By Coleman H.B. No. 2513
Line and page numbers may not match official copy.
Bill not drafted by TLC or Senate E&E.
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the Teach for Texas grant program and the Teach for
1-3 Texas alternative certification program.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter K, Chapter 21, Education
1-6 Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, is
1-7 amended to read as follows:
1-8 SUBCHAPTER K. TEACH FOR TEXAS [PILOT PROGRAM RELATING TO]
1-9 ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
1-10 SECTION 2. Subchapter K, Chapter 21, Education Code, as
1-11 added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th Legislature, is amended by
1-12 amending Sections 21.501-21.503, and adding new Section 21.504 to
1-13 read as follows:
1-14 Sec. 21.501. Purposes. The purposes of the [alternative
1-15 certification] Teach for Texas [Pilot] Alternative Certification
1-16 Program are to:
1-17 (1) attract to the teaching profession persons who
1-18 have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
1-19 certification of those persons as teachers;
1-20 (2) recognize the importance of the certification
1-21 process governed by the State Board for Educator Certification
1-22 under Subchapter B, which requires verification of competence in
2-1 subject area and professional knowledge and skills;
2-2 (3) through financial incentives, encourage the
2-3 creation and expansion of educator preparation programs that
2-4 recognize the knowledge and skills gained through previous
2-5 educational and work-related experiences and that are delivered in
2-6 a manner that recognizes individual circumstances, including the
2-7 need to remain employed full-time while enrolled in the Teach for
2-8 Texas [Pilot] Alternative Certification Program; and
2-9 (4) provide annual stipends to postbaccalaureate
2-10 teacher certification candidates.
2-11 Sec. 21.502. Program Established. The State Board for
2-12 Educator Certification by rule shall establish the Teach for Texas
2-13 [Pilot] Alternative Certification Program consistent with the
2-14 purposes provided by Section 21.501.
2-15 Sec. 21.503. Financial Incentives. (a) The [pilot] program
2-16 must offer to participants financial incentives, including tuition
2-17 assistance and loan forgiveness. In offering a financial
2-18 incentive, the State Board for Educator Certification shall:
2-19 (1) require a contract between each participant who
2-20 accepts a financial incentive and the State Board for Educator
2-21 Certification under which the participant is obligated to teach in
2-22 a public school in this state for a stated period after
2-23 certification;
2-24 (2) provide financial incentives in proportion to the
2-25 length of the period the participant is obligated by contract to
2-26 teach after certification; and
3-1 (3) give special financial incentives to a participant
3-2 who agrees in the contract to teach in an underserved area.
3-3 (b) Financial incentives may be paid only from funds
3-4 appropriated specifically for that purpose and from gifts, grants,
3-5 and donations solicited or accepted by the State Board for Educator
3-6 Certification for that purpose.
3-7 (c) The State Board for Educator Certification shall propose
3-8 rules establishing criteria for awarding financial incentives under
3-9 this section, including criteria for awarding financial incentives
3-10 if there are more participants than funds available to provide the
3-11 financial incentives.
3-12 Sec. 21.504. OUTREACH. (a) The board, working jointly with
3-13 other state agencies involved in public education matters as well
3-14 as other interested public and private entities, shall conduct
3-15 outreach to educate potential participants about the Teach for
3-16 Texas Alternative Certification Program. The outreach must
3-17 emphasize:
3-18 (1) the importance of teaching as a profession;
3-19 (2) the short-term commitment to the program required
3-20 of participants; and
3-21 (3) the value of the experience offered by the
3-22 program.
3-23 (b) The board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from
3-24 any public or private source for the purposes of this section.
3-25 SECTION 3. Section 56.309, Education Code, is redesignated
3-26 as Subchapter O, Chapter 56, Education Code, and amended to read as
4-1 follows:
4-2 SUBCHAPTER O. TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM
4-3 Sec. 56.351. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
4-4 (1) "Coordinating board" means the Texas Higher
4-5 Education Coordinating Board.
4-6 (2) "Eligible institution" means:
4-7 (A) an institution of higher education; or
4-8 (B) a private or independent institution of
4-9 higher education.
