Sandra E.

Zaragoza
EDUC 5382
Summer III
August 8, 2017
Head Start/Texas Pre-K Artifact

Head Start
*TEC
http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.29.htm

EDUCATION CODE

TITLE 2. PUBLIC EDUCATION

SUBTITLE F. CURRICULUM, PROGRAMS, AND SERVICES

CHAPTER 29. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

SUBCHAPTER A. SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

Sec. 29.001. STATEWIDE PLAN. The agency shall develop, and modify as
necessary, a statewide design, consistent with federal law, for the delivery of services to children
with disabilities in this state that includes rules for the administration and funding of the special
education program so that a free appropriate public education is available to all of those children
between the ages of three and 21. The statewide design shall include the provision of services
primarily through school districts and shared services arrangements, supplemented by regional
education service centers. The agency shall also develop and implement a statewide plan with
programmatic content that includes procedures designed to:
(1) ensure state compliance with requirements for supplemental federal funding
for all state-administered programs involving the delivery of instructional or related services to
students with disabilities;
(2) facilitate interagency coordination when other state agencies are involved in
the delivery of instructional or related services to students with disabilities;
(3) periodically assess statewide personnel needs in all areas of specialization
related to special education and pursue strategies to meet those needs through a consortium of
representatives from regional education service centers, local education agencies, and institutions
of higher education and through other available alternatives;
(4) ensure that regional education service centers throughout the state maintain a
regional support function, which may include direct service delivery and a component designed
to facilitate the placement of students with disabilities who cannot be appropriately served in
their resident districts;
(5) allow the agency to effectively monitor and periodically conduct site visits
of all school districts to ensure that rules adopted under this section are applied in a consistent
and uniform manner, to ensure that districts are complying with those rules, and to ensure that
annual statistical reports filed by the districts and not otherwise available through the Public
Education Information Management System under Section 42.006 are accurate and complete;
(6) ensure that appropriately trained personnel are involved in the diagnostic
and evaluative procedures operating in all districts and that those personnel routinely serve on
district admissions, review, and dismissal committees;
(7) ensure that an individualized education program for each student with a
disability is properly developed, implemented, and maintained in the least restrictive
environment that is appropriate to meet the student's educational needs;
(8) ensure that, when appropriate, each student with a disability is provided an
opportunity to participate in career and technology and physical education classes, in addition to
participating in regular or special classes;
(9) ensure that each student with a disability is provided necessary related
services;
(10) ensure that an individual assigned to act as a surrogate parent for a child
with a disability, as provided by 20 U.S.C. Section 1415(b), is required to:
(A) complete a training program that complies with minimum standards
established by agency rule;
(B) visit the child and the child's school;
(C) consult with persons involved in the child's education, including
teachers, caseworkers, court-appointed volunteers, guardians ad litem, attorneys ad litem, foster
parents, and caretakers;
(D) review the child's educational records;
(E) attend meetings of the child's admission, review, and dismissal
committee;
(F) exercise independent judgment in pursuing the child's interests; and
(G) exercise the child's due process rights under applicable state and
federal law; and
 (11) ensure that each district develops a process to be used by a teacher who
instructs a student with a disability in a regular classroom setting:
(A) to request a review of the student's individualized education
program;
(B) to provide input in the development of the student's individualized
education program;
(C) that provides for a timely district response to the teacher's request;
and
(D) that provides for notification to the student's parent or legal guardian
of that response.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 1999,
76th Leg., ch. 430, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.
Amended by:
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1283 (H.B. 1335), Sec. 1, eff. June 17, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1192 (S.B. 1259), Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2015.

Sec. 29.002. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "special services" means:

(1) special education instruction, which may be provided by professional and
supported by paraprofessional personnel in the regular classroom or in an instructional
arrangement described by Section 42.151; and
(2) related services, which are developmental, corrective, supportive, or
evaluative services, not instructional in nature, that may be required for the student to benefit
from special education instruction and for implementation of a student's individualized education
program.

Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995. Amended by Acts 2001,
77th Leg., ch. 767, Sec. 1, eff. June 13, 2001.

