BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 2262
By: Zaffirini
AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
Under current law, a teacher must have acquired five years of experience prior to participating in the Mathematics, Science, and Technology Teacher Preparation Academies (academies) administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) at institutions of higher education. Teachers with less than five years of experience are denied the chance to seek to improve their instructional skills by taking part in academies. This reduces the participant pool and relinquishes opportunities to retain more math and science teachers.
Additionally, the law grants THECB the ability to establish academies at institutions of higher education. This power, however, is found in the public education title of the Education Code rather than the higher education title.
S.B. 2262 amends current law relating to the administration of mathematics, science, and technology teacher preparation academies at institutions of higher education.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Transfers Section 21.462, Education Code, to Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, redesignates it as Section 61.0766, and amends it as follows:
Sec. 61.0766. MATHEMATICS, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHER PREPARATION ACADEMIES. (a) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), from funds appropriated for that purpose, to establish academies at institutions of higher education to improve the instructional skills of teachers certified under Subchapter B (Certification of Educators), Chapter 21 (Educators), and train students enrolled in a teacher preparation program to perform at the highest levels in mathematics, science, and technology. Authorizes THECB to adopt rules as necessary to administer this section. Makes conforming and nonsubstantive changes.
(b) Requires an institution of higher education before it establishes an academy under this section to take certain actions. Requires an institution of higher education to have a teacher preparation program approved by the State Board of Educator Certification or be affiliated with a program approved by the State Board of Educator Certification. Makes conforming changes.
(c) Requires that a participant in an academy program be an experienced teacher who meets certain criteria, including having at least two, rather than five, years experience teaching mathematics, science, or technology in assignments for which the teacher met all certification requirements.
(d) and (e) Makes no changes to these subsections.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 39.363, Education Code, as follows:
Sec. 39.363. FUNDING FOR CERTAIN PROGRAMS. (a) Requires THECB, from funds appropriated, to allocate $8.75 million each year to establish mathematics, science, and technology teacher preparation academies under Section 61.0766, rather than Section 21.462, and implement and administer the program under Section 29.098 (Intensive Summer Programs).
(b) Makes a conforming change.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 39.365(b), Education Code, to delete Section 21.462 from the list of sections required to be included in the progress report prepared and delivered to certain persons by the commissioner of education.
SECTION 4. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2009.