Section 228.31 - [Effective 9/1/2024] Minimum Educator Preparation Program Obligations to All Candidates(a) Each educator preparation program (EPP) must develop and implement a calendar of program activities that must include a deadline for accepting candidates into a program cycle to assure adequate time for admission, coursework, training, and field-based experience requirements prior to a clinical teaching or internship experience. If an EPP accepts candidates after the deadline, the EPP must develop and implement a calendar of program activities to assure adequate time for admission, coursework, training, and field-based experience requirements prior to a clinical teaching experience or internship or, if a late hire, by the specified deadline in the late hire provision.(b) All EPPs shall have a published exit policy for dismissal of candidates that is reviewed and signed by candidates upon admission. The exit policy must identify a point of dismissal for inactive candidates after no more than two years of inactivity, or university-based EPPs may adopt their institution's policy. An inactive candidate is one who is no longer completing coursework, training, and testing requirements with an EPP and is not a completer of the EPP.(c) To ensure that a candidate for educator certification is prepared to receive a standard or enhanced standard certificate, the EPP shall establish benchmarks and structured assessments of the candidate's progress throughout the EPP and provide support and interventions to each candidate based on the benchmark and structured assessment results.(d) An EPP is responsible for ensuring that each candidate is adequately prepared to pass the appropriate examination(s) required for certification. An EPP shall determine the readiness of each candidate to take the appropriate certification examination of content, pedagogy, and professional responsibilities, including professional ethics and standards of conduct.(e) The EPP shall grant test approval when the EPP determines the candidate is ready, or if the candidate is a completer. An EPP may make test approval contingent on a candidate completing additional coursework and/or training to show that the candidate is prepared to pass the test if the candidate is seeking test approval from the EPP in an area where the standards and/or test changed since the candidate completed all requirements of the EPP or if the candidate has returned to the EPP for test approval one or more years following the academic year of completion of all program requirements.(f) Upon the written request of the candidate, an EPP may prepare a candidate and grant test approval for a classroom teacher certificate category other than the category for which the candidate was initially admitted to the EPP only if: (1) the candidate would meet the requirements for admission under § 227.10 of this title (relating to Admission Criteria) in the requested certificate category;(2) the EPP provides coursework and training in the educator standards and test framework competencies related to the requested certificate category; and(3) the EPP ensures that the candidate is adequately prepared to pass the appropriate content pedagogy examination(s) required for the requested certificate category.(g) An EPP shall not grant test approval for a certification examination until a candidate has met all of the requirements for admission to the EPP and has been contingently or formally admitted into the EPP.(h) An EPP shall ensure that candidates complete all coursework and training and complete a successful clinical experience prior to identifying the candidate as a completer and recommending standard or enhanced standard certification. Candidates for teacher certification that meet one of the requirements in §228.79 of this title (relating to Exemptions from Required Clinical Experiences for Classroom Teacher Candidates) are exempt from completing the required field-based experience and clinical experience.(i) An EPP shall retain documents that evidence a candidate's eligibility for admission to the program and evidence of completion of all program requirements for a period of five years after a candidate completes, withdraws from, or is discharged or released from the program.(j) During the period of preparation, the EPP shall ensure that the individuals preparing candidates and the candidates themselves understand and adhere to Chapter 247 of this title (relating to Educators' Code of Ethics).19 Tex. Admin. Code § 228.31
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 20, May 17, 2024, TexReg 3541, eff. 9/1/2024