, SBEC Board members and staff from various curriculum areas
at the Texas Education Agency was organized. The members of the group represented
a wide range of interests and experiences in the educational community.
The group met on April 29 and June 5, 2002 to review current assignment
rules, discuss critical issues related to assignments and to make recommendations
regarding any possible rule changes. The group discussions focused primarily
on two critical issues:
1. continuation of current assignment rules for certain educators, and
2. flexibility in assignment of teachers who will receive one of the new
EC-4, 4-8 and 8-12 certificates that will be available beginning in fall 2002.
The group generally agreed that the assignment criteria specified in 19
TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter U,
Assignment of Public
School Personnel
, should remain in place for persons who are issued
certificates based on standards developed before SBEC approved new certificates
aligned with the current statewide curricula for public schools, the Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The group also agreed with SBEC staff
recommendations to make any necessary amendments to streamline Subchapter
U, where possible, and to ensure continued alignment with the state-adopted
curriculum and other applicable state and federal regulations.
Amendments to 19 TAC §230.601 are discussed below:
In assigning personnel who became certified by passing the appropriate
Examination for the Certification of Educators in Texas (ExCET) tests based
on standards promulgated in 1987 or obtained certification based on standards
promulgated prior to 1987 and revalidated their certificate by passing the
Texas Examination of Current Administrators & Teachers (TECAT), school
administrators may rely on SBEC assignment rules promulgated under the appropriate
standards. Grandfathering holders of certificates issued under former standards
will promote stability in the public-school system by not requiring these
educators to obtain another certificate based on new standards to remain in
their positions, thereby avoiding interruption of the delivery of needed educational
services during a period of teacher shortages. Though holding certificates
not issued under standards aligned with the TEKS, these educators have been
provided opportunities to participate in professional development and continuing
education programs that address the TEKS.
A cross-reference is made to 19 TAC Chapter 233 to ensure classroom teachers
issued certificates based on new standards are assigned in conformity with
the TEKS. Special education assignments are aligned with current state and
federal requirements.
Certified teachers who are assigned prior to the 2003-2004 school year
to teach one or more of the six Technology Applications courses offered at
grades 9-12 will be allowed to continue to teach those course(s) (and only
those courses) without further certification. When the TEKS were adopted by
the State Board of Education, SBEC offered no teaching certificate in the
new area of Technology Applications. Although SBEC now issues a Technology
Applications certificate, no certification exam exists for this area. Certificates
are currently available in Technology Applications and Computer Science for
grades 8-12 to qualified candidates who have completed and been recommended
by an SBEC-approved preparation program. SBEC rules (Chapter 230, Subchapter
U) also allows a district to assign a teacher with any elementary or secondary
certificate to teach Technology Applications courses in grades 6-8 if it determines
they are competent to do so. Similarly, a district may determine that any
certified secondary teacher is competent to teach six of the Technology Applications
courses offered at grades 9-12 (Web Mastering, Desktop Publishing, Multimedia,
Digital Graphics and Animation, Video Technology, and Independent Study in
Technology Applications). To teach Computer Science I and II, a teacher must
hold the superseded Computer Information Systems certificate or the new Computer
Science certificate.
Current assignment rules are streamlined by appropriately removing specific
public school courses listed under certain broad curriculum areas. This change
will provide districts more flexibility in offering courses aligned with the
affected broad curriculum areas and in assigning personnel to them.
All credentials issued by other state and national licensing agencies are
removed from the current assignment rules. Arising from the Texas Legislature's
rewrite of the Education Code in 1995, this overdue change reflects the Board's
current statutory authority and jurisdiction in linking public school assignments
to the credentials issued by SBEC.
