The State Board for Educator Certification will meet in Austin on Friday, Feb. 16. We anticipate a few highly impactful items.
The board will consider the proposed repeal and replacement of the entirety of Chapter 228, which dictates the curriculum that Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) must deliver in their teacher training programs and outlines the requirements for each type of classroom certificate. This item would also establish a new “enhanced certificate” for candidates who complete a residency model and incrementally increase the pre-service requirements for issuance of an intern or probationary certificate.
The board will also take up proposed changes to Chapter 230 regarding teacher certification. This is the item we will watch most closely as the board is contemplating a new Texas-specific performance assessment (colloquially, the TxTPA) as a replacement for the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam. The board was presented a timeline for implementation of this edTPA lookalike exam, despite the fact that the request for proposal (RFP) for its development was still outstanding. We are expecting to hear an update from the agency as to the award of this contract and their proposal for its implementation. We maintain the edTPA is a deeply flawed exam and an inadequate replacement for the current certification exam.
Additionally, the board will hear proposals to streamline the number of tests required to become an elementary educator, hold continued discussion of special education assignment rules, and consider the removal of the requirement that school counselors must have at least two years of classroom teaching experience (SB 798).
We will provide readers with a full recap in a future edition of the Hotline.
Educating Texas: ‘Where Rules Are Made’
This past Tuesday, Texas AFT hosted the second webinar in our ongoing Educating Texas series. The focus of this session was the State Board for Educator Certification: what it does, who’s on it, and what you should know. We thank Rep. Alma Allen for joining us for the discussion and providing insights as a former State Board of Education member and educator.
Missed the session? Watch this and other recordings in our Educating Texas playlist on YouTube.
And be sure to register for our upcoming sessions too.