*TAC
http://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC?tac_view=5&ti=19&pt=2&ch=102&sc
h=AA&rl=Y
Texas Administrative Code

TITLE 19
EDUCATION
PART 2
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
CHAPTER 102
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
SUBCHAPTER AA
COMMISSIONER'S RULES CONCERNING EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
Rules
102.1001
Head Start Educational Component Grant Program
(a) Each applicant seeking funding through the Head Start Educational Component Grant
Program under the Texas Education Code, 29.156, must submit an application in a format
prescribed by the commissioner of education through a request for application (RFA). Once
funded, the applicant shall comply with the provisions of the Texas Education Code, 29.156,
and the Texas Human Resources Code, Chapter 72.
(b) Eligible applicants include public, private, nonprofit, or for-profit organizations or agencies
operating a federal Head Start Program or similar government-funded early childhood care and
education programs. Head Start Program is defined as the federal program established under the
Head Start Act (42 United States Code, 9831 et seq.) and its subsequent amendments.
(c) An eligible applicant receiving funds under this program must provide educational services to
all children participating in the program so that each child is prepared to enter school and is
ready to learn after completing the program. The educational services must include components
designed to enable a child to:
(1) develop phonemic, print, and numeracy awareness, including the ability to:
(A) recognize that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be
individually named;
(B) recognize a word as a unit of print;
(C) identify at least ten letters of the alphabet; and
(D) associate sounds with written words;
(2) understand and use language to communicate for various purposes;
(3) understand and use an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary;
(4) develop and demonstrate an appreciation of books; and
(5) progress toward mastery of the English language, if the child's primary language is a
language other than English.
(d) Minimal levels of overall program performance, including education performance standards,
must be incorporated into the program to ensure the school readiness of children participating in
the program upon completion of the Head Start Program and prior to entering school.
(e) Applicants will be required to assess the impact of the services provided to children to ensure
that the children participating in the program are able to demonstrate the educational components
specified in subsection (c) of this section.
(f) Program funds must be used in accordance with the requirements stated in the RFA. All costs
under the Head Start Educational Component Grant Program must be necessary and reasonable
for carrying out the objectives of the program and for the proper and efficient performance and
administration of the program.
(g) For audit purposes, applicants must maintain documentation to support each of the
requirements of this section.
102.1002
Prekindergarten Early Start Grant Program
(a) Definitions. The following words and terms when used in this section shall have the
following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
(1) Eligible student--A child is eligible for enrollment in a prekindergarten class under this
section if the child is at least three years of age and meets eligibility criteria consistent with the
Texas Education Code (TEC), 29.153.
(2) Licensed child care--Child care that meets the requirements adopted by the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services under the Human Resources Code, 42.002(3).
(3) Nonprofit--An organization that meets the requirements of the United States Code, Title 26,
Subtitle A, Chapter 1, Subchapter F, Part I, Section 501(a).
(4) Partner--A non-public school organization collaborating with a public school to provide an
educational component to eligible prekindergarten children.
(5) Prekindergarten Early Start Grant Program--A program established in accordance with the
TEC, 29.155, to administer grant funds to implement and expand prekindergarten programs.
(6) Prekindergarten site--A public or non-public school classroom where teachers work with
three- and four-year-old children in a prekindergarten school readiness program.
(7) Proven school readiness components--The components of proven school readiness are:
(A) a high-quality, developmentally appropriate, and rigorous curriculum, based on the Texas
Prekindergarten Guidelines;
(B) continuous monitoring of student progress in the classroom; and
(C) professional development, including mentoring, to promote student achievement.
(8) School district--For the purposes of this section, the definition of a school district includes
an open-enrollment charter school.
(9) School readiness certification system (SRCS)--In accordance with the TEC, 29.161, the
school readiness certification system is a valid, research-based automated system provided by the
State Center for Early Childhood Development through which an early childhood education
program submits an application demonstrating the program's record of cognitive, social, and
emotional development of young children to be certified as a school ready program.
(10) School readiness integration--In accordance with the TEC, 29.158, school readiness
integration refers to cooperative strategies to share resources across public and non-public
program delivery organizations in a community or communities that may include, but are not
limited to:
