BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	C.S.S.B. 1839
	By: Hughes
	Education
	4/28/2017
	Committee Report (Substituted)

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Each year almost 30,000 new first-year teachers enter Texas classrooms. These professionals are prepared by over 200 educator preparation programs ranging from traditional four-year degrees to alternative certification to post-baccalaureate training. They face the honorable and daunting task of educating 5.3 million Texas schoolchildren of varied academic, economic, regional, and cultural backgrounds in approximately 1,200 school districts and charters. Offering these teachers the very best in educator preparation helps ensure they are ready for vocational success.

Toward that end, Educate Texas convened in 2016 the Texas Teacher Preparation Collaborative, a blue-ribbon panel chaired by former Texas Commissioner of Education Jim Nelson. The collaborative's goal was to evaluate educator preparation programs and make recommendations to strengthen these programs for the benefit of teachers and the state. S.B. 1839 incorporates several of the panel's findings.

Sections 1 and 2 of the bill require the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to provide data to educator preparation programs from the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) to assist these programs in assessing their impact and improving their effectiveness. The TEA and educator preparation programs will work together to identify information that the programs will report through PEIMS. Program-specific evaluation and the general study of best practices will improve the quality of educator preparation and teacher performance in the classroom.

Section 3 of S.B. 1839 facilitates the certification of out-of-state teachers who want to teach in Texas. Texas faces a teacher shortage, and the shortfall in several critical areas is of particular concern. For example, the State Board for Educator Certification had a goal of 44,700 teacher certifications in 2015 but issued only 21,349. The 2,880 math and science certifications in 2015 fell short of the goal of 6,500 in these critical areas. Streamlining the certification process for good teachers from out of state will help attract talented professionals to Texas classrooms.

Finally, state law covering virtual professional development courses offered to teachers makes a reference to a "highly-qualified" teacher category in federal statute that is obsolete. Section 4 of the bill eliminates this reference. (Original Author's / Sponsor's Statement of Intent)

C.S.S.B. 1839 amends current law relating to the preparation, certification, and classification of public school educators.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the commissioner of education (commissioner) in SECTION 4 (Section 21.052, Education Code) of this bill.

Rulemaking authority previously granted to the commissioner is rescinded in SECTION 6 (Section 21.005, Education Code) of this bill.

Authority to propose rules is expressly granted to the State Board for Educator Certification in SECTION 7 of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 21.043, Education Code, as follows:

Sec. 21.043. ACCESS TO PEIMS DATA. (a) Creates this subsection from existing text. Makes no further change to this subsection.

(b) Requires the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to provide educator preparation programs (program) with data based on information reported through the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) that enables a program to assess the impact of the program, and revise the program as needed to improve the design and effectiveness of the program.

(c) Requires TEA in coordination with the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to solicit input from� programs to determine the information to be reported through PEIMS and the data to be provided to programs based on that information.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 21.045, Education Code, by adding Subsection (d), as follows:

(d) Requires TEA, to assist a program in improving the design and effectiveness of the program in preparing educators for the classroom, to provide to each program data that is compiled and analyzed by TEA based on information reported through PEIMS relating to the program.

SECTION 3. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding Section 21.0489, as follows:

Sec. 21.0489. EARLY CHILDHOOD CERTIFICATION. (a) Requires that SBEC, to ensure that there are teachers with special training in early childhood education focusing on prekindergarten through grade three, establish an early childhood certificate.

(b) Provides that a person is not required to hold a certificate established under this section to be employed by a school district to provide instruction in prekindergarten through grade three.

(c) Requires a person to satisfactorily complete certain course work, perform satisfactorily on certain examinations, and satisfy any other requirements prescribed by SBEC to be eligible for a certificate established under this section.

(d) Requires that the criteria for the course of instruction described by Subsection (c)(1)(A) (relating to requiring a person to satisfactorily complete certain course work to be eligible for a certificate) be developed by SBEC in consultation with faculty members who provide instruction at institutions of higher education in programs for an early childhood through grade six certificate.

SECTION 4. Amends Section 21.052, Education Code, by adding Subsection (a-1), as follows:

(a-1) Authorizes the commissioner of education (commissioner) to adopt rules establishing exceptions to the examination requirements prescribed by Subsection (a)(3) (relating to authorizing the issuance of a certificate to an educator who applies for a certificate and performs satisfactorily on certain examinations) for an educator from outside the state to obtain a certificate in this state.

SECTION 5. Amends Section 30A.112(b), Education Code,� to delete existing text authorizing the state virtual school network to provide or authorize providers of electronic professional development courses to provide professional development for teachers who must become highly qualified under Section 1119, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, (20 U.S.C. Section 6319). Makes nonsubstantive changes.

SECTION 6. Repealer: Section 21.005 (High-Quality Teachers), Education Code.

Repealer: Section 21.052(g) (relating to requiring the commissioner to provide guidance to school districts that employ a certain certified educator), Education Code.

Repealer: Section 21.057(e) (relating to providing that this section does not apply if a school is required to provide notice to a parent or guardian regarding a teacher who is not highly qualified according to certain criteria), Education Code.

SECTION 7. Requires SBEC to propose rules establishing requirements and prescribing an examination for an early childhood certificate examination as required by Section 21.0489, Education Code, as added by this Act, and establishing standards to govern the approval and renewal of approval of programs for early childhood certification.

SECTION 8. Provides that the commissioner is required to implement Sections 1 and 2 of this Act only if the legislature appropriates money specifically for that purpose. Provides that if the legislature does not appropriate money specifically for the purpose of implementing Sections 1 and 2 of this Act, the commissioner is authorized, but is not required, to implement those sections using other appropriations available for that purpose.

SECTION 9. Effective date: September 1, 2017.