SECTION 6. Chapter 21,
Education Code, is amended by adding Subchapter P to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER P.
ACCOMPLISHED, DISTINGUISHED, AND MASTER TEACHER DESIGNATIONS
Sec. 21.751. ACCOMPLISHED
TEACHER DESIGNATION. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification shall
issue an accomplished teacher designation on the certificate of each
teacher that qualifies as provided by Subsection (b).
(b) To qualify for an
accomplished teacher designation, a person must hold:
(1) an eligible teaching
certificate issued under Subchapter B; and
(2) a National Board
Certification issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards.
(c) An accomplished
teacher designation must expire not later than the 10th year after the date
the designation is issued.
Sec. 21.752.
DISTINGUISHED TEACHER DESIGNATION. (a) The State Board for Educator
Certification may issue a distinguished teacher designation on the
certificate of a teacher that qualifies as provided by Subsection (b).
(b) To qualify for a
distinguished teacher designation, a person must:
(1) meet the criteria
described by Section 21.751;
(2) submit evidence of
providing leadership to other classroom teachers, including letters of
recommendation from:
(A) the principal of the
school at which the person is currently employed; and
(B) two classroom
teachers employed at the same school as the person during the preceding two
school years;
(3) be nominated by the
school district or open-enrollment charter school at which the person is
employed with nomination materials that include:
(A) student performance
information that provides an analysis of the growth of the teacher's
students in each of the most recent three school years; and
(B) an affirmation that
the nominee has reviewed that student performance information; and
(4) have performed in the
top 25 percent, or the percentage adopted by the commissioner under Section
21.754(b), of classroom teachers in the state in a similar certification
field in student growth averaged over the most recent three school years.
(c) A distinguished
teacher designation must expire not later than the fifth year after the
date the designation is issued.
Sec. 21.753. MASTER
TEACHER DESIGNATION. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification may
issue a master teacher designation on the certificate of a teacher that
qualifies as provided by Subsection (b).
(b) To qualify for a
master teacher designation, a person must:
(1) meet the criteria
described by Section 21.752; and
(2) have performed in the
top five percent, or the percentage adopted by the commissioner under
Section 21.754(b), of classroom teachers in the state in a similar
certification field in student growth averaged over the most recent three
school years.
(c) A master teacher
designation must expire not later than the fifth year after the date the
designation is issued.
Sec. 21.754. ELIGIBILITY
FOR DISTINGUISHED AND MASTER TEACHER DESIGNATIONS. (a) The commissioner
shall establish eligibility criteria required for designation as a
distinguished or master teacher, including performance metrics, qualifying
evidence, and standards for comparing teachers in similar certification
fields.
(b) The commissioner may:
(1) adjust the
percentages required under Sections 21.752 and 21.753 for a classroom
teacher to qualify for a distinguished or master teacher designation; and
(2) develop methods to
incorporate, use, or substitute locally developed classroom teacher
performance review systems that use a target distribution model to
determine if a teacher satisfies the required criteria.
(c) The commissioner
shall use the negotiated rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008,
Government Code, and solicit input from educators and experts in the field
of education in determining eligibility criteria under Subsection (a) and
making any adjustments to required percentages under Subsection (b)(1).
(d) The commissioner
shall appoint a peer review panel to evaluate if an applicant has satisfied
the requirements for a distinguished or master teacher designation under
Section 21.752 or 21.753. A majority of the panel must consist of teachers
with a master teacher designation as soon as a sufficient number of
teachers with that designation exist.
Sec. 21.755. NOMINATIONS
FOR DISTINGUISHED AND MASTER TEACHER DESIGNATIONS. (a) To nominate a
person as a distinguished or master teacher under Section 21.752 or 21.753,
the superintendent of the school district at which the teacher is employed
or the superintendent or administrator serving as educational leader and
chief executive officer of the open-enrollment charter school at which the
teacher is employed must submit a letter, including the nomination
materials required under Section 21.752(b)(3), to the State Board for
Educator Certification.
(b) During the first
school year for which a distinguished or master teacher designation is
available in a particular certification field, a school district or
open-enrollment charter school may nominate for both designations no more
than two and one-half percent of the district's or school's classroom
teachers who work in that certification field. Each subsequent school
year, the district or school may nominate not more than five percent of the
district's or school's classroom teachers, excluding nominations for the
renewal of a distinguished or master teacher designation.
(c) On request by the
school district or open-enrollment charter school nominating a teacher
under this section, any other school district or open-enrollment charter
school shall, in a manner that complies with the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C. Section 1232g), provide to the
nominating district or school student performance information that is
required for the nominating district or school to submit a nomination.
Information provided to a nominating district or school under this
subsection is confidential.
Sec. 21.756. MULTIPLE
DESIGNATIONS PROHIBITED. A person may only hold one teacher designation
under this subchapter at any time.
Sec. 21.757. INFORMATION
RELATING TO TEACHER AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE. (a) The State Board for
Educator Certification, the agency, and a peer review panel appointed under
Section 21.754(d) may access information required to make an eligibility
determination under this subchapter, including information from the school
district or open-enrollment charter school at which the teacher is or was
employed relating to the performance of the teacher's current or previous
students. Information otherwise confidential remains confidential and is
not subject to Chapter 551 or 552, Government Code.
(b) The agency shall
collect information necessary to implement this subchapter, which may
include student performance information for a sample of students across the
state.
(c) A school district or
open-enrollment charter school shall provide any information required under
this subchapter.
Sec. 21.758. FEES. (a)
The State Board for Educator Certification may adopt fees to implement this
subchapter.
(b) A school district or
open-enrollment charter school may pay any fee adopted by the State Board
for Educator Certification for a classroom teacher employed at the district
or school to pursue a teacher designation under this subchapter.
Sec. 21.759. STUDENT
PERFORMANCE STUDY. (a) The commissioner shall periodically conduct a
study using an external organization to determine the impact of the teacher
designations issued under this subchapter on student performance.
(b) The commissioner
shall make recommendations as necessary to the State Board for Educator
Certification, the governor, and the legislature to improve the quality of
and impact on student performance of teacher designations issued under this
subchapter.
Sec. 21.760. RULES. (a)
The State Board for Educator Certification may adopt rules to implement
this subchapter.
(b) The commissioner may
adopt rules to implement the requirements imposed on the commissioner or
agency under this subchapter.
(c) The State Board for
Educator Certification and the commissioner shall use the negotiated
rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code, to implement any
rules under this subchapter.
Sec. 21.761. TEACHER
DESIGNATION FEES. (a) A fee adopted by the State Board for Educator
Certification for the period beginning September 1, 2017, and ending August
31, 2020, to implement the teacher designations under this subchapter is
not subject to Sections 2001.0045 and 2001.0221, Government Code.
(b) This section expires
September 1, 2020.
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