TAC 227 and 228

January 1, 2009 the State Board for Educator Certification adopted and the State Board of Education approved new rules to 19 Texas Administrative Code Chapter 227 and 228. The new rules provide minimum standards to which all educator preparation programs must adhere as well as providing increased requirements for potential educators entering the teaching profession. While the rules are more in depth, the highlights below provide a summary of the new rules that directly affect candidates admitted to an alternative educator preparation program on or after January 1, 2009. The full rules may be found athttp://www.tea.state.tx.us/sbecrules/adoptedpending/index.html.

CHAPTER 227
Admission Criteria for all candidates seeking certification:

• Baccalaureate degree earned from and conferred by an institution of higher education that is recognized by one of the regional accrediting agencies by the Texas Higher Education Council Board.
• Minimum overall grade point average of at least 2.5 or at least 2.5 in last 60-semester credit hours. (the minimum GPA requirement will be waived by the program director only in extraordinary circumstances and may not be used by a program to admit more than 10% of any cohort of candidates)
• Minimum of 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for the certification sought, a passing score on a content certification examination, or a passing score on a content examination administered by a vendor on the Texas Education Agency (TEA)-approved vendor.
• The candidate shall demonstrate basic skills in reading, written communication, and mathematics by passing the Texas Academic Skills Program® (TASP®) test or the Texas Higher Education Assessment® (THEA®) with a minimum score of 230 in reading, 230 in mathematics, and 220 in writing. In the alternative, a candidate may demonstrate basic skills by meeting the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative.
• The candidate shall demonstrate oral communication skills.
• An application and either an interview or other screening instrument to determine the educator preparation candidate's appropriateness for the certification sought.

CHAPTER 228
Preparation Program Coursework and/or Training for candidates seeking initial certification. All requirements must be met for a candidate to be eligible for their Standard Certification. There are new requirements in place for specific training to occur prior to classroom placement:

• An educator preparation program shall provide each candidate with a minimum of 300 clock- hours of coursework and/or training that includes the following:
  • 30 clock-hours of field-based experience to be completed prior to internship. Up to 15 clock-hours of field-based experience may be provided by use of electronic transmission, or other video or technology-based method:
  • 80 clock-hours of training prior to internship;
  • six clock-hours of test preparation.
• Late Hires—An individual who has not been accepted into an educator preparation program before June 15 and who is hired for a teaching assignment by a school after June 15 or after the school’s academic year has begun. A late hire for a teaching position shall complete 30 clock-hours of field-based experience as well as 80 clock-hours of initial training within 90 school days of assignment. Up to 15 clock-hours of field-based experience may be provided by use of electronic transmission, or other video or technology.
• An educator preparation entity shall provide evidence of on-going and relevant field-based experiences throughout the educator preparation program.
• Campus Mentors and Cooperating Teachers. In order to support a new educator and to increase teacher retention, an educator preparation program shall collaborate with the campus administrator to assign each candidate a campus mentor during his or her internship. The educator preparation program is responsible for providing mentor and/or cooperating teacher training that relies on scientifically based research, but the program may allow the training to be provided by a school district, if properly documented.
• On-Going Educator Preparation Program Support. Supervision of each candidate shall be conducted with the structured guidance and regular ongoing support of an experienced educator who has been trained as a field supervisor. The initial contact with the assigned candidate must occur within the first three weeks of assignment. The program must provide a minimum of two formal observations during the first semester and one formal observation during the second semester. Each observation must be at least 45 minutes in duration and must be conducted by the field supervisor. The first observation must occur within the first six weeks of assignment. The field supervisor shall document instructional practices observed, provide written feedback through an interactive conference with the candidate, and provide a copy of the written feedback to the candidate's campus administrator. Informal observations and coaching shall be provided by the field supervisor as appropriate.

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