77R11298 JSA-F
By Coleman, Delisi H.B. No. 2513
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2513:
By Rangel C.S.H.B. No. 2513
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to financial assistance for certain persons seeking
1-3 certification as public school teachers, including revisions to the
1-4 Teach for Texas grant program.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter K, Chapter 21, Education Code, as added
1-7 by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, Regular Session,
1-8 1999, is redesignated as Subchapter L, Chapter 21, Education Code,
1-9 and amended to read as follows:
1-10 SUBCHAPTER L [K]. TEACH FOR TEXAS [PILOT PROGRAM RELATING TO]
1-11 ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
1-12 Sec. 21.551 [21.501]. PURPOSES. The purposes of the
1-13 [alternative certification] Teach for Texas Alternative
1-14 Certification [Pilot] Program established by this subchapter are
1-15 to:
1-16 (1) attract to the teaching profession persons who
1-17 have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
1-18 certification of those persons as teachers;
1-19 (2) recognize the importance of the certification
1-20 process governed by the State Board for Educator Certification
1-21 under Subchapter B, which requires verification of competence in
1-22 subject area and professional knowledge and skills;
1-23 (3) encourage through financial incentives the
1-24 creation and expansion of educator preparation programs that
2-1 recognize the knowledge and skills gained through previous
2-2 educational and work-related experiences and that are delivered in
2-3 a manner that recognizes individual circumstances, including the
2-4 need to remain employed full-time while enrolled in the Teach for
2-5 Texas Alternative Certification [Pilot] Program; and
2-6 (4) provide annual stipends to postbaccalaureate
2-7 teacher certification candidates.
2-8 Sec. 21.552 [21.502]. PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. The State Board
2-9 for Educator Certification by rule shall establish the Teach for
2-10 Texas Alternative Certification [Pilot] Program consistent with the
2-11 purposes provided by Section 21.551 [21.501].
2-12 Sec. 21.553 [21.503]. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. (a) The
2-13 [pilot] program must offer to participants financial incentives,
2-14 including tuition assistance and loan forgiveness. In offering a
2-15 financial incentive, the State Board for Educator Certification
2-16 shall:
2-17 (1) require a contract between each participant who
2-18 accepts a financial incentive and the State Board for Educator
2-19 Certification under which the participant is obligated to teach in
2-20 a public school in this state for a stated period after
2-21 certification;
2-22 (2) provide financial incentives in proportion to the
2-23 length of the period the participant is obligated by contract to
2-24 teach after certification; and
2-25 (3) give special financial incentives to a participant
2-26 who agrees in the contract to teach in an underserved area.
2-27 (b) Financial incentives may be paid only from funds
3-1 appropriated specifically for that purpose and from gifts, grants,
3-2 and donations solicited or accepted by the State Board for Educator
3-3 Certification for that purpose.
3-4 (c) The State Board for Educator Certification shall propose
3-5 rules establishing criteria for awarding financial incentives under
3-6 this section, including criteria for awarding financial incentives
3-7 if there are more participants than funds available to provide the
3-8 financial incentives.
3-9 Sec. 21.554. OUTREACH. (a) The board, working jointly with
3-10 other state agencies involved in public education matters as well
3-11 as other interested public and private entities, shall conduct
3-12 outreach to educate potential participants about the Teach for
3-13 Texas Alternative Certification Program. The outreach must
3-14 emphasize:
3-15 (1) the importance of teaching as a profession;
3-16 (2) the short-term commitment to the program required
3-17 of participants; and
3-18 (3) the value of the experience offered by the
3-19 program.
3-20 (b) The board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from
3-21 any public or private source for the purposes of this section.
3-22 SECTION 2. Section 56.309, Education Code, is redesignated
3-23 as Subchapter O, Chapter 56, Education Code, and amended to read as
3-24 follows:
3-25 SUBCHAPTER O. TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM
3-26 Sec. 56.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
3-27 (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
4-1 Education Coordinating Board.
4-2 (2) "Eligible institution of higher education" means:
4-3 (A) an institution of higher education; or
4-4 (B) a private or independent institution of
4-5 higher education as defined by Section 61.003.
