The requirements of this section shall apply to all AEL staff hired after July 1, 2013, excluding clerical and janitorial staff.
- (1) All staff shall receive at least 12 clock hours of professional development annually.
- (2) All staff new to AEL and assigned assessment and instructional duties shall receive six clock hours of in-service professional development before they begin work in assessment and instructional activities, in addition to the annual professional development requirements set forth in paragraph (1) of this section.
- (3) Aides shall have at least a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate.
- (4) Directors, teachers, counselors, and supervisors shall possess at least a bachelor's degree.
- (5) Directors, teachers, counselors, and supervisors without valid Texas teacher certification shall attend 12 clock hours of in-service professional development annually, in addition to that specified in paragraph (2) of this section, until they have completed either six clock hours of AEL college credit or attained two years of AEL experience.
- (6) The requirements for in-service professional development may be reduced by local programs in individual cases where exceptional circumstances prevent employees from completing the required hours of in-service professional development. Documentation justifying these circumstances shall be maintained. Requests for exemption from staff qualification requirements in individual cases may be submitted to the Commission for approval in the application for funding and shall include justification and proposed qualifications.
- (7) Records of staff qualifications and professional development shall be maintained by each fiscal agent and shall be available for monitoring.
- (8) The requirements in paragraphs (1) - (6) of this section also apply to volunteers who generate student contact time, as defined in §805.2, which is accrued by the AEL program and reported to the Commission for funding purposes.
Source Note:The provisions of this §805.21 adopted to be effective February 24, 2014, 39 TexReg 1205.