(A) sharing certified or highly qualified teachers so that every child in each targeted classroom
receives a minimum of three hours daily of high-quality skill development consistent with
developing children's social and emotional well-being;
(B) developing a comprehensive instructional framework, based on the Texas Prekindergarten
Guidelines, consisting of common performance goals that encompass the unique characteristics
of each individual organization responsible for preparing young children for school success;
(C) sharing physical space if one organization lacks capacity while another has available
capacity;
(D) conducting joint professional development programs that focus on proven school
readiness components, including the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines; and
(E) adopting similar approaches to student progress monitoring to inform classroom
instruction.
(11) School readiness integration partnership--A collaboration among public prekindergarten
programs and local workforce development boards, Head Start providers, college or university
early childhood programs, and/or providers of private for-profit or nonprofit licensed child care
services that provides a school readiness component to eligible prekindergarten students.
(12) School ready or school readiness--A term that refers to a child being able to function
competently in a school environment in the areas of early language and literacy, mathematics,
and social skills as objectively measured by state-approved assessment instruments.
(13) Shared services arrangement (SSA)--An agreement between two or more school districts
and/or education service centers (ESCs) that provides services for entities involved.
(14) State Center for Early Childhood Development (SCECD)--The state center for early
childhood education research and training for early childhood teachers and caregivers
administered by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
(15) Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines--Guidelines approved by the commissioner of education
that offer detailed descriptions of expected behaviors across multiple skill domains that should
be observed in four- to five-year-old children by the end of their prekindergarten experience. The
guidelines are to prepare prekindergarten children to master the skills and concepts in each
subject area specified in 74.1 of this title (relating to Essential Knowledge and Skills) in the
kindergarten Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
(16) Tier 1 grantee--An applicant not currently eligible to receive funds under Tier 2 eligibility
criteria.
(17) Tier 2 grantee--An applicant that participated as a Tier 2 grantee in the Prekindergarten
Early Start Grant Program in school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 that is eligible to receive
continuation funding.
102.1003
High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant Program
(a) From funds appropriated for this purpose, all eligible school districts and open-enrollment
charter schools may receive grant funding for each qualifying student in average daily attendance
in a high-quality prekindergarten program in the district or charter school.
(1) The amount of funding per qualifying student will be determined based on the total amount
of appropriated funding, the number of eligible grant applicants, and the number of qualifying
students served by each eligible grant applicant. Funding under this program for each qualifying
student in attendance for the entire instructional period on a school day shall not exceed $1,500.
(2) Each applicant seeking funding through the high-quality prekindergarten grant program
authorized by the Texas Education Code (TEC), 29.165, must submit an application in a format
prescribed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) through a request for application (RFA).
(3) Each applicant must meet all the requirements established under the TEC, Chapter 29,
Subchapter E-1.
(b) An eligible applicant receiving funds under this program must provide educational services to
qualifying students. A student qualifies for additional funding under this grant program if the
student is four years of age on September 1 of the year the student begins the program and:
(1) is unable to speak and comprehend the English language;
(2) is educationally disadvantaged;
(3) is a homeless child, as defined by 42 United States Code 11434a, regardless of the
residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child's guardian or other person
having lawful control of the child;
(4) is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the
state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by
proper authority;
(5) is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state
military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while
serving on active duty; or
(6) is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective
Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by the Texas Family Code, 262.201.
(c) To be eligible to receive grant funding under this program, a school district or an open-
enrollment charter school shall implement a curriculum for a high-quality prekindergarten grant
program that addresses all of the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines (updated 2015) in the
following domains:
(1) social and emotional development;
(2) language and communication;
(3) emergent literacy reading;
(4) emergent literacy writing;
(5) mathematics;
(6) science;
(7) social studies;
(8) fine arts;
(9) physical development and health; and
(10) technology.
*MISD
http://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Search/605?filter=head%20start

