State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 1
Item 15:
Discussion of Continuing Professional Education
Requirements
DISCUSSION
SUMMARY: This item provides the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) the
opportunity to discuss recent legislation as a result of the 87th Texas Legislative Session and
options for continuing professional education for renewal of a Texas educator certificate.
STATUTORY AUTHORITY: The statutory authority for continuing professional education
requirements for Texas educator certificate renewal is Texas Education Code, §21.054.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND JUSTIFICATION: This item provides the SBEC the
opportunity to provide input to TEA staff regarding continuing professional education (CPE)
requirements as result of recent legislation and stakeholder feedback. The guidance provided
by the SBEC will inform proposed changes for the Board’s consideration at the December 2021
meeting.
The following topics are outlined in two themes:
I. recent legislation regarding (CPE) requirements for educator certificate renewal and the
establishment of a Continuing Education and Training Clearinghouse, and
II. options related to other CPE requirements including those for educators who have
expired certificates who have left the profession and are wanting to return.
I. Recent Legislative Changes:
Continuing Professional Education Requirements:
All Texas educators are required to complete continuing professional education (CPE) to renew
their certificate(s). Under Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.054(a), the SBEC has the authority
to determine in rule what CPE an educator must attain in order to renew the educator’s
certificate. TEC, §21.054(d) sets out certain topic areas for CPE that the SBEC must require for
classroom teachers, principals, and school counselors. Prior to the 2021 session of the Texas
Legislature, this statute required that educators attain at least 25% of the total CPE hours
needed for certificate renewal in the listed topics. This list of required topic areas has historically
been used to represent vital topics that are a high priority for educators to obtain to renew their
certificate(s). Historically, the CPE requirements set out in SBEC rule have simply mirrored the
statutory requirements without imposing any additional requirements for educators and have
allowed the remaining 75% of required hours to be at the educator’s discretion as long as it
aligns with the certificate(s) held.
Recent legislation in Senate Bill (SB) 1267, 87th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2021,
removed of certain required CPE topics for classroom teachers and principals. SB 1267 also
changed the 25% minimum (at least) that the required topics must comprise of an educators’
total CPE requirements, to a 25% maximum (no more than), so that classroom teachers,
principals, and school counselors are now limited in how many hours they can obtain in the
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 2
required topics to meet their individual CPE total requirements for certificate(s) renewal. The full
list of the remaining and removed training topics for certificate renewal can be found in
Attachment II.
In addition to the changes listed above, SB 1267 requires that all educators receive CPE in
training regarding educating students with disabilities. This requirement is not subject to the
25% cap.
Below outlines the topics stricken for the classroom teacher and principal class of certificate:
Class of Certificate CPE Training Topics Removed from Texas Education Code
Classroom
Teacher
• Educating students who are eligible to participate in special
education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Special
Education Program
• Educating students who are eligible to receive educational
services required under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C Section 794)
• Educating students with mental health conditions or who engage in
substance abuse
• Educating students with intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Educating students with limited English proficiency
• How mental health conditions, including grief and trauma, affect
student learning and behavior and how evidence-based grief-
informed, and trauma-informed strategies support the academic
success of students affected by grief and trauma.
Principal
• Educating students who are eligible to participate in special
education programs under Subchapter A, Chapter 29, Special
Education Program
• Educating students with intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Educating students who are eligible to receive educational
services required under Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C Section 794)
• Educating students with mental health conditions or who engage in
substance abuse
• How mental health conditions, including grief and trauma, affect
student learning and behavior and how evidence-based grief-
informed, and trauma-informed strategies support the academic
success of students affected by grief and trauma.
In response to SB 1267, the SBEC has three options to implement the legislation:
1. Maintain the practice of aligning SBEC rule with statute: remove the CPE topics as a
requirement for certificate renewal, make the remaining topics subject to a 25% limit,
and add a requirement that all educators obtain training about educating students with
disabilities.
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 3
2. Continue to require the CPE topics that are no longer required by statute for certificate
renewal, and adopt them in SBEC rule along with the statutorily required training about
educating students with disabilities as additional requirements that are outside of the
25% cap, or
3. Include the CPE topics that are no longer required by statute in the list of topics under 19
TAC §232.11(l) that are encouraged but not required for certificate renewal, while
otherwise paralleling the statute by removing CPE topics as a requirement for certificate
renewal, making the remaining topics subject to a 25% limit, and adding a requirement
that all educators obtain training about educating students with disabilities.
