SBEC Update

NOTE: KEEP ADDRESSES CURRENT!
 SBEC Staff requested that we remind you that your certified educators need to update their  mailing address (required by SBEC board rule TAC, Title 19 §230.431 ). This is key for educators to receive notifications pertaining to the renewal of their certificates.

Please direct those who need to update their address, or confirm that it is current, to log in to SBEC online by visiting http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/educator_why.asp?width=1280&height=1024

They can log in or request to create an account by going here: https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/login.asp?

If they forgot their user name and password they can get it by going here: https://secure.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/forgot_password.asp

July 28 SBEC Board meeting

TASPA presented testimony at the July 28, 2006 SBEC Board meeting on the following issues:

• The backlog of processing of credentials for out-of-state teacher applicants
• A long-term solution to the EC-4 certificate and the staffing of 5th and 6th grade
• The need for NCLB training for SBEC staff in order to align SBEC rules with federal requirements

You can view the written transcript of the testimony here.

EC-4 Stakeholders’ meeting

SBEC staff conducted a stockholders meeting on Friday, September 29, to address possible long-term solutions to the over-production of EC-4 holders by educator preparation programs and the shortage of available candidates to staff 5th and 6th grade.   The stakeholders, comprised of administrator groups, teacher groups, and educator preparation entities, among others, overwhelmingly agreed that the existing EC-4 certificates need to be replaced with EC-6 certificates, and that the 4-8 certificate be left alone.  There was discussion but no firm conclusion about possibly replacing the 8-12 certificate with a new one to cover 7-12. 

Another issue of discussion was the status of the existing EC-4 teachers with regard to whether or not they can continue to teach at the 5th and 6th grade under the existing exemption to cover a transition period to the new certificate or indefinitely.  Grandfathering of teachers currently serving was considered, as well as a permanent change in the assignment criteria with the exclusion of the “self-contained” clause, as well as a temporary extension of the current rule, which is to expire in June of 2007, with the understanding that a permanent solution to the problem is being worked on in the interim.  Another option that was suggested was to create and offer a “5th-6th endorsement” whereby an EC-4 certified teacher can opt to take a course and an exam to become trained in serving those two grades, thus avoiding the concern of being placed out of field.

An SBEC staff report on the results of the meeting and a timeline for the next steps has not yet been released.  If you have further suggestions or input regarding this issue, please email Susan M. Kent, Director of Elementary HR at Northside ISD and the TASPA SBEC Committee Chair, at SusanKent@nisd.net OR Alex Martin at  amarin@taspa.org with “EC-4 recommendations” in the subject line.

November 3 SBEC Board meeting
TASPA will again testify during open testimony on the following issues at the upcoming November 3, 2006 SBEC Board meeting:

1. The backlog of the processing of credentials for out-of-state teacher applicants, and the need for SBEC to adopt a different process to meet the demands of the field while maintaining a quality review process.

2. Concerns regarding TExES test administration:
1. scheduling of testing dates,
2. limited test sites, and
3. limited access to computer-based tests.
3. SBEC delays in credentialing, and credentialing process changes that are causing teachers with a one-year non-renewable certificate to end up running out of time to get properly certified in a timely fashion before ISDs run up against the contractual non-renewal timelines.
4. The lack of fingerprinting sites and times to meet the needs of the area, which contributes to item #3.
5. Lack of staff, funds, and resources at SBEC to meet the needs of the districts and to complete their assigned tasks.

6. The need to convene a stakeholders meeting to review and plan possible approaches to reducing the number of educator certificates without unduly hindering the ability of ISDs of varying sizes and other constraints to meet the needs of their students.

If you have specific anecdotes or incidents pertaining to any of these six issues, or you have other concerns that need to be conveyed to the SBEC staff and Board, please email them to TASPA at amarin@taspa.org or at SusanKent@nisd.net even beyond November 3, as these items will hopefully be revisited in a future Board meeting in the main part of the agenda as specific discussion items for the Board to consider.

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