The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) held a two-day meeting Dec. 7–8 to discuss items including proposed changes to Educator Preparation Program (EPP) rules and requirements; a proposed enhanced certificate for educators who choose a residency pathway; and potential development of a performance assessment exam for educator candidates. 

The board considered a proposal to revise TAC 19 Chapter 228, Requirements for Education Preparation Programs. The revised text of Chapter 228 increases the amount of required field supervision hours for clinical teaching from 30 to 50; changes the number of informal EPP-conducted observations, requiring more 15-minute informal observations with the goal of providing more frequent, immediate feedback; and changes the way teacher residents are evaluated. Concerns were raised by educator groups and EPPs regarding the implementation timeline as well as the need both to provide more flexibility in the evaluation process and to clarify rules for field supervisors. ATPE, as part of the Texas Council for Educator Preparation (TCEP), provided testimony about the need to assess performance as an embedded aspect of the EPP curriculum rather than through a high-stakes test at the conclusion of a candidate’s EPP experience. TCEP also expressed concern that under the proposal, successful completion of the proposed performance gates would allow educator candidates to be exempted from the PPR exam. The proposal will be published in the Texas Register for public comment before final adoption in February. 

The board also discussed proposed revisions to TAC 19 Chapter 230, Professional Educator Preparation and Certification. These changes include updates to content pedagogy exams, development of a new enhanced standard certificate for teacher residents, and development of a Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA) to assess educator candidates. Similar to our comments on Chapter 228, ATPE, in coordination with our TCEP partners, provided testimony to the board expressing concern about using a performance assessment as a certification exam—suggesting that performance assessment is more appropriately placed in Chapter 228 for use as an embedded assessment tool to provide candidates and programs important real-time feedback while the candidate is going through the program rather than placement in Chapter 230 as a disconnected high-stakes certification exam taken after the point it could be used to provide valuable candidate feedback to shape the candidate’s EPP experience. Additionally, TCEP asked SBEC to consider requiring that all teacher candidates demonstrate mastery in the same way and shared the coalition’s opposition to removal of the PPR exam for resident candidates. ATPE has consistently opposed the use of a TPA exam as a final certification exam. The board approved the TEA staff-proposed changes to Chapter 230 and will publish them in the Texas Register for public comment before final adoption in February.  

Other items discussed include the implementation of five new core certificates, as well as a new EC-12 bilingual special education certificate; changes to code to allow for implementation of legislation regarding requirements for school counselors; new special education certification requirements; and discussion of changes to rules for educator preparation candidates.  

The board will meet again in February, when it’s expected to finally adopt changes to Chapters 228 and 230. The new language will then be sent to the State Board of Education (SBOE) for ratification or veto in April. SBOE has previously vetoed the TPA exam.