83R6489 MEW-F

By: Patrick H.B. No. 1752

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to creating the Texas Teacher Residency Program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter Q to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER Q. TEXAS TEACHER RESIDENCY PROGRAM

Sec. 21.801. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. (a) Not later than March 1, 2014, the commissioner of higher education shall, through a competitive selection process, establish a Texas Teacher Residency Program at an institution of higher education that has developed a commitment to investing in teacher education.

(b) The institution of higher education shall form a partnership with an area school district or open-enrollment charter school to provide employment to residents in the program.

(c) The program must be designed to:

(1) award teaching residents participating in the program a master's degree; and

(2) lead to certification under Subchapter B for participating teaching residents who are not already certified teachers.

(d) The institution of higher education shall:

(1) reward faculty instructing in the teacher residency program;

(2) identify faculty who can prepare teachers to impact student achievement in high-need schools;

(3) provide institutional support of faculty who work with the teacher residency program by providing time to teach the courses and valuing the faculty's contributions with rewards in the university tenure process; and

(4) develop and implement a program that acknowledges and elevates the significance and professional nature of teaching at the primary and secondary levels.

Sec. 21.802. PROGRAM COMPONENTS. The teacher residency program shall include:

(1) competitive admission requirements with multiple criteria;

(2) integration of pedagogy and classroom practice;

(3) rigorous master's level course work, while undertaking a guided apprenticeship at the partner area school district or open-enrollment charter school;

(4) a team mentorship approach to expose teaching residents to a variety of teaching methods, philosophies, and classroom environments;

(5) clear criteria for the selection of mentor teachers based on measures of teacher effectiveness and the appropriate subject area knowledge;

(6) measures of appropriate progress through the program;

(7) the collaboration with one or more regional education service centers and community experts to provide professional development or other structured learning experiences for teaching residents;

(8) a livable stipend for teaching residents;

(9) a post-completion commitment by teaching residents to serve at schools that are difficult to staff;

(10) job placement assistance for teaching residents;

(11) support for teaching residents in the first year of teaching through the provision of mentoring, professional development, and networking opportunities; and

(12) demonstration of the integral role and responsibilities of the partner area school district or open-enrollment charter school in fulfilling the purpose of the program.

Sec. 21.803. PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to be admitted and hired as a teaching resident under the program, an individual must:

(1) have received the individual's initial teaching certificate not more than two years before applying for a residency and must have less than nine months of full-time equivalency teaching experience as a certified teacher; or

(2) hold a bachelor's degree and:

(A) be a mid-career professional from outside the field of education, and have strong content knowledge or a record of achievement; or

(B) be a noncertified educator such as a substitute teacher or teaching assistant.

Sec. 21.804. SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS. The teaching residency program shall establish criteria for selection of individuals to participate in the program. The selection criteria must include:

(1) a demonstration of comprehensive subject area knowledge or a record of accomplishment in the field or subject area to be taught;

(2) strong verbal and written communication skills, which may be demonstrated by performance on appropriate tests; and

(3) attributes linked to effective teaching, which may be determined by interviews or performance assessments.

Sec. 21.805. RULES. The commissioner of higher education shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this subchapter.

SECTION 2. Section 56.353(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Teach for Texas repayment assistance is available only to a person who applies for the assistance and who:

(1) is certified in a teaching field identified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in this state in the year in which the person receives the assistance and has for at least one year taught full-time at, and is currently teaching full-time at, the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this state in that teaching field; [or]

(2) is a certified educator who has for at least one year taught full-time at, and is currently teaching full-time at, the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in this state in a community identified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of teachers in the year in which the person receives the assistance; or

(3) has successfully completed the Texas Teacher Residency Program created under Subchapter Q, Chapter 21, has obtained certification under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, if the person was not previously certified, and has for at least four years taught full-time at the primary or secondary level in:

(A) a public school in this state in a community identified by the commissioner of education as experiencing a critical shortage of teachers; or

(B) a district eligible for federal funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. Section 6301 et seq.) at a school at which at least 75 percent of the students are educationally disadvantaged, as defined by Section 5.001.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.