By Lewis of Tarrant                                   H.B. No. 3268
         77R7217 CAS-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the accountability system for educator preparation
 1-3     programs.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Sections 21.045(a) and (c), Education Code, are
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  The board shall propose rules establishing standards to
 1-8     govern the approval and continuing accountability of all educator
 1-9     preparation programs based on information that, except as provided
1-10     by Subsection (c), is disaggregated with respect to sex and
1-11     ethnicity and that includes:
1-12                 (1)  results of the certification examinations
1-13     prescribed under Section 21.048(a); and
1-14                 (2)  performance based on the appraisal system for
1-15     beginning teachers adopted by the board.
1-16           (c)  The board shall propose rules establishing performance
1-17     standards for the Accountability System for Educator Preparation
1-18     for accrediting educator preparation programs. At a minimum,
1-19     performance standards must be based on Subsection (a).  The board
1-20     shall propose rules for the sanction of educator preparation
1-21     programs and shall annually review the accreditation status of each
1-22     educator preparation program.  A rule proposed under this
1-23     subsection that establishes a performance standard relating to the
1-24     number or percentage of candidates of an educator preparation
 2-1     program who achieve a passing grade on the certification
 2-2     examinations prescribed under Section 21.048:
 2-3                 (1)  may not provide for disaggregating candidates by
 2-4     sex or ethnicity but must provide for considering the candidates
 2-5     only in the aggregate; and
 2-6                 (2)  must provide for a modification of the generally
 2-7     applicable standard in the case of an educator preparation program
 2-8     that has a small number of candidates so that an unreasonable
 2-9     burden is not imposed on such a program.
2-10           SECTION 2. The State Board for Educator Certification shall
2-11     propose rules for establishing standards for the Accountability
2-12     System for Educator Preparation as provided by Section 21.045,
2-13     Education Code, as amended by this Act, as soon as practicable
2-14     after the effective date of this Act. The State Board of Education
2-15     shall review those proposed rules as soon as practicable after the
2-16     proposed rules are submitted.  A rule proposed and approved as
2-17     provided by this Act applies to an accreditation status review of
2-18     an educator preparation program beginning with the first review
2-19     following the 2001-2002 academic year.
2-20           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-21     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-22     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-23     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-24     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.