Section 228.63 - [Effective 9/1/2024] Locations for Required Clinical Experiences(a) An internship, clinical teaching, practicum, or residency experience must take place in-person in a Prekindergarten-Grade 12 school setting rather than a distance learning lab or virtual school setting.(b) An internship, clinical teaching, or residency experience for certificates that include early childhood may be completed at a Head Start Program with the following stipulations: (1) a certified teacher is available as a trained mentor;(2) the Head Start program is affiliated with the federal Head Start program and approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA);(3) the Head Start program teaches three- and four-year-old students; and(4) the state's prekindergarten curriculum guidelines are being implemented.(c) An internship, clinical teaching, practicum, or residency experience shall not take place in a setting where the candidate: (1) has an administrative role over the mentor, cooperating teacher, site supervisor, or host teacher; or(2) is related to the field supervisor, mentor, cooperating teacher, site supervisor, or host teacher by blood (consanguinity) within the third degree or by marriage (affinity) within the second degree.(d) School districts and charter schools authorized under Texas Education Code, Chapter 12, all Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, wherever located, and all schools accredited by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) are approved by the TEA for purposes of internship, clinical teaching, practicum, and/or residency.(e) Subject to all the requirements of this section, the TEA may approve a school that is not a public school accredited by the TEA as a site for internships, clinical teaching, practicums, and/or residency.(f) An educator preparation program (EPP) may file an application, with the appropriate fee specified in § 229.9 of this title (relating to Fees for Educator Preparation Program Approval and Accountability), with the TEA for approval, subject to periodic review, of a public or private school for a candidate's placement located within any state or territory of the United States, as a site for clinical teaching, practicum, or residency required by this chapter. (1) The clinical teaching, practicum, or residency site may be approved for a candidate who must complete requirements outside the state of Texas due to the following reasons if they occur following admission to the EPP:(A) military assignment of candidate or spouse;(B) illness of candidate or family member for whom the candidate is the primary caretaker;(C) candidate becomes the primary caretaker for a family member residing out of state; or(D) candidate or spouse transfer of employment.(2) The application shall identify the circumstances that necessitate the request to complete clinical teaching, practicum, or residency outside of the state of Texas and be in a form developed by TEA staff and shall include, at a minimum: (A) the accreditation(s) held by the school;(B) a crosswalk comparison of the alignment of the instructional standards of the school with those of the applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and State Board for Educator Certification certification standards;(C) the certification, credentials, and training of the field supervisor(s) who will supervise candidates in the school; and(D) the measures that will be taken by the EPP to ensure that the candidate's experience will be equivalent to that of a candidate in a Texas public school accredited by the TEA.(g) An EPP may file an application, with the appropriate fee specified in § 229.9 of this title, with the TEA for approval, subject to periodic review, of a public or private school for a candidate's placement located outside the United States, as a site for clinical teaching, practicum, or residency required by this chapter. (1) The site may be approved for a candidate who must complete requirements outside the United States due to the following reasons if they occur following admission to the EPP: (A) military assignment of candidate or spouse;(B) illness of candidate or family member for whom the candidate is the primary caretaker;(C) candidate becomes the primary caretaker for a family member residing out of country; or(D) candidate or spouse transfer of employment.(2) The application shall identify the circumstances that necessitate the request to complete clinical teaching, practicum, or residency outside of the United States and be in a form developed by TEA staff and shall include, at a minimum: (A) the same provisions required in subsection (f)(2) of this section for schools located within any state or territory of the United States;(B) a description of the on-site program personnel and program support that will be provided;(C) a description of any risks to candidate or supervising personnel associated with placement in the country specified in the application and options for mitigating risks; and(D) a description of the school's recognition by the U.S. State Department Office of Overseas Schools.19 Tex. Admin. Code § 228.63
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 20, May 17, 2024, TexReg 3541, eff. 9/1/2024