BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

 

C.S.H.B. 1300

By: Capriglione

Public Education

Committee Report (Substituted)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Interested parties explain that there is an exception within the State Board for Educator Certification's rules establishing admission requirements for educator preparation programs that each program may admit a certain number of students under extraordinary circumstances whose GPA is below the required minimum. The parties contend that it is in the best interest of the state to modify this exception. In order to provide the state with quality educators, C.S.H.B. 1300 seeks to address this issue by amending the applicable law.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

 

ANALYSIS

 

C.S.H.B. 1300 amends the Education Code to add as a condition on the requirement that the State Board for Educator Certification's rules establishing admission requirements for educator preparation programs permit such a program to admit in extraordinary circumstances a person who fails to satisfy the grade point average admission requirement the condition that each person so admitted performs, before admission, at a satisfactory level on an appropriate subject matter examination for each subject in which the person seeks certification.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2015.

 

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

 

While C.S.H.B. 1300 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

 

INTRODUCED

HOUSE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

SECTION 1.  Section 21.0441, Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 21.0441.  ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. 

 

[(a)]  Rules of the board proposed under this subchapter must provide that a person, other than a person seeking career and technology education certification, is not eligible for admission to an educator preparation program, including an alternative educator preparation program, unless the person:

(1)  [except as provided by Subsection (b),] satisfies minimum grade point average requirements prescribed by the board, not to exceed the following:

(A)  an overall grade point average of at least 2.75 on a four-point scale or the equivalent on any course work previously attempted at a public or private institution of higher education; or

(B)  a grade point average of at least 2.75 on a four-point scale or the equivalent for the last 60 semester credit hours attempted at a public or private institution of higher education; and

(2)  if the person is seeking initial certification:

(A)  has successfully completed at least:

(i)  15 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area in which the person is seeking certification, if the person is seeking certification to teach mathematics or science at or above grade level seven; or

(ii)  12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area in which the person is seeking certification, if the person is not seeking certification to teach mathematics or science at or above grade level seven; or

(B)  has achieved a satisfactory level of performance on a content certification examination, which may be a content certification examination administered by a vendor approved by the commissioner for purposes of administering such an examination for the year for which the person is applying for admission to the program.

SECTION 1.  Section 21.0441(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

 

 

 

No equivalent provision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[(b)  The board's rules must permit an educator preparation program to admit in extraordinary circumstances a person who fails to satisfy a grade point average requirement prescribed by Subsection (a)(1)(A) or (B), provided that:

[(1)  not more than 10 percent of the total number of persons admitted to the program in a year fail to satisfy the requirement under Subsection (a)(1)(A) or (B); and

 

 

 

 

 

 

[(2)  for each person admitted as described by this subsection, the director of the program determines and certifies, based on documentation provided by the person, that the person's work, business, or career experience demonstrates achievement comparable to the academic achievement represented by the grade point average requirement.]

 

(b)  The board's rules must permit an educator preparation program to admit in extraordinary circumstances a person who fails to satisfy a grade point average requirement prescribed by Subsection (a)(1)(A) or (B), provided that:

(1)  not more than 10 percent of the total number of persons admitted to the program in a year fail to satisfy the requirement under Subsection (a)(1)(A) or (B);

(2)  each person admitted as described by this subsection performs, before admission, at a satisfactory level on an appropriate subject matter examination for each subject in which the person seeks certification; and

(3) [(2)]  for each person admitted as described by this subsection, the director of the program determines and certifies, based on documentation provided by the person, that the person's work, business, or career experience demonstrates achievement comparable to the academic achievement represented by the grade point average requirement.

SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.

 

SECTION 2. Same as introduced version.