Question for SBEC’s Discussion:
• When considering the Board’s rules in Chapter 232, regarding the CPE content required
for educator certificate renewal, is there a preference on above options regarding CPE
requirement for certificate renewal?
Further considerations regarding staff development and CPE requirements for certificate
renewal:
o The stricken topics may be offered during staff development provided by a school
district, but not all educators are actively employed in their respective roles.
o HB 2519 significantly changed the requirements for school districts to provide
CPE to educators, giving school districts significantly more discretion in the
timing and topics of CPE that districts provide for their staff. It is possible that
these changes will cause educators to become responsible for obtaining a much
larger percentage of their required CPE hours outside of school because they will
no longer be provided by the school districts. SBEC rules provide educators
flexibility in the CPE topics they choose by require that educators obtain CPE
hours that align with their certificate(s) to provide discretion, as well as through
rules that allow educators to obtain up to 30 hours of independent study to
choose to obtain these hours. If the Board chooses not to implement the stricken
topics as new requirements in rule, educators interested in those topic areas
could still obtain CPE in those topics at their discretion.
o Educators look to SBEC to provide guidance on CPE training requirements for
certificate renewal, however, some educators would like to have more flexibility
when satisfying CPE requirements.
CPE Clearinghouse:
SB 1267 also requires the SBEC to publish a comprehensive clearinghouse of information
regarding continuing professional education and training requirements for educators and other
school personnel (“Clearinghouse”) by June 1, 2022. It will include best practices and industry
recommendations for the frequency for training of those individuals. School districts are required
to review the Clearinghouse annually and use it as a guide for developing their professional
development policies.
The SBEC is required to approve an advisory committee consisting of educators, including
classroom teachers, and representatives of organizations that represent educators to provide
input and guidance for the Board’s consideration. TEA staff will be sending an email at the
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 4
conclusion of the Board meeting to solicit names for consideration of advisory committee
members at the December 10, 2021, meeting. Additionally, staff will work closely with those
stakeholders who were involved with this legislation, those who testified on the bill, as well as
stakeholders who have contacted us interested in this work.
Implementation of the Clearinghouse and the advisory committee will not require additional
rulemaking. The Board will vote on the approval of the advisory committee at the December
meeting. TEA staff will work with the advisory committee, as well as other divisions in the
agency that oversee school district training requirements, to draft the clearinghouse
recommendations to be published by the June 1, 2022, deadline.
II. CPE Rule Change Options:
School District Hardship Exemptions
SBEC rule requires educators to obtain a minimum number of CPE hours to renew their
certificate every five years: classroom teachers must obtain 150 hours over a five-year period
and all other classes (superintendent, principal, librarian, counselor, reading specialist, and
educational diagnostician) must obtain 200 hours over a five-year period. School districts
cannot hire a certified educator whose certification status is “inactive” due to not having the
required CPE 150 or 200 hours. Educators often encounter problems with insufficient CPE
hours when they have left the profession and then decided to come back. Over the past couple
of years, TEA staff have been contacted by school district administrators requesting a waiver or
exemption of these requirements so they could offer a contract to an educator who does not
have the CPE hours required to renew the educator’s certificate. School districts have shared
that it would benefit the students and the school district to hire experienced certified educators
to fill vacancies rather than those not fully certified or long-term substitutes.
Question for SBEC’s Discussion:
When considering the Board’s rules in Chapter 232 regarding requirements for educator
certificate renewal, are there concerns about allowing a school district with a hardship to apply
for a temporary extension of an educator’s certification for the academic year to allow the
educator to complete SBEC-required CPE training?
TEA staff, as an administrative function of the SBEC, would approve the hardship exemption
request submitted by the district and manually extend the educator’s certificate expiration date.
If the educator has obtained all of the required CPE by the end of the certificate extension, the
educator would be eligible to submit an online renewal application and fee to begin the next five-
year cycle for his or her certificate(s).
CPE Dyslexia Training Requirement
SBEC rule requires classroom teachers who teach students with dyslexia to receive training
regarding educating students with dyslexia. Many teachers are assigned students with dyslexia
throughout the year without prior notice and without sufficient time to receive the proper training
before serving the student. If all classroom teachers received CPE training in educating
students with dyslexia, it would allow those teachers to be prepared to serve those students.
Additionally, it could align in rule under the new requirements in SB 1267 that all educators must
obtain CPE training regarding educating students with disabilities.