4-10 (3) "Private or independent institution of higher
4-11 education," "public junior college," and "public technical
4-12 institute" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
4-13 Sec. 56.352 [56.309]. PURPOSE OF [TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT]
4-14 PROGRAM. [(a)] The purpose of this subchapter [the Teach for Texas
4-15 grant program] is to attract to the teaching profession persons who
4-16 have expressed interest in teaching and to support the
4-17 certification of those persons as classroom teachers by providing
4-18 tuition grants or stipends on the condition that the recipient
4-19 serve as a classroom teacher in the public schools of this state
4-20 for a specified period.
4-21 Sec. 56.353. ELIGIBILITY FOR GRANT; TEACHING AGREEMENT.
4-22 (a) [(b)] A Teach for Texas tuition grant is available only to a
4-23 person who [receives a TEXAS grant under Section 56.304 or 56.305,]
4-24 applies for a [Teach for Texas tuition] grant[,] and:
4-25 (1) is seeking educator certification;
4-26 (2) is enrolled in an eligible institution of higher
5-1 education in this state:
5-2 (A) as a junior or senior in a baccalaureate
5-3 degree program; or
5-4 (B) in the person's first semester in an
5-5 educator certification program after receiving a baccalaureate
5-6 degree; and
5-7 (3) [if:]
5-8 [(1) the degree program is in a teaching field
5-9 certified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a
5-10 critical shortage of teachers in this state in the year in which
5-11 the person begins the degree program; or]
5-12 [(2) the person] agrees to teach for the period
5-13 required by this subchapter in a public school in this state [in a
5-14 community, which is not required to be specifically designated at
5-15 the time the person receives the grant, certified by the
5-16 commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of
5-17 teachers in any year in which the person receives a grant under
5-18 this section or in any subsequent year in which the person fulfills
5-19 the teaching obligation].
5-20 (b) The coordinating board in awarding Teach for Texas
5-21 tuition grants shall give priority to:
5-22 (1) a person seeking educator certification in a
5-23 teaching field certified by the commissioner of education as
5-24 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in this state in the
5-25 year in which the person receives the grant who agrees to teach in
5-26 a public school in this state in that teaching field for the period
6-1 required by this subchapter;
6-2 (2) a person who agrees to teach for the required
6-3 period in a public school in this state in a community, which is
6-4 not required to be specifically designated at the time the person
6-5 receives the grant, certified by the commissioner of education as
6-6 experiencing a critical shortage of teachers; and
6-7 (3) other persons demonstrating financial need, to the
6-8 extent money for grants is available after awarding grants to all
6-9 eligible applicants covered by Subdivisions (1) and (2).
6-10 (c) If the money available for grants in a period for which
6-11 grants are awarded is insufficient to provide grants to all
6-12 eligible applicants described by Subsection (b)(1) and (2), the
6-13 board shall award grants among those applicants according to
6-14 financial need.
6-15 (d) A person may not receive Teach for Texas tuition grants
6-16 for more than three academic years or the equivalent.
6-17 (e) [(c)] To receive a Teach for Texas tuition grant, a
6-18 person must agree to teach full-time [for five years] at the
6-19 preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this
6-20 state in the person's chosen critical field or in a community
6-21 experiencing a critical teacher shortage, as applicable, for one
6-22 year for each semester or summer term for which the person receives
6-23 a grant.
6-24 Sec. 56.354. AMOUNT OF GRANT. [(d)] The amount of a Teach
6-25 for Texas tuition grant for a semester or term [under this section]
6-26 is equal to two times the amount determined by the coordinating
7-1 board as the average statewide amount of tuition and required fees
7-2 that a resident student enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate
7-3 degree program would be charged for that semester or term at
7-4 general academic teaching institutions [of a TEXAS grant authorized
7-5 under Section 56.307(b) for the same semester or term].
7-6 Sec. 56.355. ELIGIBILITY FOR TEXAS GRANT NOT AFFECTED. A
7-7 person may receive both a TEXAS grant under Subchapter M [Section
7-8 56.304 or 56.305] and a Teach for Texas tuition grant under this
7-9 subchapter [section] for the same semester or term.
7-10 Sec. 56.356. SATISFYING TEACHING OBLIGATION; REPAYMENT. (a)
7-11 A person who receives one or more Teach for Texas tuition grants
7-12 [(e) The person] must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation of
7-13 the person's grants [this section] not later than the 18th month
7-14 after the person completes the educator certification program for
7-15 which the person received the grants [degree program and any
7-16 related courses required for teacher certification], unless the
7-17 coordinating board grants the person additional time to begin
7-18 fulfilling the teaching obligation.