4-6 Sec. 56.352 [56.309]. PURPOSE OF [TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT]
4-7 PROGRAM. [(a)] The purpose of this subchapter [the Teach for
4-8 Texas grant program] is to attract to the teaching profession
4-9 persons who have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
4-10 certification of those persons as classroom teachers by providing
4-11 tuition grants on the condition that the recipient serve as a
4-12 classroom teacher in the public schools of this state for a
4-13 specified period.
4-14 Sec. 56.353. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT; TEACHING AGREEMENT.
4-15 (a) [(b)] A Teach for Texas tuition grant is available only to a
4-16 person who [receives a TEXAS grant under Section 56.304 or 56.305,]
4-17 applies for a [Teach for Texas tuition] grant[,] and:
4-18 (1) is seeking educator certification;
4-19 (2) is enrolled in an eligible institution of higher
4-20 education in this state:
4-21 (A) as a junior or senior in a baccalaureate
4-22 degree program; or
4-23 (B) in the person's first semester in an
4-24 educator certification program after receiving a baccalaureate
4-25 degree; and
4-26 (3) [if:]
4-27 [(1) the degree program is in a teaching field
5-1 certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
5-2 critical shortage of teachers in this state in the year in which
5-3 the person begins the degree program; or]
5-4 [(2) the person] agrees to teach for the period
5-5 required by this subchapter in a public school in this state [in a
5-6 community, which is not required to be specifically designated at
5-7 the time the person receives the grant, certified by the
5-8 commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
5-9 teachers in any year in which the person receives a grant under
5-10 this section or in any subsequent year in which the person fulfills
5-11 the teaching obligation].
5-12 (b) The coordinating board in awarding Teach for Texas
5-13 tuition grants shall give priority to:
5-14 (1) a person seeking educator certification in a
5-15 teaching field certified by the commissioner of education as
5-16 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in this state in the
5-17 year in which the person receives the grant who agrees to teach in
5-18 a public school in this state in that teaching field for the period
5-19 required by this subchapter;
5-20 (2) a person who agrees to teach for the required
5-21 period in a public school in this state in a community, which is
5-22 not required to be specifically designated at the time the person
5-23 receives the grant, certified by the commissioner of education as
5-24 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers; and
5-25 (3) other persons demonstrating financial need, to the
5-26 extent money for grants is available after awarding grants to all
5-27 eligible applicants covered by Subdivisions (1) and (2).
6-1 (c) If the money available for grants in a period for which
6-2 grants are awarded is insufficient to provide grants to all
6-3 eligible applicants described by Subsection (b)(1) and (2), the
6-4 board shall award grants among those applicants according to
6-5 financial need.
6-6 (d) A person may not receive Teach for Texas tuition grants
6-7 for more than three academic years or the equivalent.
6-8 (e) [(c)] To receive a Teach for Texas tuition grant, a
6-9 person must agree to teach full-time [for five years] at the
6-10 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this
6-11 state for one year for each semester or summer term for which the
6-12 person receives a grant [in the person's chosen critical field or
6-13 in a community experiencing a critical teacher shortage, as
6-14 applicable].
6-15 Sec. 56.354. AMOUNT OF GRANT; PAYMENT OF GRANT. (a) The
6-16 amount of a Teach for Texas tuition grant for a semester or term is
6-17 equal to two times the current amount of a TEXAS grant under
6-18 Subchapter M for a student enrolled in a general academic teaching
6-19 institution.
6-20 (b) [(d)] The coordinating board shall pay the amount of a
6-21 Teach for Texas tuition grant in installments, with a substantially
6-22 equal amount paid in each semester or term based on the number of
6-23 semesters in which a typical full-time student would complete the
6-24 recipient's educator certification program. The coordinating board
6-25 may adjust the amount of a grant for a semester or term, or award a
6-26 supplemental grant, to ensure that a grant recipient who completes
6-27 the educator certification program receives the total amount of the
7-1 recipient's grant [under this section is equal to two times the
7-2 amount of a TEXAS grant authorized under Section 56.307(b) for the
7-3 same semester or term].
7-4 Sec. 56.355. ELIGIBILITY FOR TEXAS GRANT NOT AFFECTED. A
7-5 person may receive both a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M [Section
7-6 56.304 or 56.305] and a Teach for Texas tuition grant under this
7-7 subchapter [section] for the same semester or term.