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 5
Question for SBEC’s Discussion:
When considering the Board’s rules in Chapter 232 regarding the CPE content required for
educator certificate renewal, should dyslexia for classroom teachers be included as a training
renewal requirement for all Texas educators?
Next Steps:
• TEA staff will seek stakeholder feedback with the Educator Preparation Advisory
Committee (EPAC) and will bring proposed rule changes to the SBEC at the December
2021 Board meeting to update the rules with feedback from the SBEC and the EPAC.
• TEA will solicit advisory member names for the SBEC approval at the December 2021
meeting. The advisory committee will develop the clearinghouse recommendations for
the SBEC’s consideration at a future meeting.
Staff Members Responsible:
Christie Pogue, Director, SBEC Policy Development and Support
Viviana Lopez, Program Specialist, Educator Preparation, Certification, and Enforcement
Attachments
I. Statutory Citations
II. SB 1267 Removed and Remaining CPE Required Training Topics
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 6
ATTACHMENT I
Statutory Citations Relating to Continuing Professional Education
Texas Education Code, §21.054, Continuing Education, as amended by SB 1267, 87th
Texas Legislature, Regular Session 2021:
(a) The board shall propose rules establishing a process for identifying continuing education
courses and programs that fulfill educators' continuing education requirements
educators' continuing education requirements, including opportunities for educators to
receive micro-credentials in fields of study related to the educator's certification class as
provided by Subsection (i).
(a-1) Continuing education requirements for educators must include training regarding
educating students with disabilities.
(b) Continuing education requirements for an educator who teaches students with dyslexia
must include training regarding new research and practices in educating students with
dyslexia.
(c) The training required under Subsection (b) may be offered in an online course.
(d) Continuing education requirements for a classroom teacher must provide that not more
than [at least] 25 percent of the training required every five years include instruction
regarding:
(1) collecting and analyzing information that will improve effectiveness in the
classroom;
(2) recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out
of school;
(3) digital learning, digital teaching, and integrating technology into classroom
instruction;
(4) educating diverse student populations, including:
[(A) students who are eligible to participate in special education programs
under Subchapter A, Chapter 29;]
[(B) students who are eligible to receive educational services required under
Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794);]
[(C) students with mental health conditions or who engage in substance
abuse;]
[(D) students with intellectual or developmental disabilities;]
(A) [(E)] who are educationally disadvantaged;
[(F) students of limited English proficiency; and
(B) [(G)] students at risk of dropping out of school[.] ; and
(5) understanding appropriate relationships, boundaries, and communications
between educators and students. [; and]
[(6) how mental health conditions, including grief and trauma affect student learning
and behavior and how evidence-based, grief-informed, and trauma-informed
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 7
strategies support the academic success of students affected by grief and
trauma.]
(d-1) The instruction required under Subsection (d) may include two or more listed topics
together.
[(d-2) The instruction required under Subsection (d)(6) must:
(1) comply with the training required by Section 38.036(c)(1); and
(2) be approved by the commissioner.]
(e) Continuing education requirements for a principal must provide that not more than [at
least] 25 percent of the training required every five years include instruction regarding:
(1) effective and efficient management, including:
(A) collecting and analyzing information;
(B) making decisions and managing time; and
(C) supervising student discipline and managing behavior;
(2) recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out
of school;
(3) digital learning, digital teaching, and integrating technology into campus
curriculum and instruction;
(4) effective implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program under
Section 33.005;
(5) mental health programs addressing a mental health condition;
(6) educating diverse student populations, including:
[(A) students who are eligible to participate in special education programs
under Subchapter A, Chapter 29]
[(B) students with intellectual or developmental disabilities;]
[(C) students who are eligible to receive educational services required under
Section 504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Section 794);]
[(D) students with mental health conditions or who engage in substance]
abuse;]
(A) [(E)] students who are educationally disadvantaged;
(B) [(F)] students of limited English proficiency; and
(C) [(G)] students at risk of dropping out of school; and
(7) preventing, recognizing, and reporting any sexual conduct between an educator
and student that is prohibited under Section 21.12, Penal Code, or for which
reporting is required under Section 21.006 of this code.[; and]
[(8) how mental health conditions, including grief and trauma, affect student learning
and behavior and how evidence-based, grief-informed, and trauma-informed
strategies support the academic success of students affected by grief and
trauma.]
