Section 228.65 - [Effective 9/1/2024] Residency(a) To offer a residency, an educator preparation program (EPP) shall provide the following programmatic requirements for a candidate prior to issuing an enhanced standard certificate as prescribed in §230.39 of this title (relating to Enhanced Standard Certificates): (1) the residency must include a minimum of one full school year of clinical experience, including the first and last instructional days with students, in a classroom supervised by a host teacher in the classroom teacher assignment or assignments that match the certification category or categories for which the candidate is prepared by the EPP;(2) the residency clinical experience must meet a minimum of 750 hours in total, with a minimum of 21 hours per week during a school week that does not include school district or campus closures or disruptions (e.g., inclement weather, holidays). In the event of a district or campus closure that results in the need for reduced residency clinical experience hours during a given week, the program must document the need for the reduced hours;(3) the minimum may be reduced to no less than 700 hours if the candidate is absent from the clinical assignment due to a documented instance of parental leave, military leave, extended illness, or bereavement; and(4) the beginning date of a residency clinical experience for the purpose of field supervision is the first day of instruction with students in the school or district in which the residency takes place.(b) An EPP offering a residency shall ensure that:(1) residency candidates are assigned to one distinct field site for the duration of the residency. EPPs may allow exceptions with a documented process for candidates seeking certification in more than one certification category, candidates seeking certification in Early Childhood-Grade 12 certification categories, and candidates with reasonable human resources concerns. The program and the district must both sign documentation that the benefits of two placements outweigh the consequence of not assigning one distinct field placement. Candidates who receive exceptions shall be placed in no more than two distinct field sites;(2) during the course of the residency, the residency candidate shall engage in increased responsibility for student instruction, including co-teaching and leading classroom instruction for at least 400 hours; and(3) a residency candidate must experience a full range of professional responsibilities during the residency.(c) In addition to the benchmarks and structured assessments required under §228.31(c) of this title(relating to Minimum Educator Preparation Program Obligations to All Candidates), the EPP shall manage and support candidate progression through the dimensions described in subsection (f) of this section and determine readiness to proceed to the next level of increased responsibility for student instruction during the residency, including establishing performance gates with performance tasks observed and evaluated by the field supervisor that require residency candidates to demonstrate mastery of certain educator standards to progress to the next level of responsibility for student instruction. Performance gates must be conducted at least four times a year and occur at least twice per semester.(d) The EPP must provide ongoing support to a candidate as described in Subchapter F of this chapter (relating to Support for Candidates During Required Clinical Experiences) for the full term of the residency, unless, prior to the expiration of that term: (1) the candidate resigns or is terminated by the school or district;(2) the candidate is discharged or is released from the EPP;(3) the candidate withdraws from the EPP; or(4) the residency assignment does not meet the requirements described in this subchapter.(e) If the candidate leaves the residency assignment for any of the reasons identified in subsection (d) of this section, the EPP, the campus or district personnel, and the candidate must inform each other within one calendar week of the candidate's last day in the assignment.(f) A candidate participating in a residency shall be eligible for an enhanced standard certificate by completing all of the following:(1) the requirements as prescribed in §230.39(b) of this title (relating to Enhanced Standard Certificates);(2) programmatic requirements under subsections (a)-(c) of this section;(3) the requirements of the following proficiencies in §150.1002 of Part II of this title (relating to Assessment of Teacher Performance) for pedagogical skills that are used by the program and approved by the state and meet the Proficient performance level measure in each of the following dimensions: (A) Planning Dimension 1.1: Standards and Alignment;(B) Planning Dimension 1.2: Data and Assessment;(C) Instruction Dimension 2.1: Achieving Expectations;(D) Instruction Dimension 2.2: Content Knowledge and Expertise;(E) Instruction Dimension 2.3: Communication;(F) Learning Environment Dimension 3.1: Classroom Environment, Routines, and Procedures;(G) Learning Environment Dimension 3.2: Managing Student Behavior;(H) Learning Environment Dimension 3.3: Classroom Culture;(I) Professional Practices and Responsibilities Dimension 4.1: Professional Demeanor and Ethics;(J) Professional Practices and Responsibilities Dimension 4.2: Goal Setting; and(K) Professional Practices and Responsibilities Dimension 4.3: Professional Development.(g) A residency is successful when the candidate demonstrates proficiency in each of the educator standards for the assignment and the field supervisor, host teacher, and campus supervisor recommend to the EPP that the candidate should be recommended for a residency certificate. If the field supervisor, host teacher, or campus supervisor do not recommend that the candidate should be recommended for an enhanced standard certificate, the person who does not recommend the candidate must provide documentation (e.g., evidence of failure to demonstrate proficiency in educator standards, evidence of failure to meet program requirements, evidence of failure to adhere to campus policies) supporting the lack of recommendation to the candidate and the field supervisor, the host teacher, or the campus supervisor.19 Tex. Admin. Code § 228.65
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 20, May 17, 2024, TexReg 3541, eff. 9/1/2024