Bill Text: TX HB159 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Relating to improving training and staff development for primary and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve all students.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-1)

Status: (Passed) 2021-06-04 - Effective on 9/1/21 [HB159 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HB159-Enrolled.html

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H.B. No. 159

AN ACT
relating to improving training and staff development for primary
and secondary educators to enable them to more effectively serve
all students.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 21.001, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subdivision (4) to read as follows:
(4) "Student with a disability" means a student who
is:
(A) eligible to participate in a school
district's special education program under Section 29.003;
(B) covered by Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794); or
(C) covered by the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400 et seq.).
SECTION 2. Section 21.044, Education Code, is amended by
amending Subsections (a), (b), (c-1), and (g) and adding Subsection
(a-1) to read as follows:
(a) The board shall propose rules:
(1) specifying what each educator is expected to know
and be able to do, particularly with regard to students with
disabilities;
(2) establishing the training requirements a person
must accomplish to obtain a certificate, enter an internship, or
enter an induction-year program; and
(3) specifying[. The board shall specify] the minimum
academic qualifications required for a certificate.
(a-1) Any training requirements for a certificate specified
under Subsection (a) must require that the person demonstrate:
(1) basic knowledge of:
(A) each disability category under the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Section 1400
et seq.) and how each category can affect student learning and
development; and
(B) conditions that may be considered a
disability under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C.
Section 794), and how a condition covered by that section can affect
student learning and development;
(2) competence in the use of proactive instructional
planning techniques that:
(A) provide flexibility in the ways:
(i) information is presented;
(ii) students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills; and
(iii) students are engaged;
(B) reduce barriers in instruction;
(C) provide appropriate accommodations,
supports, and challenges; and
(D) maintain high achievement expectations for
all students, including students with disabilities and students of
limited English proficiency; and
(3) competence in the use of evidence-based inclusive
instructional practices, including:
(A) general and special education collaborative
and co-teaching models and approaches;
(B) multitiered systems of support, including
response to intervention strategies, classroom and school level
data-based collaborative structures, and evidence-based strategies
for intervention and progress monitoring systems in academic areas;
(C) classroom management techniques using
evidence-based behavioral intervention strategies and supports;
and
(D) appropriate adaptation strategies, including
accommodations, modifications, and instruction in the use of
assistive technology for instruction.
(b) The [Any] minimum academic qualifications for a
certificate specified under Subsection (a) [that require a person
to possess a bachelor's degree] must [also] require that the person
receive, as part of the training required to obtain that
certificate, instruction in detection and education of students
with dyslexia.
(c-1) The [Any] minimum academic qualifications for a
certificate specified under Subsection (a) [that require a person
to possess a bachelor's degree] must [also] require that the person
receive, as part of the training required to obtain that
certificate, instruction regarding mental health, substance abuse,
and youth suicide. The instruction required must:
(1) be provided through:
(A) a program selected from the list of
recommended best practice-based programs and research-based
practices established under Section 38.351; or
(B) a course offered by any accredited public or
private postsecondary educational institution as part of a degree
program; and
(2) include effective strategies, including
de-escalation techniques and positive behavioral interventions and
supports, for teaching and intervening with students with mental
health conditions or who engage in substance abuse.
(g) Each educator preparation program must provide
information regarding:
(1) the skills that educators are required to possess,
the responsibilities that educators are required to accept, and the
high expectations for all students, including students with
disabilities, in this state;
(2) the effect of supply and demand forces on the
educator workforce in this state;
(3) the performance over time of the educator
preparation program;
(4) the importance of building strong classroom
management skills;
(5) the framework in this state for teacher and
principal evaluation, including the procedures followed in
accordance with Subchapter H; and
(6) appropriate relationships, boundaries, and
communications between educators and students.
SECTION 3. Section 21.0443(b), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(b) To be eligible for approval or renewal of approval, an
educator preparation program must:
(1) incorporate proactive instructional planning
techniques throughout course work and across content areas using a
framework that:
(A) provides flexibility in the ways:
(i) information is presented;
(ii) students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills; and
(iii) students are engaged;
(B) reduces barriers in instruction;
(C) provides appropriate accommodations,
supports, and challenges; and
(D) maintains high achievement expectations for
all students, including students with disabilities and students of
limited English proficiency;
(2) integrate inclusive practices for all students,