[(e-2) The instruction required under Subsection (e)(8) must be:
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 8
(1) based on relevant best practice-based programs and research-based practices;
and
(2) approved by the commissioner, in consultation with the Health and Human
Services Commission.]
(f) Continuing education requirements for a counselor must provide that not more than [at
least] 25 percent of training required every five years include instruction regarding:
(1) assisting students in developing high school graduation plans;
(2) implementing dropout prevention strategies; [and]
(3) informing students concerning:
(A) college admissions, including college financial aid resources and
application procedures; and
(B) career opportunities.
(4) counseling students concerning mental health conditions and substance abuse,
including through the use of grief-informed and trauma-informed interventions
and crisis management and suicide prevention strategies; and
(5) effective implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program under
Section 33.005.
(g) The board shall adopt rules that allow an educator to fulfill continuing education
requirements by participating in an evidence-based mental health first aid training
program or an evidence-based grief-informed and trauma-informed care program. The
rules adopted under this subsection must allow an educator to complete a program
described by this subsection and receive credit toward continuing education
requirements for twice the number of hours of instruction provided under that program,
not to exceed 16 hours. The program must be offered through a classroom instruction
format that requires in-person attendance.
(h) Continuing education requirements for a superintendent must include at least 2-1/2
hours of training every five years on identifying and reporting potential victims of sexual
abuse, human trafficking, and other maltreatment of children. For purposes of this
subsection, "other maltreatment" has the meaning assigned by Section 42.002, Human
Resources Code.
(i) The board shall propose rules establishing a program to issue micro-credentials in fields
of study related to an educator's certification class. The agency shall approve continuing
education providers to offer micro-credential courses. A micro-credential received by an
educator shall be recorded on the agency's Educator Certification Online System
(ECOS) and included as part of the educator's public certification records.
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 9
ATTACHMENT II
SB 1267 Removed and Remaining CPE Required Training Topics
Class of Certificate
CPE Training Removed
CPE Training Remaining
Classroom
Teacher
• Educating students who are
eligible to participate in special
education programs under
Subchapter A, Chapter 29,
Special Education Program
• Educating students who are
eligible to receive educational
services required under Section
504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C Section 794)
• Educating students with mental
health conditions or who
engage in substance abuse
• Educating students with
intellectual or developmental
disabilities
• Educating students with limited
English proficiency
• How mental health conditions,
including grief and trauma,
affect student learning and
behavior and how evidence-
based grief-informed, and
trauma-informed strategies
support the academic success
of students affected by grief
and trauma.
• Collecting and analyzing
information that will improve
effectiveness in the
classroom
• Recognizing early warning
indicators that a student may
be at risk of dropping out of
school
•
Digital learning, digital
teaching, and integrating
technology into classroom
instruction
•
Educating diverse student
populations, including
students who are
economically disadvantaged
and students at risk of
dropping out of school
•
Understanding appropriate
relationships, boundaries,
and communications
between educators and
students
Principal
• Educating students who are
eligible to participate in special
education programs under
Subchapter A, Chapter 29,
Special Education Program
• Educating students with
intellectual or developmental
disabilities
• Educating students who are
eligible to receive educational
services required under Section
504, Rehabilitation Act of 1973
(29 U.S.C Section 794)
• Educating students with mental
health conditions or who
engage in substance abuse
• Effective and efficient
management, including:
o Collecting and
analyzing information
o
Making decisions and
managing time, and
o
Supervising student
discipline and
managing behavior
• Recognizing early warning
indicators that a student may
be at risk of dropping out of
school;
• Digital learning, digital
teaching, and integrating
State Board for Educator Discussion of Continuing Professional Education Requirements
October 1, 2021 Item 15 – Page 10
• How mental health conditions,
including grief and trauma,
affect student learning and
behavior and how evidence-
based grief-informed, and
trauma-informed strategies
support the academic success
of students affected by grief
and trauma.
technology into campus
curriculum and instruction;
• Effective implementation of a
comprehensive school
counseling program under
Section 33.005;
• Mental health programs
addressing a mental health
condition
•
Educating diverse student
populations, including
students who are
economically disadvantaged,
students of limited English
proficiency, and students at
risk of dropping out of school
•
preventing, recognizing, and
reporting any sexual conduct
between an educator and
student that is prohibited
under Section 21.12, Penal
Code, or for which reporting
is required under Section
21.006 of this code
