(a) General provisions.
(1) Certificate classes. A probationary certificate may be issued for any class of certificate except educational aide.
(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).
(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) Bachelor's degree. Except as otherwise provided in rules of the State Board for Educator Certification related to certain career and technical education certificates based on skill and experience, the candidate must hold a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education. An individual who has earned a degree outside the United States must provide an original, detailed report or course-by-course evaluation of all college-level credits prepared by a foreign credential evaluation service recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). The evaluation must verify that the individual holds, at a minimum, the equivalent of a bachelor's degree issued by an accredited institution of higher education in the United States.
(2) General certification requirements. The candidate must meet the general certification requirements prescribed in §230.11 of this title (relating to General Requirements).
(3) Fee. The candidate must pay the fee prescribed in §230.101 of this title (relating to Schedule of Fees for Certification Services).
(4) Fingerprints. The candidate must submit fingerprints in accordance with §232.35(c) of this title (relating to Submission of Required Information) and the Texas Education Code (TEC), §22.0831.
(c) Conditions. The validity and effectiveness of a probationary certificate is subject to the following conditions.
(1) Internship. The holder of a probationary certificate must be a participant in good standing of an approved Texas EPP, serving in an acceptable, paid internship supervised by the EPP.
(2) Inactive status. A probationary certificate will become inactive 30 calendar days after the holder's separation 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 §228.35 of this title (relating to Preparation Program Coursework and/or Training.
(3) Term of a probationary certificate. A probationary certificate shall be valid for a 12-month period from the date of issuance.
(4) 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:
(5) 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 two allowed annual probationary terms.
(d) Testing requirements for issuance of a probationary certificate.
(1) Prior to September 1, 2017, a candidate must meet the subject matter knowledge requirements for issuance of a probationary certificate to serve an internship in a classroom teacher assignment for each subject area to be taught:
(2) Beginning September 1, 2017, a candidate must meet all testing requirements for issuance of a probationary certificate.
(e) Probationary certificate in a certification class other than classroom teacher. A probationary certificate may be issued for an assignment as a superintendent, principal, reading specialist, master teacher, school librarian, school counselor, and/or educational diagnostician 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) An applicant for a probationary certificate in a certification class other than classroom teacher 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) The individual must have also been:
(3) Effective September 1, 2017, to meet the subject matter requirements for issuance of the probationary certificate in a certification class other than classroom teacher, the individual must pass the appropriate content pedagogy examination(s) for that certificate.
(4) The holder of a probationary certificate in a certification class other than classroom teacher is subject to all terms and conditions of an intern certificate prescribed in subsection (c) of this section.
(f) Probationary certificate for intensive pre-service. A probationary certificate may be issued to an applicant who is admitted to an EPP intensive pre-service as prescribed in §228.33 of this title (relating to Intensive Pre-Service) on or after January 1, 2020, who:
(1) meets the applicable requirements prescribed in subsections (a)-(c) of this section;
(2) has met requirements of §230.36(f) of this title; and
(3) has obtained a passing score, in accordance with 19 TAC §151.1001 of this title (relating to Passing Standards), on the required content pedagogy tests prescribed in §230.21(e) of this title (relating to Educator Assessment).
Source Note: The provisions of this §230.37 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5753; amended to be effective December 27, 2016, 41 TexReg 10309; amended to be effective October 13, 2019, 44 TexReg 5767