Updated Rules in Effect: CTE Certifications and Assignments

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) revised 19 TAC Chapter 231, Requirements for Public School Personnel Assignments.

Certain Career and Technical Education (CTE) certificates that were previously allowable for specific assignments found in Subchapter E, Grades 9-12 Assignments (beginning with Division 8) are now considered not appropriate for certain CTE course assignments.

CTE Courses and Associated SBEC Certificates

The following is a list of specific CTE courses and the associated State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) certificates that are no longer considered appropriate for the assignment.

§ 231.331 Principles of Architecture; Principles of Construction, Grades 9-12

• Any home economics or homemaking certificate
• Family and Consumer Sciences, Composite: Grades 6-12

§ 231.335 Architectural Design, Grades 9-12

• Any home economics or homemaking certificate
• Family and Consumer Sciences, Composite: Grades 6-12

§ 231.353 Principles of Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Communications, Grades 9-12

• Any home economics or homemaking certificate
• Family and Consumer Sciences, Composite: Grades 6-12

§ 231.355 Animation, Grades 9-12

• Any business or office education certificate
• Business and Finance: Grades 6-12
• Business Education: Grades 6-12

§ 231.381 Business Information Management; Business Law; and Touch System Data Entry, Grades 9-12

• Health Science Education: Grades 6-12 (requires appropriate work approval)
• Health Science Technology Education: Grades 8-12 (requires appropriate work approval)

§ 231.461 Principles of Applied Engineering, Grades 9-12

• Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources: Grades 6-12
• Agricultural Science and Technology: Grades 6-12
• Any vocational agriculture certificate
• Health Science: Grades 6-12
• Health Science Technology Education: Grades 8-12
• Vocational Health Occupations
• Vocational Health Science Technology

Next Steps

The TEA Teacher Assignment Chart has not yet been updated to reflect these revisions. However, TEA has provided notice to educational entities, as well as a courtesy notification to all educators who have a record of holding one or more of the certificates impacted by the recent rule changes. Educators may have already reached out to their HR team, but district HR teams should follow up with any educator who is assigned to one of these courses and who holds one or more of the associated certificates that are considered not appropriate under new rules.

HR district leaders may also want to review CTE course assignments and confirm alignment of certificates, provide communication of the revisions to appropriate CTE personnel, and create a plan of action to help educators update their credentials, if necessary. The district may also want to review their current District of Innovation (DOI) plan to ensure any approved exemptions align with current rules.