7-19 (b) The person must complete the teaching obligation not
7-20 later than the sixth year after the date the person begins to
7-21 fulfill the teaching obligation. The coordinating board shall
7-22 grant a person additional time to complete the teaching obligation
7-23 for good cause.
7-24 (c) [(f)] The coordinating board shall cancel a person's
7-25 teaching obligation if the board determines that the person:
7-26 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
8-1 is not able to teach; or
8-2 (2) has died.
8-3 (d) [(g)] The coordinating board shall require a person who
8-4 receives a Teach for Texas tuition grant [under this section] to
8-5 sign a promissory note acknowledging the conditional nature of the
8-6 grant and promising to repay the outstanding amount of the grant
8-7 plus applicable interest and reasonable collection costs if the
8-8 person does not satisfy the applicable conditions. The board shall
8-9 determine the terms of the promissory note.
8-10 (e) [(h)] The amount required to be repaid by a person who
8-11 fails to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grants
8-12 [grant] shall be determined in proportion to the portion of the
8-13 total teaching obligation that the person has not satisfied.
8-14 (f) [(i)] A person receiving a Teach for Texas tuition grant
8-15 is considered to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the
8-16 grant, and the grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person
8-17 fails to remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in the
8-18 person's educator certification program and, if applicable, the
8-19 person's baccalaureate degree program for which the grant was made
8-20 without good cause as determined by the coordinating board or if
8-21 the person fails to become certified as a teacher not later than
8-22 the 18th month after the date the person completes the educator
8-23 certification program [receives a degree].
8-24 Sec. 56.357. FUNDING; ALLOCATION OF FUNDING. (a) The
8-25 coordinating board may solicit and accept gifts and grants from any
8-26 public or private source for the purposes of this subchapter.
9-1 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
9-2 of this subchapter.
9-3 (c) If the coordinating board allocates Teach for Texas
9-4 tuition grants or money available for those grants to particular
9-5 eligible institutions in a fiscal or academic period, the
9-6 coordinating board shall make grants or money not awarded to
9-7 students at such an institution in the fiscal or academic period
9-8 available to eligible applicants at other eligible institutions on
9-9 a basis the coordinating board determines to be fair and
9-10 reasonable.
9-11 SECTION 4. The heading to Subchapter M, Chapter 56,
9-12 Education Code, as added by Chapter 1590, Acts of the 76th
9-13 Legislature, Regular Session, 1999, is amended to read as follows:
9-14 SUBCHAPTER M. TOWARD EXCELLENCE, ACCESS, & SUCCESS (TEXAS)
9-15 GRANT PROGRAM [AND TEACH FOR TEXAS GRANT PROGRAM]
9-16 SECTION 5. Section 56.308(b), Education Code, is amended to
9-17 read as follows:
9-18 (b) Each school district shall:
9-19 (1) notify its middle school students, junior high
9-20 school students, and high school students, those students' teachers
9-21 and counselors, and those students' parents of the TEXAS grant and
9-22 Teach for Texas grant programs [established under this subchapter],
9-23 the eligibility requirements of each program, the need for students
9-24 to make informed curriculum choices to be prepared for success
9-25 beyond high school, and sources of information on higher education
9-26 admissions and financial aid in a manner that assists the district
10-1 in implementing a strategy adopted by the district under Section
10-2 11.252(a)(4); and
10-3 (2) ensure that each student's official transcript or
10-4 diploma indicates whether the student has completed or is on
10-5 schedule to complete:
10-6 (A) the recommended or advanced high school
10-7 curriculum required for grant eligibility under Section 28.002 or
10-8 28.025; or
10-9 (B) for a school district covered by Section
10-10 56.304(f)(1), the required portion of the recommended or advanced
10-11 high school curriculum in the manner described by Section
10-12 56.304(f)(2).
10-13 SECTION 6. Section 56.311, Education Code, is amended to
10-14 read as follows:
10-15 Sec. 56.311. Legislative Oversight Committee. (a) The
10-16 Legislative Oversight Committee on the TEXAS grant program and
10-17 Teach for Texas grant program [programs established by this
10-18 subchapter] is composed of six members as follows:
10-19 (1) three members of the senate appointed by the
10-20 lieutenant governor; and
10-21 (2) three members of the house of representatives
10-22 appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
10-23 (b) The committee shall:
10-24 (1) meet at least twice a year with the coordinating
10-25 board; and
10-26 (2) receive information regarding rules relating to
11-1 the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
11-2 established by this subchapter] that have been adopted by the
11-3 coordinating board or proposed for adoption by the coordinating
11-4 board.
