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The
74th Texas Legislature created the State Board
for Educator Certification in 1995 to govern the standards
of the education profession in Texas. SBEC's 15-member board
oversees all aspects of the state's standards-based licensure
system to ensure that all Texas students have appropriately
certified teachers. One of the board's guiding principles
is the belief that educators themselves are equipped to create
and uphold high standards for teaching preparation, practice,
and conduct. SBEC's Information and Support Center (ISC) provides
information to the public on all aspects of educator preparation,
assessment, and certification. SBEC is committed to building
respect for the teaching profession in Texas. The board welcomes
input from teachers, school staff, and community members on
ways to improve teacher training, certification, support,
and professional development. Formerly under the auspices
of the Texas Education Agency, the primary responsibilities
of SBEC include:
- Educator
Preparation. The board works with educator preparation
entities in Texas, guiding them in program development,
approval, and implementation.
- Teacher
Assessment/Accountability. The board manages the on-going
development, review, and administration of examinations
required for certification, such as ExCET. SBEC also monitors
educator preparation entities with the Accountability System
for Educator Preparation (ASEP). Assessment data of prospective
teachers and performance of beginning teachers are used
to determine the quality of preparation entities and for
annual accreditation reports.
- Certification.
SBEC is responsible for issuing all educator credentials
to applicants meeting the requirements for teacher certification
in Texas.
- Investigations
and Enforcement. The board
enforces the standards of conduct for Texas educators, reviewing
complaints of misconduct and holding formal public hearings,
when necessary.
In
response to the legislative mandate to rethink how educators
are prepared and certified, the Board drafted the Framework
for Educator Certification and Preparation in May 1997
to serve as the basis for future policies and plans. Some
of the assumptions underlying the work of the Board which
are most relevant to art education include the following:
- The
education profession must adopt high standards for all facets
of the preparation, certification, and conduct of educators
and must remove individuals who do not meet those standards.
- The
types, grade-level groupings, and fields of teaching certificates
must be designed broadly enough to assure that the state's
required curriculum is taught by appropriately certified
teachers.
- The
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills must be the cornerstone
for subject area certificates.
- A
continuum of certificates should parallel the professional
growth of educators. This continuum begins with a conditional
certificate for the induction period, and includes a standard
certificate and an advanced certificate.
- Beginning
educators must receive ongoing, formal, and collaborative
support from a team consisting of both public or accredited
private school personnel and preparation program faculty.
In
addition to the Framework for Educator Certification and
Preparation, SBEC published Who’s Teaching in
Texas Public Schools?, a comprehensive resource
of information on Texas teacher qualifications.
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