Chapter 102. Educational Programs
Subchapter BB. Commissioner's Rules
Concerning the Master Reading Teacher Grant Program
Pending Publication in the Texas Register
102.1011. Master Reading Teacher Grant Program.
(a) Under Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.410, a school district may apply to the commissioner of education for grants for high-need campuses identified by the commissioner to be used to pay stipends to certified master reading teachers, in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(b) The following terms apply to each school district applicant seeking stipends under the Master Reading Teacher Grant Program:
(1) High-need campus. A high-need campus:
(A) is a campus where the percentage of students reported passing the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) in reading averages less than or equal to a percentage designated by the commissioner over the past three school years for which data are available, not including the school year in which the stipend is to be paid; and
(B) does not include:
(i) a charter school;
(ii) an alternative education program operated under TEC, §37.008, and registered for the alternative accountability system for the 1998-1999 school year;
(iii) a juvenile justice alternative education program; and
(iv) a campus where fewer than 30 students took the TAAS in reading over the past three school years for which data are available, not including the school year in which the stipend is to be paid.
(2) Primary duties. The primary duties of a master reading teacher are:
(A) teaching reading; and
(B) serving as a reading teacher mentor to other teachers.
(3) Teaching reading. Teaching reading is performed when a teacher:
(A) applies knowledge of the interrelated components of reading from early childhood through Grade 12 and uses expertise at the primary, intermediate/middle, or high school level to plan, implement, and monitor reading instruction;
(B) selects and administers appropriate reading assessments and uses the results to design reading instruction;
(C) applies knowledge of primary and secondary language acquisition, reading difficulties, and dyslexia and related reading disorders to facilitate and promote literacy; and
(D) designs and implements instruction based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) in reading at the appropriate grade level.
(4) Reading teacher mentor. A reading teacher mentor:
(A) uses strategies to ensure research-based reading instruction through communication and collaboration with other teachers;
(B) coaches and consults with other teachers; and
(C) provides professional development.
(5) Certified master reading teacher. A certified master reading teacher is:
(A) a person who holds a reading specialist certificate and has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) for the purpose of becoming a master reading teacher; or
(B) a person who holds a teaching certificate who:
(i) has at least three years of teaching experience;
(ii) has satisfactorily completed a course of instruction approved by the SBEC for the purpose of becoming a master reading teacher; and
(iii) has successfully performed on the master reading teacher certification examination prescribed by the SBEC.
(c) A school district may apply to the commissioner for grants for each high-need campus as defined in subsection (b)(1) of this section to be used to pay year-end stipends to certified master reading teachers whose primary duties include:
(1) teaching reading; and
(2) serving as a reading teacher mentor to other teachers for the amount of time and in the manner established by the school district in conformance with the definitions set forth in subsection (b) of this section. The application must contain a certification by the school superintendent that the grants will be used only for the purpose set forth in this section.
(d) School districts with identified high-need campuses having a large student population as determined annually by the commissioner may receive grants to pay stipends to two certified master reading teachers per high-need campus. School districts with high-need campuses having a small student population as determined annually by the commissioner may receive a grant to pay a stipend to one master reading teacher per high-need campus.
(e) Applications must be filed with the commissioner during the school year in which a stipend is to be paid in accordance with the application instructions.
(f) A school district approved for a grant to pay a stipend on a specific high-need campus is not required to reapply for this grant for two consecutive years following the initial year of the grant if the district:
(1) continues to pay the stipend as provided in subsection (d) of this section; and
(2) notifies the commissioner, in a manner prescribed by the commissioner, that the circumstances on which the grant was based have not changed. School districts are not required to notify the commissioner if, according to local school district policy, the school district continues to pay the stipend to the teacher for the remaining two years even if the campus is no longer a high-need campus. The stipend must continue to be paid for the primary duties of teaching reading and serving as a reading teacher mentor as defined in subsection (b)(2) of this section.
(g) If a school district's grant circumstances change in the second or third year, a notification pertaining to the second and third year must be filed in accordance with the application instructions.
(h) Annual stipends to certified master reading teachers must be paid by local school districts no later than 30 days after receipt of the grant by the school district.