| (a) General provisions. Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.052(a-1),
permits the commissioner of education to adopt rules establishing
exceptions to the examination requirements prescribed by TEC, §21.052(a)(3),
for an educator from outside the state, including military service
members, military spouses, and military veterans, to obtain a certificate
in Texas.
(b) Definitions. The following words and terms, when
used in this section, shall have the following meanings, unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) Certification class--A certificate, as described
in §230.33 of this title (relating to Classes of Certificates),
that has defined characteristics and includes the following: superintendent,
principal, classroom teacher, school counselor, school librarian,
educational diagnostician, reading specialist, and master teacher.
(2) Educator--An individual who is required to hold
a certificate issued under TEC, Chapter 21, Subchapter B.
(3) Educator from outside the state--An applicant certified
outside of Texas who has successfully completed all requirements for
issuance of licensure in another state or country.
(4) Equivalent--Covering a majority of the same grade
level and subject or assignment area as certificates issued by the
State Board for Educator Certification.
(5) Examination--A standardized test or assessment
required by statute or State Board for Educator Certification rule
that governs an individual's certification as an educator.
(6) Military service member--A person who is on active
duty.
(7) Military spouse--A person who is married to a military
service member.
(8) Military veteran--A person who has served on active
duty and who was discharged or released from active duty.
(9) Professional class certificate--A term that refers
to certificates for duties other than classroom teacher (e.g., superintendent,
principal, school counselor, school librarian, educational diagnostician,
and reading specialist).
(10) Standard certificate--A type of certificate issued
to an individual who has met all requirements for a given class of
certification as a classroom teacher.
(11) Texas review of credentials--An internal process
completed by Texas Education Agency (TEA) to confirm an applicant
certified outside of Texas meets general requirements for certification
specified in Chapter 230, Subchapter H, of this title (relating to
Texas Educator Certificates Based on Certification and College Credentials
from Other States or Territories of the United States) and Chapter
245 of this title (relating to Certification of Educators from Other
Countries) and to identify the certificate areas the applicant is
eligible to pursue in Texas.
(c) Minimum requirements.
(1) An applicant must meet the following general requirements
for certification to be considered for an exception to the examinations,
other than the Science of Teaching Reading TExES examination, required
for issuance of state licensure:
(A) obtain a bachelor's degree from an institution
of higher education that, at the time it conferred the degree, was
accredited or otherwise approved by an accrediting organization recognized
by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;
(B) complete a state-approved educator preparation
program, or preparation program for licensure in another country,
including student teaching or a teaching practicum, in the state or
country where the standard certificate was issued;
(C) have the following required years of experience
as an educator:
(i) for standard certificate applicants, at least one
academic year of verifiable, full-time experience in the certification
class for which the applicant is seeking certification; or
(ii) for professional class certificate applicants,
at least two academic years of verifiable, full-time experience in
the certification class for which the applicant is seeking certification;
(D) demonstrate proficiency as an educator by either:
(i) passing the examinations required by the state
department of education or country of licensure for issuance of the
standard certificate; or
(ii) having three or more years of verifiable, full-time
experience in the certificate class for which the applicant is applying;
and
(E) hold a standard certificate issued by the state
department of education or country of licensure that is equivalent
to a Texas standard classroom or professional class certificate and
that has not been revoked, suspended, or sanctioned for misconduct
and is not pending disciplinary or adverse action.
(2) In addition to the requirements of paragraph (1)
of this subsection, to be considered for an exception to the required
Science of Teaching Reading TExES examination, an applicant must fulfill
the following requirements:
(A) hold a certificate that is equivalent to a Texas
certificate for which the Science of Teaching Reading TExES examination
is required as a content pedagogy examination under §230.21 of
this title (relating to Educator Assessment); and
(B) submit documentation from a test provider or the
state department of education of passing performance on a stand-alone
assessment that requires demonstration of proficiency in the five
components of scientifically based reading instruction (phonemic awareness,
phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) that was taken to
meet licensure requirements in one of the following states:
(i) Alabama;
(ii) Alaska;
(iii) Arkansas;
(iv) California;
(v) Colorado;
(vi) Connecticut;
(vii) Florida;
(viii) Indiana;
(ix) Maryland;
(x) Massachusetts;
(xi) Michigan;
(xii) Minnesota;
(xiii) Mississippi;
(xiv) New Hampshire;
(xv) New Mexico;
(xvi) North Carolina;
(xvii) Ohio;
(xviii) Oklahoma;
(xix) Pennsylvania;
(xx) Tennessee;
(xxi) Virginia;
(xxii) Washington;
(xxiii) West Virginia; or
(xxiv) Wisconsin.
(3) An applicant from outside the state who meets requirements
specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection must apply online for
a review of credentials by the TEA prior to being considered for an
exception to the examination requirements for state licensure. Once
all required documentation has been submitted by the applicant and
reviewed and verified by TEA staff, the applicant will be issued an
exception to the examination requirements by the TEA in accordance
with minimum requirements established by the commissioner as specified
in this section.
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