1. (a) General provisions.

   1. (1) Certificate classes. A probationary certificate may be issued for any class of certificate except educational aide.
   2. (2) Requirement to hold a probationary certificate. A candidate seeking certification as an educator must hold a probationary certificate while participating in an internship through an approved educator preparation program (EPP).

2. (b) Requirements for issuance. A probationary certificate may be issued to a candidate seeking certification as an educator who meets the conditions and requirements prescribed in this subsection.

   1. (1) Bachelor's degree. Except as otherwise provided in rules of the SBEC related to certain career and technical education certificates based on skill and experience, the candidate must hold at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
   2. (2) General certification requirements. The candidate must meet the general certification requirements prescribed in §230.11 of this title (relating to General Requirements).

   3. (3) Preparation program and assignment. The candidate's internship assignment must:

      1. (A) be supervised by an approved Texas EPP;
      2. (B) be in the subject area and at the grade level of certification sought or, if applicable, be in an assignment consistent with the professional class certification sought;
      3. (C) take place in a Texas school district, open-enrollment charter school, or other school approved by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for this purpose pursuant to §228.35(d) of this title (relating to Preparation Program Coursework and/or Training); and
      4. (D) if applicable, commence after the candidate for initial certification has met the pre-internship requirements specified in §228.35(a) and (c) of this title and the Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.051.
   4. (4) Fee. The candidate must pay the fee prescribed in §230.101 of this title (relating to Schedule of Fees for Certification Services).
   5. (5) Fingerprints. The candidate must submit fingerprints in accordance with §232.35(c) of this title (relating to Submission of Required Information) and the TEC, §22.0831.

3. (c) Conditions. The validity and effectiveness of a probationary certificate is subject to the following conditions.

   1. (1) Internship. The holder of a probationary certificate must be a participant in good standing in an internship supervised by an approved EPP.
   2. (2) Supervision and professional development. An EPP shall provide field supervision, as prescribed in §228.35 of this title, and high-quality professional development throughout the entire term of the internship, including all extensions of the initial term.
   3. (3) Mentor. The EPP shall collaborate with the campus administrator to assign a campus mentor to each intern throughout his or her internship.

   4. (4) Notice. An EPP must immediately notify TEA by email if the holder of a probationary certificate:

      1. (A) resigns or is terminated from the school assignment for which a probationary certificate was issued; or
      2. (B) is discharged or released from the EPP. In this case, the program must also notify the employing school district.
   5. (5) Inactive status. A probationary certificate will become inactive 30 calendar days after the holder's termination from the school assignment or the EPP. The unexpired term of a probationary certificate may be reactivated if the holder satisfies the program enrollment and school assignment requirements specified in subsection (b)(3) of this section.
   6. (6) Term of a probationary certificate. A probationary certificate shall be valid for a 12-month period from the date of issuance.

   7. (7) Additional terms. A probationary certificate issued to an individual enrolled in a post-baccalaureate or alternative certification program for initial certification, or any program for professional class certification, may be extended for no more than two additional 12-month terms following the expiration of the initial term, subject to the following conditions.

      1. (A) A probationary certificate may be issued for an additional 12-month term only if the Texas EPP recommends the additional term and certifies that the holder is making satisfactory progress toward standard certification.
      2. (B) The EPP must provide supervision to the educator for the full term of any such additional probationary certificate, unless, prior to the expiration of that term, a standard certificate is issued to the educator.

   8. (8) Limit on preliminary certifications and permits. Without obtaining standard certification, an individual may not serve for more than three 12-month periods while holding any combination of the following:

      1. (A) probationary certificates as described in this subsection;
      2. (B) emergency permits as specified in Subchapter F of this chapter (relating to Permits); or
      3. (C) one-year certificates as specified in Subchapter H of this chapter (relating to Texas Educator Certificates Based on Certification and College Credentials from Other States or Territories of the United States) and Chapter 245 of this title (relating to Certification of Educators from Other Countries).
   9. (9) Reduction in force exception. If an educator is employed under a probationary certificate and is terminated or resigns in lieu of termination before the end of the school year due to a reduction in force, that probationary term shall not count as one of the three allowed annual probationary terms.

4. (d) Traditional undergraduate preparation program internship.

   1. (1) A candidate who has completed a bachelor's degree in a traditional teacher certification program at an accredited institution of higher education, but who has failed to meet the testing requirements necessary for issuance of a standard certification, may serve an internship under the supervision of the traditional undergraduate certification program.
   2. (2) Such a candidate may be issued a probationary certificate for a period of one year. The traditional undergraduate certification program may not recommend any extensions of this term.

5. (e) Subject matter knowledge for classroom teaching assignments.

   1. (1) To obtain a probationary certificate for a classroom teaching assignment, a candidate must demonstrate knowledge of each subject area to be taught:

      1. (A) at the elementary school level (Early Childhood-Grade 6), by passing an appropriate certification examination as prescribed in Subchapter C of this chapter (relating to Assessment of Educators);

      2. (B) at the middle or high school level (Grades 7-12):

         1. (i) by passing an appropriate content area certification examination as prescribed in Subchapter C of this chapter;
         2. (ii) by completing coursework that complies with the TEC, §21.050, and comprised of not fewer than 24 semester credit hours, including 12 semester credit hours of upper division coursework in the subject area taught; or
         3. (iii) in the case of career and technical education assignments based on skill and experience, by satisfying the requirements for that subject area contained in §233.14 of this title (relating to Career and Technical Education (Certificates requiring experience and preparation in a skill area)); or
      3. (C) for professional class probationary certificates, by meeting requirements established by the recommending EPP, which shall be based on the qualifications and requirements relating to the class of certification sought and on the duties performed by the holder of a probationary certificate in that class.

   2. (2) The individual in a special education classroom teaching assignment must demonstrate both knowledge of special education and knowledge of each subject to be taught, as follows:

      1. (A) at the elementary school level (Early Childhood-Grade 6):

         1. (i) by passing a certification examination appropriate to the individual's grade level or subject matter assignment, as prescribed in Subchapter C of this chapter; and
         2. (ii) by passing a special education examination; or

      2. (B) at the middle or high school level (Grades 7-12):

         1. (i) by either:

            1. (I) passing a certification examination appropriate to the individual's subject matter assignment, as prescribed in Subchapter C of this chapter; or
            2. (II) completing coursework comprised of not fewer than 24 semester hours, including 12 semester hours of upper division coursework in the subject area taught; and
         2. (ii) by passing a special education examination.

6. (f) Probationary certificate for professional class certificates. A probationary certificate may be issued for a professional class assignment to an individual who meets the applicable requirements prescribed in subsection (b) of this section and who also meets the requirements prescribed in this subsection.

   1. (1) An applicant for a professional class probationary certificate must meet all requirements established by the recommending EPP, which shall be based on the qualifications and requirements for the class of certification sought and the duties to be performed by the holder of a probationary certificate in that class.

   2. (2) The individual must have been:

      1. (A) accepted and enrolled to participate in a Texas EPP that has been approved to prepare candidates for the certificate sought; and
      2. (B) assigned in the professional class certification area being sought in a Texas school district, open-enrollment charter school, or, pursuant to §228.35 of this title, other school approved by TEA.
   3. (3) The holder of a professional class probationary certificate is subject to all the terms and conditions of a probationary certificate prescribed in subsection (c) of this section.

Source Note:The provisions of this §230.37 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5753.