| (a) School districts and open-enrollment charter schools
providing a prekindergarten program must provide high-quality educational
services established under Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 29,
Subchapter E-1, to qualifying students. A student is qualified to
participate in a high-quality prekindergarten program if the student
is four years of age on September 1 of the year the student begins
the program and:
(1) is unable to speak and comprehend the English language;
(2) is educationally disadvantaged;
(3) is a homeless child, as defined by 42 United States
Code §11434a, regardless of the residence of the child, of either
parent of the child, or of the child's guardian or other person having
lawful control of the child;
(4) is the child of an active duty member of the armed
forces of the United States, including the state military forces or
a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active
duty by proper authority;
(5) is the child of a member of the armed forces of
the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve
component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving
on active duty;
(6) is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the
Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary
hearing held as provided by Texas Family Code, §262.201, or foster
care in another state or territory, if the child resides in Texas;
or
(7) is the child of a person eligible for the Star
of Texas Award as:
(A) a peace officer under Texas Government Code, §3106.002;
(B) a firefighter under Texas Government Code, §3106.003;
or
(C) an emergency medical first responder under Texas
Government Code, §3106.004.
(b) A school district or an open-enrollment charter
school shall implement a curriculum for a high-quality prekindergarten
program that addresses the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines in the
following domains:
(1) social and emotional development;
(2) emergent literacy language and communication;
(3) emergent literacy reading;
(4) emergent literacy writing;
(5) mathematics;
(6) science;
(7) social studies;
(8) fine arts;
(9) physical development and health; and
(10) technology.
(c) A school district or an open-enrollment charter
school shall measure:
(1) at the beginning, middle, and end of the school
year, the progress of each student in meeting the recommended end
of prekindergarten year outcomes identified in the Texas Prekindergarten
Guidelines using a progress monitoring tool included on the commissioner's
list of approved prekindergarten instruments that measures:
(A) social and emotional development, which may be
referred to as "health and wellness" in a progress monitoring tool;
(B) emergent literacy language and communication;
(C) emergent literacy reading;
(D) emergent literacy writing; and
(E) mathematics; and
(2) the preparation of each student for kindergarten
using a commissioner-approved multidimensional kindergarten instrument
during the first 60 days of school for reading and at least three
developmental skills, including literacy, as described in TEC, §28.006.
(d) Each teacher of record in a high-quality prekindergarten
program class must be certified under TEC, Chapter 21, Subchapter
B, and have one of the following additional qualifications:
(1) a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential;
(2) a certification offered through a training center
accredited by Association Montessori Internationale or through the
Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education;
(3) at least eight years' experience teaching in a
nationally accredited child care program or a Texas Rising Star Program;
(4) an associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood
education or early childhood special education or a non-early childhood
education degree with a documented minimum of 15 units of coursework
in early childhood education;
(5) documented completion of the Texas School Ready
Training Program (TSR Comprehensive); or
(6) be employed as a prekindergarten teacher in a school
district that has ensured that:
(A) prior to assignment in a prekindergarten class,
the teacher who provides prekindergarten instruction has completed
at least 150 cumulative hours of documented professional development
addressing the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines in addition to other
relevant topics related to high-quality prekindergarten over a consecutive
five-year period;
(B) a teacher who has not completed training required
in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph prior to assignment in a prekindergarten
class completes:
(i) the first 30 hours of 150 cumulative hours of documented
professional development before the beginning of the next school year.
The professional development shall address topics relevant to high-quality
prekindergarten and may include:
(I) the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines;
(II) the use of student progress monitoring results
to inform classroom instruction;
(III) improving the prekindergarten classroom environment
to enhance student outcomes; and
(IV) improving the effectiveness of teacher interaction
with students as determined by an evaluation tool; and
(ii) the additional hours in the subsequent four years
in order to continue providing instruction in a high-quality prekindergarten
classroom; and
(C) at least half of the hours required by subparagraph
(A) or (B) of this paragraph include experiential learning, practical
application, and direct interaction with specialists in early childhood
education, mentors, or instructional coaches.
(e) Each teacher in a high-quality prekindergarten
program class provided by an entity with which a school district contracts
to provide a prekindergarten program must be supervised by a person
who meets the requirements under subsection (d) of this section and
must have one of the following additional qualifications:
(1) at least two years' experience teaching in a nationally
accredited child care program or a Texas Rising Star Program and:
(A) a CDA credential or another early childhood education
credential approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA); or
(B) a certification offered through a training center
accredited by Association Montessori Internationale or through the
Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education;
(2) an associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood
education or early childhood special education or a non-early childhood
education degree with a documented minimum of 15 units of coursework
in early childhood education;
(3) at least eight years' experience teaching in a
nationally accredited child care program or a Texas Rising Star Program;
or
(4) be employed as a prekindergarten teacher in a partnership
program that has ensured that:
(A) prior to assignment in a prekindergarten class,
the teacher has completed at least 150 cumulative hours of documented
professional development addressing the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines
in addition to other relevant topics related to high-quality prekindergarten
over a consecutive five-year period;
(B) a teacher who has not completed the training required
in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph prior to assignment in a prekindergarten
class completes:
(i) the first 30 hours of 150 cumulative hours of documented
professional development before the beginning of the next school year.
The professional development shall address topics relevant to high-quality
prekindergarten and may include:
(I) the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines;
(II) the use of student progress monitoring results
to inform classroom instruction;
(III) improving the prekindergarten classroom environment
to enhance student outcomes; and
(IV) improving the effectiveness of teacher interaction
with students as determined by an evaluation tool; and
(ii) the additional hours in the subsequent four years
in order to continue providing instruction in a high-quality prekindergarten
classroom; and
Cont'd... |
