Texas § ED.21.902 - PREPARING AND RETAINING EDUCATORS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP PRESERVICE PROGRAMS

§ ED.21.902. PREPARING AND RETAINING EDUCATORS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP PRESERVICE PROGRAMS

PREPARING AND RETAINING EDUCATORS THROUGH PARTNERSHIP PRESERVICE PROGRAMS. (a) The commissioner shall establish Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnership Preservice Programs to enable qualified educator preparation programs, as determined by the commissioner, to form partnerships with school districts and open-enrollment charter schools to provide preservice practice opportunities in a prekindergarten through grade 12 classroom for teacher candidates at the district or school through the traditional partnership preservice program, the residency partnership preservice program, or the alternative partnership preservice program. (b) A partnership preservice program must be designed to: (1) allow teacher candidates to receive field-based experience working with cooperating teachers in prekindergarten through grade 12 classrooms; and (2) gradually increase the amount of time a teacher candidate spends engaging in instructional responsibilities, including observation, co-teaching, and lead-teaching responsibilities. (c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school participating in a partnership preservice program shall: (1) enter into a written agreement with an approved educator preparation program to: (A) provide a teacher candidate with clinical teaching opportunities at the district or school in the subject area and grade level for which the candidate seeks certification; and (B) pair the teacher candidate with a cooperating teacher who has successfully completed a training program for cooperating teachers that, if required by the agency, must be established or adopted by the agency; (2) use money received under Section 48.157 only to implement the partnership preservice program; (3) ensure that a teacher candidate is mentored by a mentor teacher who has completed mentorship training under Section 21.907 for the candidate's first two years as a teacher of record after completing a partnership preservice program; and (4) provide any information required by the agency regarding the district's or school's implementation of a partnership preservice program. (d) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may only pair a teacher candidate with a cooperating teacher who agrees to participate in that role in a partnership preservice program at the district or school. (e) A teacher candidate participating in a partnership preservice program may not serve: (1) as a teacher of record; or (2) except as provided by Subsection (f), in a position in which the student or employee has the primary or sole responsibility of providing instruction or supervision to students. (f) A teacher candidate participating in a partnership preservice program may serve in a position described by Subsection (e)(2) for the limited purpose of gaining experience in the position. The teacher candidate's amount of time serving in that position may not exceed the amount of time during which the teacher of record for the students has the primary or sole responsibility of providing instruction or supervision to those students. (g) To be qualified to participate in a partnership preservice program, an educator preparation program must meet the requirements under Section 21.044 (i). Added by Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1065 (H.B. 2 ), Sec. 2.17, eff. June 20, 2025.