STUDENT WELFARE - which they are eligible, including

FFC(LEGAL) STUDENT SUPPORT services through Head Start programs
SERVICES (including Early Head Start programs)
under the Head Start Act, early
 intervention services under Part C of
the ...

Note:Only districts that identify 15 or

SPECIAL PROGRAMS -
EHBG(LEGAL) more eligible students are required to
PREKINDERGARTEN
provide prekindergarten programs. ...

The criminal laws of the state apply to

the areas under the control and
COMMUNITY RELATIONS -
jurisdiction of the board care or day
GKA(LEGAL) CONDUCT ON SCHOOL
care or early childhood development
PREMISES
(Head Start) services to children or for
the use of ...

As a condition of receiving assistance

EMPLOYMENT
under Title I, Part A of the Elementary
REQUIREMENTS AND
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
DBA(LEGAL) RESTRICTIONS -
(20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), a district
CREDENTIALS AND
shall, at the beginning of each school
RECORDS
year ...

http://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/605?filename=EHBG(LEGAL).pdf
Marshall ISD 102902 SPECIAL PROGRAMS EHBG PREKINDERGARTEN (LEGAL)

DATE ISSUED: 2/2/2017 1 of 9 UPDATE 107 EHBG(LEGAL)-P

Note: Only districts that identify 15 or more eligible students are required to provide
prekindergarten programs.
A district shall offer prekindergarten classes if it identifies 15 or more eligible students who are
at least four years of age. A district may offer prekindergarten if it identifies 15 or more eligible
children who are at least three years of age.
A district may not charge tuition for a prekindergarten program offered under these provisions.
A district may apply to the commissioner of education (commissioner) for an exemption from
the requirement that it provide a free prekindergarten program if the district would be required to
construct classroom facilities in order to provide the program.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A district may offer on a tuition basis or use district funds to provide:
1. An additional half-day of prekindergarten classes to children eligible for free prekindergarten;
and
2. Half-day and full-day prekindergarten classes to children not eligible for free prekindergarten.
A district may not adopt a tuition rate that is higher than necessary to cover the added costs of
the program, including any costs associated with collecting, reporting, and analyzing data under
Education Code 29.1532(c) (regarding PEIMS data for prekindergarten programs). A district
must submit its proposed tuition rate to the commissioner for approval.
Education Code 29.1531
A districts prekindergarten program shall be designed to develop skills necessary for success in
the regular public school curriculum, including language, mathematics, and social skills.
Education Code 29.1532(a)

*Additional resources
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs

Introducing the New Head Start Program Performance Standards

The Head Start Program Performance Standards are the foundation for Head Starts mission to
deliver comprehensive, high-quality individualized services to support the school readiness of
children from low-income families. The new Standards announced on September 1, 2016 are the
first comprehensive revision of the Head Start Program Performance Standards since they were
originally published in 1975. The updates reflect best practices and latest research on early
childhood development and brain science.

Head Start Act

On Dec. 12, 2007, President Bush signed Public Law 110-134 Improving Head Start for School
Readiness Act of 2007, reauthorizing the Head Start program through Sept. 30, 2012.

Head Start Program Performance Standards

The Head Start Program Performance Standards define standards and minimum
requirements for the entire range of Head Start services. They are applicable to both Head Start
and Early Head Start programs.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) published a Final Rule on Sept. 1, 2016
revising the Head Start Program Performance Standards (HSPPS) to strengthen and improve the
quality of Head Start programs. This action is part of the Administrations early learning efforts
to ensure that all children start school ready to succeed.

The bipartisan Improving Head Start for School Readiness Act of 2007 called for a review and
revision of the HSPPS to ensure that all Head Start programs provide high quality,
comprehensive services, and for the development of new, research-based education performance
standards related to school readiness for Head Start children. ACF issued a Notice of Proposed
Rule Making (NPRM) in June of 2015 and received 1,000 comments on the proposed standards.
The new Program Performance Standards incorporate key feedback and set a high bar for Head
Start quality. The new HSPPS put in place higher standards based on years of research and
effective practice in Head Start, providing for effective teaching, staff professional development,
and high-quality curriculum in Head Start; strong parent engagement and involvement in
programs; comprehensive health services and child safety; effective management; and a full
school day and year of services for all Head Start children. At the same time, the new Program
Performance Standards make program requirements easier for current and future program leaders
to understand and reduce administrative burden so that Head Start directors can focus on
delivering high-quality comprehensive early learning programs that help put children onto a path
of success.

Find more about the new HSPPS on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center
(ECLKC) website.

Program Instructions

A Program Instruction (PI) addresses a specific requirement that Head Start grantees and
delegate agencies must implement in their programs.