7-8 Sec. 56.356. SATISFYING TEACHING OBLIGATION; REPAYMENT. (a)
7-9 A person who receives a Teach for Texas tuition grant [(e) The
7-10 person] must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation of the
7-11 person's grant [this section] not later than the 18th month after
7-12 the person completes the educator certification program for which
7-13 the person received the grant [degree program and any related
7-14 courses required for teacher certification], unless the
7-15 coordinating board grants the person additional time to begin
7-16 fulfilling the teaching obligation.
7-17 (b) The person must complete the teaching obligation not
7-18 later than the sixth year after the date the person begins to
7-19 fulfill the teaching obligation. The coordinating board shall
7-20 grant a person additional time to complete the teaching obligation
7-21 for good cause.
7-22 (c) [(f)] The coordinating board shall cancel a person's
7-23 teaching obligation if the board determines that the person:
7-24 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
7-25 is not able to teach; or
7-26 (2) has died.
7-27 (d) [(g)] The coordinating board shall require a person who
8-1 receives a Teach for Texas tuition grant [under this section] to
8-2 sign a promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the
8-3 grant and promising to repay the outstanding amount of the grant
8-4 plus applicable interest and reasonable collection costs if the
8-5 person does not satisfy the applicable conditions. The board shall
8-6 determine the terms of the promissory note.
8-7 (e) [(h)] The amount required to be repaid by a person who
8-8 fails to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grants
8-9 [grant] shall be determined in proportion to the portion of the
8-10 total teaching obligation that the person has not satisfied.
8-11 (f) [(i)] A person receiving a Teach for Texas tuition grant
8-12 is considered to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the
8-13 grant, and the grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person
8-14 fails to remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in the
8-15 person's educator certification program and, if applicable, the
8-16 person's baccalaureate degree program for which the grant was made
8-17 without good cause as determined by the coordinating board or if
8-18 the person fails to become certified as a teacher not later than
8-19 the 18th month after the date the person completes the educator
8-20 certification program [receives a degree].
8-21 Sec. 56.357. FUNDING; ALLOCATION OF FUNDING. (a) The
8-22 coordinating board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from any
8-23 public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
8-24 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
8-25 of this subchapter.
8-26 (c) If the coordinating board allocates Teach for Texas
8-27 tuition grants or money available for those grants to particular
9-1 eligible institutions in a fiscal or academic period, the
9-2 coordinating board shall make grants or money not awarded to
9-3 students at such an institution in the fiscal or academic period
9-4 available to eligible applicants at other eligible institutions on
9-5 a basis the coordinating board determines to be fair and
9-6 reasonable.
9-7 SECTION 3. The heading to Subchapter M, Chapter 56,
9-8 Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th
9-9 Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
9-10 SUBCHAPTER M. TOWARD EXCELLENCE, ACCESS, & SUCCESS (TEXAS)
9-11 GRANT PROGRAM [AND TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM]
9-12 SECTION 4. Section 56.308(b), Education Code, is amended to
9-13 read as follows:
9-14 (b) Each school district shall:
9-15 (1) notify its middle school students, junior high
9-16 school students, and high school students, those students' teachers
9-17 and counselors, and those students' parents of the TEXAS grant and
9-18 Teach for Texas grant programs [established under this subchapter],
9-19 the eligibility requirements of each program, the need for students
9-20 to make informed curriculum choices to be prepared for success
9-21 beyond high school, and sources of information on higher education
9-22 admissions and financial aid in a manner that assists the district
9-23 in implementing a strategy adopted by the district under Section
9-24 11.252(a)(4); and
9-25 (2) ensure that each student's official transcript or
9-26 diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
9-27 schedule to complete:
10-1 (A) the recommended or advanced high school
10-2 curriculum required for grant eligibility under Section 28.002 or
10-3 28.025; or
10-4 (B) for a school district covered by Section
10-5 56.304(f)(1), the required portion of the recommended or advanced
10-6 high school curriculum in the manner described by Section
10-7 56.304(f)(2).
