BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 2039

By: Huberty

Public Education

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties suggest that the range of grades for which teachers may currently be certified is too broad and impedes teachers from providing adequate attention to developmental differences across this range. H.B. 2039 seeks to address this issue by creating an early childhood certification to teach students in prekindergarten through grade three.

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

H.B. 2039 amends the Education Code to require the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to establish an early childhood certificate to ensure that there are teachers with special training in early childhood education focusing on prekindergarten through grade three. The bill expressly does not require a person to hold such a certificate to be employed by a public school district to provide instruction in prekindergarten through grade three. The bill requires a person, to be eligible for an early childhood certificate, either to satisfactorily complete the course work for that certificate in an educator preparation program, including a knowledge-based and skills‑based course of instruction on early childhood education that includes certain teaching methods and strategies, or hold an early childhood through grade six certificate and satisfactorily complete the course of instruction on early childhood education; to perform satisfactorily on an early childhood certificate examination prescribed by the SBEC; and to satisfy any other requirements prescribed by the SBEC.

H.B. 2039 requires the criteria for the course of instruction to be developed by the SBEC in consultation with faculty members who provide instruction at institutions of higher education in education preparation programs for an early childhood through grade six certificate. The bill requires the SBEC to propose rules establishing requirements and prescribing an examination for an early childhood certificate examination as required by the bill and establishing standards to govern the approval and renewal of approval of educator preparation programs for early childhood certification.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.