H.B. No. 1752
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to creating the Texas Teacher Residency Program.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding
  Subchapter Q to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER Q. TEXAS TEACHER RESIDENCY PROGRAM
         Sec. 21.801.  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a)  Not later than
  March 1, 2014, the commissioner of higher education shall, through
  a competitive selection process, establish a Texas Teacher
  Residency Program at a public institution of higher education that
  has developed a commitment to investing in teacher education.
         (b)  The public institution of higher education shall form a
  partnership with an area school district or open-enrollment charter
  school to provide employment to residents in the program.
         (c)  The program must be designed to:
               (1)  award teaching residents participating in the
  program a master's degree; and
               (2)  lead to certification under Subchapter B for
  participating teaching residents who are not already certified
  teachers.
         (d)  The public institution of higher education shall:
               (1)  reward faculty instructing in the teacher
  residency program;
               (2)  identify faculty who can prepare teachers to
  impact student achievement in high-need schools;
               (3)  provide institutional support of faculty who work
  with the teacher residency program by providing time to teach the
  courses and valuing the faculty's contributions with rewards in the
  university tenure process; and
               (4)  develop and implement a program that acknowledges
  and elevates the significance and professional nature of teaching
  at the primary and secondary levels.
         Sec. 21.802.  PROGRAM COMPONENTS. The teacher residency
  program shall include:
               (1)  competitive admission requirements with multiple
  criteria;
               (2)  integration of pedagogy and classroom practice;
               (3)  rigorous master's level course work, while
  undertaking a guided apprenticeship at the partner area school
  district or open-enrollment charter school;
               (4)  a team mentorship approach to expose teaching
  residents to a variety of teaching methods, philosophies, and
  classroom environments;
               (5)  clear criteria for the selection of mentor
  teachers based on measures of teacher effectiveness and the
  appropriate subject area knowledge;
               (6)  measures of appropriate progress through the
  program;
               (7)  the collaboration with one or more regional
  education service centers or local nonprofit education
  organizations to provide professional development or other
  structured learning experiences for teaching residents;
               (8)  a livable stipend for teaching residents;
               (9)  a post-completion commitment by teaching
  residents to serve four years at schools that are difficult to
  staff;
               (10)  job placement assistance for teaching residents;
               (11)  support for teaching residents for not less than
  one year following the resident's completion of the program through
  the provision of mentoring, professional development, and
  networking opportunities;
               (12)  demonstration of the integral role and
  responsibilities of the partner area school district or
  open-enrollment charter school in fulfilling the purpose of the
  program; and
               (13)  monetary or in-kind contributions provided by the
  public institution of higher education, partner area school
  district, or open-enrollment charter school to demonstrate that the
  program may be sustained in the absence of grant funds or state
  appropriations.
         Sec. 21.803.  PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to be
  admitted and hired as a teaching resident under the program, an
  individual must:
               (1)  have received the individual's initial teaching
  certificate not more than two years before applying for a residency
  and must have less than 18 months of full-time equivalency teaching
  experience as a certified teacher; or
               (2)  hold a bachelor's degree and:
                     (A)  be a mid-career professional from outside the
  field of education, and have strong content knowledge or a record of
  achievement; or
                     (B)  be a noncertified educator such as a
  substitute teacher or teaching assistant.
         Sec. 21.804.  SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS. The teaching
  residency program shall establish criteria for selection of
  individuals to participate in the program.  The selection criteria
  must include:
               (1)  a demonstration of comprehensive subject area
  knowledge or a record of accomplishment in the field or subject area
  to be taught;
               (2)  strong verbal and written communication skills,
  which may be demonstrated by performance on appropriate tests; and
               (3)  attributes linked to effective teaching, which may
  be determined by interviews or performance assessments.
         Sec. 21.805.  RULES. The commissioner of higher education
  shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this subchapter.
         Sec. 21.806.  AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT CERTAIN FUNDS.  (a)  The
  commissioner of higher education may solicit and accept gifts,
  grants, and donations from public and private entities to use for
  the purposes of this subchapter.
         (b)  The teacher residency program may be established and
  maintained only if sufficient funds are available under this
  section for that purpose.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1752 was passed by the House on April
  22, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 108, Nays 36, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 1752 on May 21, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 96, Nays 49,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 1752 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 17, 2013, by the following vote:  Yeas 28, Nays
  2.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor