BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 2256
	By: Guerra et al. (Creighton)
	Education
	5/20/2021
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Background

� Due to the lack of a bilingual special education certification in Texas, school districts need to rely on complicated collaboration between their special education and bilingual departments, with very few individuals being fully equipped to understand how to properly address disabilities and delays in a culturally and linguistically responsive way. As a result, many English learner children are not being given the proper interventions to meet their developmental needs.

� The creation of a certificate in bilingual special education would build a pipeline of school leaders who are equipped to serve the needs of English learner children with disabilities and developmental delays.

Bill Proposal

� The newly created certificate in bilingual special education would provide a skills-based course of instruction on early childhood education that includes:

o Foundations of bilingual, multicultural, and second language special education;

o Developing teaching methods to recognize the intellectual, developmental, and emotional needs of students in dual language/transitional bilingual education settings;

o Creating dynamic and collaborative partnerships with families and school professionals;

o Providing assessment for equity and inclusion of bilingual students with and without disabilities;

o Providing culturally responsive individualized educational planning for bilingual students with disabilities; and

o Teaching fundamental academic skills, including reading, writing, and numeracy to bilingual children.

� The criteria for the course of instruction described shall be developed by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) in consultation with faculty members in education preparation programs, who have expertise in bilingual special education. SBEC shall propose rules:

o establishing requirements and prescribing an examination for a bilingual special education certificate examination, as required by this Act; and

o establishing standards to govern the approval and renewal of approval of educator preparation programs for early childhood certification.

H.B. 2256 amends current law relating to creating a bilingual special education certification to teach students of limited English proficiency with disabilities.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the State Board of Education on behalf of the State Board for Educator Certification in SECTION 2 of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, by adding Section 21.04891, as follows:

Sec. 21.04891.  BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION. (a) Defines� "limited English proficiency."

(b)  Requires the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to establish a bilingual special education certificate to ensure that there are teachers with special training in providing instruction to students of limited English proficiency with disabilities.

(c)  Requires a person, to be eligible for a certificate established under Section 21.04891, to:

(1)  satisfactorily complete the coursework for that certificate in an educator preparation program, including a skills-based course of instruction on providing instruction to students of limited English proficiency with disabilities, which is required to include instruction on:

(A)  the foundations of bilingual, multicultural, and second language special education;

(B)  providing culturally responsive individualized education programs for students of limited English proficiency with disabilities;

(C)  providing assessment for equity and inclusion of students of limited English proficiency with and without disabilities;

(D)  developing teaching methods to recognize the intellectual, developmental, and emotional needs of students in dual language and transitional bilingual education settings;

(E)  teaching fundamental academic skills, including reading, writing, and mathematics, to students of limited English proficiency; and

(F)  creating dynamic and collaborative partnerships with families and school professionals;

(2)  perform satisfactorily on a bilingual special education certificate examination prescribed by SBEC; and

(3)  satisfy any other requirements prescribed by SBEC.

SECTION 2.  Requires SBEC to propose rules:

(1)  establishing requirements and prescribing an examination for a bilingual special education certificate as required by Section 21.04891, Education Code, as added by this Act; and

(2)  establishing standards to govern the approval and renewal of approval of educator preparation programs for bilingual special education certification.

SECTION 3.  Effective date: September 1, 2021.