| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to creating a special education certification to teach |
|
|
students with disabilities. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 21, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 21.04891 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 21.04891. SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION. (a) To |
|
|
ensure that there are teachers with special training in providing |
|
|
instruction to students with disabilities, the board shall |
|
|
establish a special education certificate. |
|
|
(b) To be eligible for a certificate established under this |
|
|
section, a person must: |
|
|
(1) satisfactorily complete the course work for that |
|
|
certificate in an educator preparation program, including a |
|
|
knowledge-based and skills-based course of instruction and |
|
|
field-based experience in providing instruction to students with |
|
|
disabilities; |
|
|
(2) perform satisfactorily on a special education |
|
|
certificate examination prescribed by the board; and |
|
|
(3) satisfy any other requirements prescribed by the |
|
|
board. |
|
|
(c) If the board determines that there is a shortage of |
|
|
teachers who hold special education certificates, the board may |
|
|
offer incentives to teachers to become certified under this |
|
|
section. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The State Board for Educator Certification shall |
|
|
propose rules: |
|
|
(1) establishing requirements and prescribing an |
|
|
examination for a special education certificate examination as |
|
|
required by Section 21.04891, Education Code, as added by this Act; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(2) establishing standards to govern the approval and |
|
|
renewal of approval of educator preparation programs for special |
|
|
education certification. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Beginning on or after January 1, 2021, a person |
|
|
must satisfy the requirements for certification under Section |
|
|
21.04891, Education Code, as added by this Act, to receive a |
|
|
certification in special education. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |