SBEC Discusses Multiple Proposals to Implement Recent Bills

The State Board for Educator Certification met for the final time in 2025 on Dec. 4-5 in Austin with a robust agenda of topics related to legislation passed in the 89^th session earlier this year.

These topics included:

• Amendments to the educator code of ethics and educator disciplinary standards as required by Senate Bill (SB) 12 and SB 571;

• The establishment of new certificates and requirements for the PREP allotment as established in HB 2. This will impact Chapters 227, 228, and 230 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and affect certification program admissions, curriculum, and testing; and

• The naming of a subcommittee to review National Board Certification Tests for authorization as part of the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA).

We will take a deeper look at the proposals for implementation in next week's Hotline, so stay tuned.

New Year, New Leadership

One of the first tasks of the meeting was to name new officers for SBEC. Longtime Chair Jean Streepy, one of the few current educators on the board, is stepping away at the end of her term. Community member Courtney MacDonald was selected by the board to be its new chair, with Julia Dvorak named vice chair. Bena Glasscock will remain the board's secretary. Texas AFT appreciates Chair Streepy's years of thoughtful leadership and welcomes the opportunity to work with the new chair for the health and growth of the teaching profession in Texas.

New Exam Update

The board received an update from Texas Education Agency staff on the development of the Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP), the certification exam that is set to replace the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam beginning in the 2027-2028 school year.

Development team members updated the board on their processes for content and development as well as a timeline for their work. It is the staff's intention to bring an item to the Feb. 13, 2026, meeting to discuss the implementation of T-TEP including a field test in 2026-2027.