Information Memorandums

An Information Memorandum (IM) is a targeted communication tool from the Office of Head
Start which provides policy information to Head Start and Early Head Start grantees and delegate
agencies.
Head Start Designation Renewal

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as required by Congress in
the Head Start Act, established the Designation Renewal System (DRS) to establish five-year
grant periods for all Head Start service awards. Many agencies receive further five-year grants
without competing for funding. Any agency which meets a specified condition during the
course of the grant period is not eligible for funding without competition. Instead, the
opportunity to provide Head Start services in that area is made available to any interested agency
which submits a competitive application in response to a funding opportunity announcement
(FOA).

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/hs/docs/hspss-final.pdf
Head Start Program Performance Standards
45 CFR Chapter XIII RIN 0970-AC63
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~
https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/funding
Head Start grants are awarded directly to public or private non-profit organizations, including
community-based and faith-based organizations, or for-profit agencies within a community that
wish to compete for funds. The same categories of organizations are eligible to apply for Early
Head Start, except that applicants need not be from the community they will be serving.

Find Office of Head Start (OHS) available funding opportunities on the ACF Funding
Opportunity Announcements website, by searching Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
(CFDA) Number 93.600 on Grants.govVisit disclaimer page, or by using the map tool below.

About the Office of Head Start

Head Start Services

Head Start promotes the school readiness of young children from low-income families through
agencies in their local community. Head Start and Early Head Start programs support the
comprehensive development of children from birth to age 5, in centers, child care partner
locations, and in their own homes. Head Start services include early learning, health, and family
well-being.
What We Do

The Office of Head Start (OHS) administers grant funding and oversight to the agencies that
provide Head Start services. OHS also provides federal policy direction and a training and
technical assistance (T/TA) system to assist grantees in providing comprehensive services to
eligible young children and their families.

Leadership

Ann Linehan is the Acting Director of the Office of Head Start (OHS). She has held senior
management positions with OHS for 15 years and has served as the deputy director since 2011.

History of Head Start

Head Start was founded as part of Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty in 1965. Since then,
Head Start has grown from an eight-week demonstration project to include full day/year services
and numerous program options. Head Start has served over 30 million children and their families
in urban and rural areas in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S.
territories. Head Start is celebrating 50 years of service in 2015.

Last Reviewed: June 15, 2017

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ecd/ehs_ccp_101_final_hhsacf_logo_2014.pdf
101 Early Head Start Child Care Partnerships
Texas Pre-K
*TEC

*TAC

*MISD

Additional resources
http://tea.texas.gov/index2.aspx?id=2147495267&menu_id=2147483718

At TEA, our goal is for all Texas children to enter school with the foundational knowledge and
skills to be curious, confident and successful learners. In partnership with families, schools and
communities, TEA provides support for effective and aligned early learning opportunities,
policies and programs that:

Support a highly skilled early learning workforce

Provide resources that engage and support development of young children
Provide access to high-quality 3 and 4 year-old prekindergarten.

The Office of Early Childhood Education at TEA has responsibility for the department's key
early learning investments as determined by the Commissioner of Education and the state
legislature.

Kindergarten Readiness

TEA supports high-quality prekindergarten that is developmentally appropriate, multi-sensory

and experiential. Young children thrive when provided a learning environment that inspires
curiosity, builds confidence and fosters a love of learning.

Children are "ready" for school when families, schools, and communities work together to
ensure they enter school with strong foundational knowledge and skills across 5 primary
domains of development. Although separate, these domains are interconnected and development
in one area reinforces development in the other.

The primary domains of development are:

Health and Wellness

Language and Communication
Emergent Literacy - Reading and Writing
Mathematics - Concepts and Thinking
Physical Development

In order to provide high-quality early childhood education that is focused on the unique needs of
each child, student progress monitoring and kindergarten readiness should be measured across
multiple domains of development.

Together we can ensure that every child in Texas thrives!

file:///C:/Users/ZARAGOZA/Downloads/Self_Assessment_FINAL_3-2-17.pdf
Purpose of the Self-Assessment Tool
The Self-Assessment tool was created to assist High Quality Prekindergarten Grantees with
evaluating their prekindergarten programs and making program adjustments to meet the needs of
all prekindergarten students.

file:///C:/Users/ZARAGOZA/Downloads/HighQualityPreKCaseStudy-508.pdf
The 201617 High-Quality Prekindergarten Grant: The Road to Quality in 10 Texas Districts
and Charter Schools

http://tea.texas.gov/Academics/Early_Childhood_Education/High-
Quality_Prekindergarten_Program/
High-Quality Prekindergarten Program

For questions regarding Rider 78, please see the FAQ document.

