The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) met Friday to discuss expansion of teacher residency programs and development of a bilingual special education certificate, as well as to give final approval to three sets of revised rules: 19 TAC Ch. 231, which establishes a content competency rubric for special education teachers of record that replaces the previously used HOUSSE; 19 TAC Ch. 235, revisions to the teacher pedagogy standards used by educator preparation programs (EPPs) to prepare educator candidates for the classroom; and 19 TAC Ch. 249, educator disciplinary standards. The board also elected two new officers following the departure of two SBEC members.  

As previously reported, ATPE has worked closely with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and SBEC throughout the development of these rules. ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave served on the Special Populations Working Group responsible for working with TEA to revise the special education content competency rubrics in Ch. 231 and testified several times on the item, urging additions to reflect an educator’s closely related field experience, encouraging clearer language that protected teachers who are grandfathered out of needing to use the rubrics, as well as advocating for rule text that better matched the changes made in the rubric. SBEC adopted the suggested language from ATPE in December.   

ATPE also worked to improve the revisions to Ch. 235, teacher pedagogy standards. These standards were changed from grade-banded standards to one set of more streamlined standards for all educators. ATPE has worked with SBEC, TEA, and the author of HB 1605 from the 2023 session, Chairman Brad Buckley (R–Salado), to lessen the agency’s and SBEC’s emphasis in the new standards on materials receiving the 1605-created designation of “high-quality instructional materials” (HQIM) versus teacher-developed materials, an emphasis that is not required by HB 1605 in order to implement the legislation. After multiple rounds of discussion and testimony, language was changed to deemphasize HQIM in response to ATPE and other stakeholders.  Additionally, ATPE worked with a coalition to encourage TEA to return lesson design to the standards as a critical component of educator preparation. Earlier drafts of the standards had “lesson internalization” substituted for “lesson design.”  ATPE and other stakeholders argued that both work in tandem and that lesson design is a critical component of an educator’s toolbox in the classroom. Finally, ATPE successfully argued for a definition of “lesson design” to be included in the standards in order to make clear exactly what educator candidates should be prepared to do once they enter the classroom. 

ATPE Governmental Relations and Member Legal Services also worked to improve the suggested changes to Ch. 249, educator disciplinary standards. ATPE Managing Attorney Lance Cain, ATPE Governmental Relations Director Monty Exter, and ATPE Lobbyist Tricia Cave all testified on this item as it made its way through the rulemaking process last year. Changes requested by ATPE included revisions to the contract abandonment language to reflect the realities of changes to a spouse’s job or work location that might cause an educator to need to leave the classroom, as well as changes to language regarding solicitation of a romantic relationship and “grooming behaviors” that protect teachers from having to prove themselves innocent, rather than be proven guilty of such a crime.  As reported in December, many of ATPE’s suggested changes were incorporated into the final disciplinary standards. 

All three of these items were approved by the board and now head to the SBOE for final approval this spring.  

The board also approved 12 EPPs to begin offering the residency preparation routes that will allow candidates to graduate with an enhanced educator certificate upon program completion. SBEC approved the enhanced certificate last year as part of revisions to 19 TAC Chapter 230. These programs included Baylor University; Prairie View A&M University; Sam Houston State University; Stephen F. Austin State University; Texas A&M University–Commerce, –Corpus Christi, and –San Antonio; the University of Texas at Austin and Dallas; the University of Houston–Clear Lake; and ESC Regions 4 and 13.  

Elections were held for a new board vice chair and secretary. The new vice chair is Courtney McDonald, and the board secretary is Bena Glasscock. This was following the departure of Vice Chair Scott Muri and Secretary Tommy Coleman, who left the board at the end of the year. SBEC positions are appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R), and at this time he has not appointed their replacements, leaving those seats empty for this meeting.   

Finally, the board continued discussions about 19 TAC Chapter 235, Subchapter B, which will implement the statutory requirements of HB 2256 from the 87th Legislature, creating rules for a bilingual special education certificate.  Discussions centered on the pathway to the certificate.  Candidates are not allowed to certify by exam, meaning a candidate would have to go through an EPP to earn their certification. Candidates would be able to serve as a bilingual educator or a special educator, as needed.   

The full meeting agenda is available here.  

SBEC meets again April 25.