including students with disabilities, and evidence-based
instruction and intervention strategies throughout course work,
clinical experience, and student teaching;
(3) adequately prepare candidates for educator
certification; and
(4) meet the standards and requirements of the board.
SECTION 4. Section 21.045(a), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) The board shall propose rules necessary to establish
standards to govern the continuing accountability of all educator
preparation programs based on the following information that is
disaggregated with respect to race, sex, and ethnicity:
(1) results of the certification examinations
prescribed under Section 21.048(a);
(2) performance based on the appraisal system for
beginning teachers adopted by the board;
(3) achievement, including improvement in
achievement, of all students, including students with
disabilities, taught by beginning teachers for the first three
years following certification, to the extent practicable;
(4) compliance with board requirements regarding the
frequency, duration, and quality of structural guidance and ongoing
support provided by field supervisors to candidates completing
student teaching, clinical teaching, or an internship; and
(5) results from a teacher satisfaction survey,
developed by the board with stakeholder input, of new teachers
performed at the end of the teacher's first year of teaching.
SECTION 5. Section 21.0453(a), Education Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) The board shall require an educator preparation program
to provide candidates for teacher certification with information
concerning the following:
(1) skills and responsibilities required of teachers
with regard to all students, including students with disabilities;
(2) expectations for student performance, including
students with disabilities, based on state standards;
(3) the current supply of and demand for teachers in
this state;
(4) the importance of developing classroom management
skills; and
(5) the state's framework for appraisal of teachers
and principals.
SECTION 6. Section 21.046(b), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) The qualifications for certification as a principal
must be sufficiently flexible so that an outstanding teacher may
qualify by substituting approved experience and professional
training for part of the educational requirements. Supervised and
approved on-the-job experience in addition to required internship
shall be accepted in lieu of classroom hours. The qualifications
must emphasize:
(1) instructional leadership, including the ability
to create an inclusive school environment and to foster parent
involvement;
(2) administration, supervision, and communication
skills;
(3) curriculum and instruction management, including
curriculum and instruction management for students with
disabilities;
(4) performance evaluation;
(5) organization; and
(6) fiscal management.
SECTION 7. Section 21.047(c), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) A center may develop and implement a comprehensive
field-based educator preparation program to supplement the
internship hours required in Section 21.050. This comprehensive
field-based teacher program must:
(1) be designed on the basis of current research into
state-of-the-art teaching practices applicable to all students,
including students with disabilities, curriculum theory and
application within diverse student populations, evaluation of
student outcomes, and the effective application of technology; and
(2) have rigorous internal and external evaluation
procedures that focus on content, delivery systems, and teacher and
student outcomes.
SECTION 8. Sections 21.051(b) and (f), Education Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(b) Before a school district may employ a candidate for
certification as a teacher of record and, except as provided by
Subsection (b-1), after the candidate's admission to an educator
preparation program, the candidate must complete at least 15 hours
of field-based experience in which the candidate is actively
engaged in instructional or educational activities involving a
diverse student population that, to the greatest extent
practicable, includes students with disabilities under supervision
at:
(1) a public school campus accredited or approved for
the purpose by the agency; or
(2) a private school recognized or approved for the
purpose by the agency.
(f) The board shall propose rules providing flexible
options for persons for any field-based experience or internship
required for certification. The options must, to the greatest
extent practicable, involve interaction with a diverse student
population, including students with disabilities.
SECTION 9. Section 21.451, Education Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:
(a-2) In designing the staff development described by
Subsection (a), a school district must use procedures that, to the
greatest extent possible, ensure the training included in the staff
development:
(1) incorporates proactive instructional planning
techniques using a framework that:
(A) provides flexibility in the ways:
(i) information is presented;
(ii) students respond or demonstrate
knowledge and skills; and
(iii) students are engaged;
(B) reduces barriers in instruction;
(C) provides appropriate accommodations,
supports, and challenges; and
(D) maintains high achievement expectations for
all students, including students with disabilities and students of
limited English proficiency; and
(2) integrates inclusive and evidence-based
instructional practices for all students, including students with
disabilities.
SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 159 was passed by the House on May 4,
2021, by the following vote: Yeas 103, Nays 42, 2 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House
I certify that H.B. No. 159 was passed by the Senate on May
20, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 22, Nays 8, 1 present, not
voting.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate
APPROVED: _____________________
Date
_____________________
Governor