Title ED, Education Code

Sec. 21.0032. EMPLOYMENT OF UNCERTIFIED CLASSROOM TEACHERS. (a) A school district may not employ as a teacher of record for a course in the foundation curriculum under Section 28.002 a person who does not hold an appropriate certificate or permit required by the State Board for E…

Sec. 21.0033. TEACHER CERTIFICATION INCENTIVE. (a) From money appropriated or otherwise available for the purpose, the agency shall provide to each school district a one-time payment of $1,000 for each classroom teacher employed by the district who: (1) was hired for the 2022-202…

Sec. 21.004. TEACHER RECRUITMENT PROGRAM. (a) To the extent that funds are available, the agency, the State Board for Educator Certification, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall develop and implement programs to identify talented students and recruit those stu…

Sec. 21.031. PURPOSE. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification is established to recognize public school educators as professionals and to grant educators the authority to govern the standards of their profession. The board shall regulate and oversee all aspects of the cert…

Sec. 21.032. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "board" means the State Board for Educator Certification. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995.

Sec. 21.033. STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION. (a) The State Board for Educator Certification is composed of 15 members. The commissioner of education shall appoint an employee of the agency to represent the commissioner as a nonvoting member. The commissioner of higher edu…

Sec. 21.034. TERMS; VACANCY. (a) The board members appointed by the governor hold office for staggered terms of six years with the terms of one-third of the members expiring on February 1 of each odd-numbered year. A member appointed by the commissioner of education or the commis…

Sec. 21.035. DELEGATION AUTHORITY; ADMINISTRATION BY AGENCY. (a) The board is permitted to make a written delegation of authority to the commissioner or the agency to informally dispose of a contested case involving educator certification. (b) The agency shall provide the board's…

Sec. 21.036. OFFICERS. The board shall elect one of its members to serve as presiding officer for a term of two years. The presiding officer is entitled to vote on all matters before the board. The board may elect other officers from among its membership. Added by Acts 1995, 74th…

Sec. 21.037. COMPENSATION. A board member may not receive compensation for serving on the board. A member is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in performing functions as a member of the board, subject to any applicable limitation on reimbursemen…

Sec. 21.038. MEETINGS. (a) The board shall meet at least once in each quarter of the calendar year. (b) The board may meet at other times at the call of the presiding officer or as provided by the rules of the board. Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 19…

Sec. 21.040. GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES OF BOARD. The board shall: (1) appoint the members of any advisory committee to the board; (2) for each class of educator certificate, appoint an advisory committee composed of members of that class to recommend standards for that class to t…

Sec. 21.041. RULES; FEES. (a) The board may adopt rules as necessary for its own procedures. (b) The board shall propose rules that: (1) provide for the regulation of educators and the general administration of this subchapter in a manner consistent with this subchapter; (2) spec…

Sec. 21.0411. WAIVER OR PAYMENT OF CERTAIN EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION FEES. (a) Notwithstanding a rule adopted under Section 21.041(c), the board shall, for a person applying for a certification in special education, bilingual education, or another area specified by the Genera…

Sec. 21.0412. TYPES OF TEACHING CERTIFICATES. (a) In proposing rules specifying the types of teaching certificates to be issued under this subchapter, the board shall provide for a candidate to be issued: (1) a standard certificate if the candidate satisfies: (A) all traditional …

Sec. 21.042. APPROVAL OF RULES. The State Board for Educator Certification must submit a written copy of each rule it proposes to adopt to the State Board of Education for review. The State Board of Education may reject a proposed rule by a vote of at least two-thirds of the memb…

Sec. 21.043. ACCESS TO PEIMS DATA. (a) The agency shall provide the board with access to data obtained under the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS). (b) The agency shall provide educator preparation programs with data based on information reported through the …

Sec. 21.044. EDUCATOR PREPARATION. (a) The board shall propose rules: (1) specifying what each educator is expected to know and be able to do, particularly with regard to students with disabilities; (2) establishing the training requirements a person must accomplish to obtain a c…

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 prepar…

Sec. 21.0442. EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM FOR PROBATIONARY AND STANDARD TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE TRAINING CERTIFICATES. (a) The board shall propose rules under this subchapter to create an abbreviated educator preparation program for a person seeking certification in trade…

Sec. 21.04421. TRADITIONAL TEACHER PREPARATION. (a) In proposing rules under this subchapter regarding training requirements for a candidate seeking certification through a traditional teacher preparation route in which a candidate may concurrently receive an undergraduate or mas…

Sec. 21.04422. TEACHER RESIDENCY PREPARATION. (a) The board shall propose rules under this subchapter to create a teacher residency preparation route. (b) In proposing rules for a teacher residency preparation route under this section, the board must require that the program: (1)…

Sec. 21.04423. ALTERNATIVE TEACHER PREPARATION. In proposing rules under this subchapter regarding training requirements for a candidate who has previously earned a degree and is seeking certification through an alternative teacher preparation route, the board shall establish: (1…

Sec. 21.0443. EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM APPROVAL AND RENEWAL. (a) The board shall propose rules to establish standards to govern the approval or renewal of approval of: (1) educator preparation programs; (2) the teacher preparation routes established under Sections 21.04421, 2…