10-8 SECTION 5. Section 56.311, Education Code, is amended to
10-9 read as follows:
10-10 Sec. 56.311. LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. (a) The
10-11 Legislative Oversight Committee on the TEXAS grant program and
10-12 Teach for Texas grant program [programs established by this
10-13 subchapter] is composed of six members as follows:
10-14 (1) three members of the senate appointed by the
10-15 lieutenant governor; and
10-16 (2) three members of the house of representatives
10-17 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
10-18 (b) The committee shall:
10-19 (1) meet at least twice a year with the coordinating
10-20 board; and
10-21 (2) receive information regarding rules relating to
10-22 the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
10-23 established by this subchapter] that have been adopted by the
10-24 coordinating board or proposed for adoption by the coordinating
10-25 board.
10-26 (c) The committee may request reports and other information
10-27 from the coordinating board relating to the operation of the TEXAS
11-1 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs under
11-2 this subchapter] by the coordinating board.
11-3 (d) The committee shall review the specific recommendations
11-4 for legislation related to this subchapter that are proposed by the
11-5 coordinating board.
11-6 (e) The committee shall monitor the operation of the TEXAS
11-7 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
11-8 established under this subchapter], with emphasis on the manner of
11-9 the award of grants, the number of grants awarded, and the
11-10 educational progress made by persons who have received grants under
11-11 those programs [this subchapter].
11-12 (f) The committee shall file a report with the governor,
11-13 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
11-14 not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year.
11-15 (g) The report shall include identification of any problems
11-16 in the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program
11-17 [programs operated under this subchapter] with recommended
11-18 solutions for the coordinating board and for legislative action.
11-19 SECTION 6. Section 11.252(a), Education Code, is amended to
11-20 read as follows:
11-21 (a) Each school district shall have a district improvement
11-22 plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
11-23 accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
11-24 assistance of the district-level committee established under
11-25 Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
11-26 guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
11-27 performance for all student groups in order to attain state
12-1 standards in respect to the academic excellence indicators adopted
12-2 under Section 39.051. The district improvement plan must include
12-3 provisions for:
12-4 (1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
12-5 district student performance on the academic excellence indicators,
12-6 and other appropriate measures of performance, that are
12-7 disaggregated by all student groups served by the district,
12-8 including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and
12-9 populations served by special programs, including students in
12-10 special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
12-11 (2) measurable district performance objectives for all
12-12 appropriate academic excellence indicators for all student
12-13 populations, including students in special education programs under
12-14 Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student performance
12-15 that may be identified through the comprehensive needs assessment;
12-16 (3) strategies for improvement of student performance
12-17 that include:
12-18 (A) instructional methods for addressing the
12-19 needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
12-20 (B) methods for addressing the needs of students
12-21 for special programs, such as suicide prevention, conflict
12-22 resolution, violence prevention, or dyslexia treatment programs;
12-23 (C) dropout reduction;
12-24 (D) integration of technology in instructional
12-25 and administrative programs;
12-26 (E) discipline management;
12-27 (F) staff development for professional staff of
13-1 the district;
13-2 (G) career education to assist students in
13-3 developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
13-4 broad range of career opportunities; and
13-5 (H) accelerated education;
13-6 (4) strategies for providing to middle school, junior
13-7 high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and
13-8 counselors, and those students' parents information about:
13-9 (A) higher education admissions and financial
13-10 aid opportunities;
13-11 (B) the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for
13-12 Texas grant program established under [Subchapter M,] Chapter 56;
13-13 (C) the need for students to make informed
13-14 curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
13-15 and
13-16 (D) sources of information on higher education
13-17 admissions and financial aid;
13-18 (5) resources needed to implement identified
13-19 strategies;
13-20 (6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
13-21 of each strategy;
13-22 (7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
13-23 implementation of each improvement strategy; and
13-24 (8) formative evaluation criteria for determining
13-25 periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
13-26 improvement of student performance.
13-27 SECTION 7. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification
14-1 shall implement the Teach for Texas Alternative Certification
14-2 Program under Subchapter L, Chapter 21, Education Code, as added by
14-3 this Act, as soon as practicable after the effective date of this
14-4 Act.
14-5 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
14-6 implement the changes made by this Act to the Teach for Texas grant
14-7 program as soon as practicable after the effective date of this
14-8 Act, but not later than the 2002-2003 academic year.
14-9 SECTION 8. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
14-10 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
14-11 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
14-12 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
14-13 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.