11-5 (c) The committee may request reports and other information
11-6 from the coordinating board relating to the operation of the TEXAS
11-7 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs under
11-8 this subchapter] by the coordinating board.
11-9 (d) The committee shall review the specific recommendations
11-10 for legislation related to this subchapter that are proposed by the
11-11 coordinating board.
11-12 (e) The committee shall monitor the operation of the TEXAS
11-13 grant program and Teach for Texas grant program [programs
11-14 established under this subchapter], with emphasis on the manner of
11-15 the award of grants, the number of grants awarded, and the
11-16 educational progress made by persons who have received grants under
11-17 those programs [this subchapter].
11-18 (f) The committee shall file a report with the governor,
11-19 lieutenant governor, and speaker of the house of representatives
11-20 not later than December 31 of each even-numbered year.
11-21 (g) The report shall include identification of any problems
11-22 in the TEXAS grant program and Teach for Texas grant program
11-23 [programs operated under this subchapter] with recommended
11-24 solutions for the coordinating board and for legislative action.
11-25 SECTION 7. Section 11.252(a), Education Code, is amended to
11-26 read as follows:
12-1 (a) Each school district shall have a district improvement
12-2 plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in
12-3 accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the
12-4 assistance of the district-level committee established under
12-5 Section 11.251. The purpose of the district improvement plan is to
12-6 guide district and campus staff in the improvement of student
12-7 performance for all student groups in order to attain state
12-8 standards in respect to the academic excellence indicators adopted
12-9 under Section 39.051. The district improvement plan must include
12-10 provisions for:
12-11 (1) a comprehensive needs assessment addressing
12-12 district student performance on the academic excellence indicators,
12-13 and other appropriate measures of performance, that are
12-14 disaggregated by all student groups served by the district,
12-15 including categories of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sex, and
12-16 populations served by special programs, including students in
12-17 special education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;
12-18 (2) measurable district performance objectives for all
12-19 appropriate academic excellence indicators for all student
12-20 populations, including students in special education programs under
12-21 Subchapter A, Chapter 29, and other measures of student performance
12-22 that may be identified through the comprehensive needs assessment;
12-23 (3) strategies for improvement of student performance
12-24 that include:
12-25 (A) instructional methods for addressing the
12-26 needs of student groups not achieving their full potential;
13-1 (B) methods for addressing the needs of students
13-2 for special programs, such as suicide prevention, conflict
13-3 resolution, violence prevention, or dyslexia treatment programs;
13-4 (C) dropout reduction;
13-5 (D) integration of technology in instructional
13-6 and administrative programs;
13-7 (E) discipline management;
13-8 (F) staff development for professional staff of
13-9 the district;
13-10 (G) career education to assist students in
13-11 developing the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for a
13-12 broad range of career opportunities; and
13-13 (H) accelerated education;
13-14 (4) strategies for providing to middle school, junior
13-15 high school, and high school students, those students' teachers and
13-16 counselors, and those students' parents information about:
13-17 (A) higher education admissions and financial
13-18 aid opportunities;
13-19 (B) the TEXAS grant program and the Teach for
13-20 Texas grant program established under [Subchapter M,] Chapter 56;
13-21 (C) the need for students to make informed
13-22 curriculum choices to be prepared for success beyond high school;
13-23 and
13-24 (D) sources of information on higher education
13-25 admissions and financial aid;
13-26 (5) resources needed to implement identified
14-1 strategies;
14-2 (6) staff responsible for ensuring the accomplishment
14-3 of each strategy;
14-4 (7) timelines for ongoing monitoring of the
14-5 implementation of each improvement strategy; and
14-6 (8) formative evaluation criteria for determining
14-7 periodically whether strategies are resulting in intended
14-8 improvement of student performance.
14-9 SECTION 8. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
14-10 shall implement the changes made by this Act to the Teach for Texas
14-11 tuition grant program as soon as practicable after the effective
14-12 date of this Act, but not later than the 2002-2003 academic year.
14-13 SECTION 9. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
14-14 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
14-15 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
14-16 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
14-17 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.