Sec. 21.0444. TEMPORARY CERTIFICATION FOR CERTAIN MILITARY SERVICE MEMBERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS. (a) In this section, "first responder" means a person elected, employed, or appointed as: (1) a peace officer as defined by Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure; (2) fire protec…

Sec. 21.045. ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (a) The board shall propose rules necessary to establish standards to govern the continuing accountability of all educator preparation programs based on the following information that is disaggregated with resp…

Sec. 21.0451. SANCTIONS UNDER ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (a) The board shall propose rules necessary for the sanction of educator preparation programs that do not meet accountability standards or comply with state law or rules and shall at least annu…

Sec. 21.0452. CONSUMER INFORMATION REGARDING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (a) To assist persons interested in obtaining teaching certification in selecting an educator preparation program and assist school districts in making staffing decisions, the board shall make information…

Sec. 21.0453. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES FOR TEACHER CERTIFICATION. (a) The board shall require an educator preparation program to provide candidates for teacher certification with information concerning the following: (1) skills and responsibilities required of teachers with reg…

Sec. 21.0454. RISK FACTORS FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS; RISK-ASSESSMENT MODEL. (a) The board shall propose rules necessary to develop a set of risk factors to use in assessing the overall risk level of each educator preparation program. The set of risk factors must include:…

Sec. 21.0455. COMPLAINTS REGARDING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (a) The board shall propose rules necessary to establish a process for a candidate for teacher certification to direct a complaint against an educator preparation program to the agency. (b) The board by rule shall …

Sec. 21.046. QUALIFICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION AS SUPERINTENDENT OR PRINCIPAL. (a) The qualifications for superintendent must permit a candidate for certification to substitute management training or experience for part of the educational experience. (b) The qualifications for cer…

Sec. 21.0462. QUALIFICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATION AS SCHOOL COUNSELOR. The qualifications for certification as a school counselor may not include a requirement that a candidate for certification have experience as a classroom teacher. Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 344 (S.…

Sec. 21.047. CENTERS FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS. (a) The board may develop the process for the establishment of centers for professional development through institutions of higher education for the purpose of integrating technology and innovative teaching practices …

Sec. 21.048. CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS. (a) The board shall propose rules prescribing comprehensive examinations for each class of certificate issued by the board. The commissioner shall determine the satisfactory level of performance required for each certification examination.…

Sec. 21.0485. CERTIFICATION TO TEACH STUDENTS WITH VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS. (a) To be eligible to be issued a certificate to teach students with visual impairments, a person must: (1) complete either: (A) all course work required for that certification in an approved educator preparat…

Sec. 21.0486. TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS CERTIFICATION. A person who holds a technology applications certificate issued under this subchapter may, in addition to teaching technology applications courses as authorized under the certificate, teach courses in: (1) principles of arts, a…

Sec. 21.0487. JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICER TRAINING CORPS TEACHER CERTIFICATION. (a) The board shall establish a standard Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps teaching certificate to provide Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instruction. (b) To be eligible for a certificate under …

Sec. 21.0488. TRADES AND INDUSTRIES EDUCATION CERTIFICATION FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL. (a) To the extent that rules adopted under this subchapter require a person seeking trades and industries education certification to hold a license or other professional credential for a specific …

Sec. 21.0489. EARLY CHILDHOOD CERTIFICATION. (a) To ensure that there are teachers with special training in early childhood education focusing on prekindergarten through grade three, the board shall establish an early childhood certificate. (b) A person is not required to hold a …

Sec. 21.04891. BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION CERTIFICATION. (a) In this section, "limited English proficiency" has the meaning assigned by Section 29.052. (b) To ensure that there are teachers with special training in providing instruction to students of limited English proficiency…

Sec. 21.04893. BILINGUAL TARGET LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST. The board shall propose rules to allow a person seeking certification under this subchapter who fails to perform satisfactorily on the Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test to: (1) retake only the sections of the tes…

Sec. 21.049. ALTERNATIVE EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS. (a) To provide a continuing additional source of qualified educators, the board shall propose rules providing that educator certification programs may be provided by an institution of higher education or another entity. The …

Sec. 21.0491. PROBATIONARY AND STANDARD TRADE AND INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE TRAINING CERTIFICATES. (a) To provide a continuing additional source of teachers to provide workforce training, the board shall establish a probationary trade and industrial workforce training certificate and …

Sec. 21.050. ACADEMIC DEGREE REQUIRED FOR TEACHING CERTIFICATE; FIELD-BASED EXPERIENCE OR INTERNSHIP. (a) A person who applies for a teaching certificate for which board rules require a bachelor's degree must possess a bachelor's degree received with an academic major or interdis…

Sec. 21.051. RULES REGARDING FIELD-BASED EXPERIENCE AND OPTIONS FOR FIELD EXPERIENCE AND INTERNSHIPS. (a) Repealed by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1065 (H.B. 2), Sec. 2.20(a)(1), eff. June 20, 2025. (b) Before a school district may employ a candidate for certification as a tea…