Amendments to 19 TAC Chapter 233, which establish the new standard classroom
teacher's certificates aligned with the TEKS, are discussed below:
Section 233.2: The amendments provide flexibility by allowing educators
holding the Standard EC-4 Generalist, EC-4 Bilingual Education Generalist,
or the EC-4 English as a Second Language Generalist Certificate to be assigned
in self-contained 5th and 6th grade classrooms during the 2003-2004, 2004-2005
and 2005-2006 school years only under certain conditions. A discussion of
issues related to the assignment of individuals who will hold the new TEKS-aligned
certificates in grades EC-4, 4-8, and 8-12 generated concerns related to the
potential difficulties that school districts will face in staffing 5th and
6th grade classrooms, particularly those in self-contained settings. These
concerns stemmed from the low numbers of educator preparation programs currently
approved to offer the 4-8 Generalist Certificate and the potential impact
that this will have on the teacher pool for middle grade assignments. There
are approximately twelve programs throughout the state that are currently
approved to offer the 4-8 Generalist Certificate. There are less than 100
students currently registered in these programs.
Sections 233.3 - 233.5: The amendments clarify the curriculum areas that
the holder of the EC-4, 4-8 and 8-12 certificates may teach.
Section 233.6: The amendments provide that the holder of the Bilingual
Generalist or Bilingual Education Supplemental certificate may teach English
as a Second Language at the same grade levels and in the content areas of
the holder's base certificate. This section is also amended to reflect the
flexible assignment criteria provided by changes to §233.2 above.
Section 233.7: This new section establishes in rule the revised English
as a Second Language Generalist EC-Grade 4 and Grade 4-8 certificates and
the English as a Second Language Supplemental certificate, which were approved
by the Board in October 2001. These certificates will work much like the Bilingual
Generalist and Bilingual Supplemental certificates already in rule.
Section 233.8: This new section establishes in rule the revised Special
Education EC-Grade 12 and Special Education Supplemental certificates, which
were approved by the Board in October 2001. The new all-level Special Education
Certificate will serve as an initial or stand-alone certificate. Unlike the
current special education certificate or endorsement, this certificate will
include mathematics and English language arts and reading content in addition
to the special education standards. The amendments allow the holder of the
certificate to teach in a special education classroom at any grade level without
an additional content area certificate. The Special Education Supplemental
certificate will be similar to the current special education endorsement.
It is based on the new special education standards but excludes standards
related to mathematics and English language arts. As a supplemental certificate,
this certificate must be added to an existing content area certificate. The
amendments limit the validity of the Special Education Supplemental certificate
to the grade levels and content area(s) of the holder's base certificate.
No comments were received in response to the notice of proposed rules as
published in the above-referenced issue of the
Texas
Register
.
Because no party submissions or proposals were received, an explanation
of the Board's reasons for disagreement is not required.
The amendments to 19 TAC §230.601 and the amendments to
and the new rules in 19 TAC Chapter 233 are adopted under the following sections
of the Education Code: §21.031(a), which vests SBEC with the authority
to regulate and oversee all aspects of the certification, continuing education,
and standards of conduct of public school educators; §21.041(b)(1), which
requires the SBEC to adopt rules that provide for the regulation of educators
and the general administration of Chapter 21, Subchapter B, Education Code,
in a manner consistent with that subchapter; and §21.041(b)(2), which
requires SBEC to adopt rules that specify the classes of educator certificates
to be issued.
This agency hereby certifies that the adoption has been reviewed
by legal counsel and found to be a valid exercise of the agency's legal authority.
Filed with the Office of
the Secretary of State on January 17, 2003.
TRD-200300261
William Franz
Executive Director
State Board for Educator Certification
Effective date: February 6, 2003
Proposal publication date: November 29, 2002
For further information, please call: (512) 469-3011
Subchapter D. READING SPECIALIST CERTIFICATE
Subchapter U. ASSIGNMENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOL PERSONNEL
Chapter 232.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO ALL CERTIFICATES ISSUED
Chapter 233.
CATEGORIES OF CLASSROOM TEACHING CERTIFICATES
Chapter 239.
STUDENT SERVICES CERTIFICATES