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TCTA stopped a proposed rule change at the May 9 State Board for Educator Certification meeting that would have significantly reduced the hours of training required for the Temporary Teacher Certificate, a minimalist route to certification that TCTA has long opposed.
SBEC staff and the board have been working on draft rules to impose some consistent, minimum standards on all educator preparation programs, a move which TCTA supports. However, new language was added to the draft rules to make the TTC subject to the same standards as all other educator preparation programs, including a lesser number of training hours than that currently required for the TTC. Specifically, as proposed, the number of training hours required for a temporary teaching certificate would have been lowered from 380 to 300.
TCTA was the only group to testify on the issue, pointing out that although earlier discussions implied board support for 380 hours for both the TTC and traditional educator preparation programs, the actual rule proposal included the significantly lower number. After hearing TCTA’s testimony, SBEC board member John Shirley (a counselor from Dallas ISD) moved to direct staff to change the language to require 380 hours of training for the TTC. The motion passed, 7-3.
TCTA also testified against the related proposal to require only 300 hours of training for educator preparation programs, pointing out that the board had expressed a desire early on to make sure any standards applied to educator preparation programs were no lower than the TTC standards. TCTA stated that the board’s focus has been, and should continue to be, on the minimum amount of training any candidate should have before becoming certified, regardless of the length of the program, and that 380 hours or 9.5 workweeks of training is not too much to ask of any educator preparation program. TCTA cautioned the board against retreating from its former stance, noting that to do so would send the message that the minimum standards were negotiable, a message that would not be lost on groups wanting to reduce standards even lower or have no standards at all. After hearing testimony involving various complaints about the proposed rules, the board decided to delay voting on the rules and instead instructed staff to prepare new draft rule language to bring to the board at its July meeting.
Finally, TCTA pointed out to the board that a proposed change to the operating policies would limit public testimony on all agenda items to 30 minutes and give the chair unfettered discretion to limit the number of speakers. This proposal did not accurately reflect the board’s discussion about the issue at its last meeting and would have severely limited public input on important educator issues. Consequently, the board voted to change the language to 30 minutes per agenda item, which had been the original intent, and reinstated language limiting the chair’s discretion regarding limiting the number of speakers.
Updated: 05/14/08
