SBEC Adopts New Special Education Competency Worksheet
At its February 14, 2025, meeting, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) approved revisions to 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 231 including the new Texas Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record.
The proposed revisions provide requirements for school districts to make personnel assignment decisions based on the correlating certification and demonstration of content proficiency requirements. Currently, a special education teacher of record is required to hold a special education certificate and be content certified or demonstrate subject matter competency through the High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE).
Texas Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record
The work on a state designed subject competency worksheet to replace HOUSSE began in the fall of 2023. After a year of development, the final version of the new Texas Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record has been approved by SBEC and will be reviewed by the State Board of Education (SBOE) during its meeting scheduled for April 8-11, 2025.
The proposed effective date for the new worksheet is September 1, 2025. All individuals qualified with the HOUSSE option prior to this date will be grandfathered and will require the completion of an administrator’s attestation.
While there are similarities to HOUSSE, the new worksheet does have some differences. Highlights include the following:
- The new worksheet includes several additional options for generating points not found on the current HOUSSE option, including points awarded for a special education teacher who served as an educational aide if they were supervised by a special education teacher of record.
- Elementary special education teachers must demonstrate competency in the elementary section of the worksheet, and secondary teachers must demonstrate competency in the secondary portion of the worksheet. Note: prior to September 1, 2025, secondary special education teachers who teach students tested on an alternate assessment can qualify using the HOUSSE elementary option.
- A Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) designated teacher or a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) may gain points for these designations.
Next Steps
If the SBOE accepts the revisions in April, TASB HR Services will provide a side-by-side comparison of HOUSSE and the Texas Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record. Additionally, certification documents related to special education will be updated in the HR Services Resource Library.
A free webinar will be offered to HR Services members in May and will feature the use of the new Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record to qualify a certified special education teacher to serve as a teacher of record when not content certified.
Karen Dooley
Karen Dooley joined HR Services in 2016. She provides oversight to a team of consultants providing staffing services, HR reviews, and other projects. She provides training and assists school districts with their HR-related needs. Dooley is a seasoned administrator with more than 17 years of HR experience in Central Texas districts as a coordinator, director, and assistant superintendent. She also worked as an assistant principal, counselor, and teacher, and holds a superintendent certificate.
Dooley received her master’s degree from Prairie View A&M University and her bachelor’s degree from Texas State University.
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