For questions regarding High-Quality Prekindergarten, please contact Tamala Olsby at

tamala.olsby@tea.texas.gov or Howard Morrison at howard.morrison@tea.texas.gov.

The General Appropriations Act, Article III, Rider 78, was passed by the 85th Texas Legislature,
2017, and signed by Governor Abbott on June 12, 2017. Rider 78 ensures that state-funded
prekindergarten programs implement high-quality prekindergarten consistent with the High-
Quality Prekindergarten program requirements in Texas Education Code (TEC) 29.167
29.171 and consistent with the provisions of TEC Chapters 41 and 42. These requirements
include use of a curriculum aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, increased
prekindergarten teacher training and/or qualifications, implementation of student progress
monitoring, program evaluation and development of a family engagement plan. For program
implementation, please refer to the rider, statute, resources and guidance listed below.

Article III, Rider 78, FSP Formula Funding for High-Quality Prekindergarten Programs:

Included in the amount appropriated above in Strategy A.1.1, FSP - Equalized Operations, is an
estimated $1,580 million in the 2018-19 biennium for formula funding entitlement for
prekindergarten programs. Of this amount, the Commissioner shall ensure that school districts
and charter schools receiving these funds shall use not less than 15 percent of their entitlement,
an estimated $236 million statewide, to implement prekindergarten consistent with the
requirements of a High-Quality Prekindergarten program, as established in Education Code,
29.167 - 29.171, and consistent with the provisions of Education Code, Chapters 41 and 42.
High-Quality Prekindergarten Program 15% Minimum Quality Allocation

Rider 78 ensures that school districts expend 15% of the districts prekindergarten foundation
school program (FSP) funding on High-Quality Prekindergarten programs over the period of the
biennium. As an example, the TEA State Funding Division has calculated the 15% minimum to
be allocated for High Quality Prekindergarten programs in the 2018-19 biennium based on the
four-year-old prekindergarten half-day average daily attendance (ADA).

The TEA Office of Early Childhood Education will provide guidance and technical
assistance regarding implementation of the following High-Quality Prekindergarten
programs as specified in statute:

TEC 29.167, Curriculum, Progress Monitoring and Teacher Requirements

a. A school district shall select and implement a curriculum for a prekindergarten grant
program under this subchapter that:
1. includes the prekindergarten guidelines established by the agency;
2. measures the progress of students in meeting the recommended learning
outcomes; and
3. does not use national curriculum standards developed by the Common Core
State Standards Initiative.
b. Each teacher for a prekindergarten program class must:
1. be certified under Subchapter B, Chapter 21; and
2. have one of the following additional qualifications:
A. a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or another early
childhood education credential approved by the agency;
B. certification offered through a training center accredited by
Association Montessori Internationale or through the Montessori
Accreditation Council for Teacher Education;
C. at least eight years' experience of teaching in a nationally accredited
child care program;
D. be employed as a prekindergarten teacher in a school district that has
received approval from the commissioner for the district's
prekindergarten-specific instructional training plan that the teacher
uses in the teacher's prekindergarten classroom; or
E. an equivalent qualification.
c. A school district may allow a teacher employed by the district to receive the training
required to be awarded a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential from a regional
education service center that offers the training in accordance with Section 8.058.
Training may not include national curriculum standards developed by the Common Core
State Standards Initiative.
d. A school district must attempt to maintain an average ratio in any prekindergarten
program class of not less than one certified teacher or teachers aide for each 11 students.
TEC 29.168, Family Engagement Plan

a. A school district shall develop and implement a family engagement plan to assist the
district in achieving and maintaining high levels of family involvement and positive
family attitudes toward education. The family engagement plan must be based on family
engagement strategies established under Subsection (b).
b. The agency shall collaborate with other state agencies, including the Health and Human
Services Commission, that provide services for children from birth through five years of
age to establish prioritized family engagement strategies to be included in a school
district's family engagement plan. A parent-teacher organization, community group, or
faith-based institution may submit to the agency recommendations regarding the
establishment of family engagement strategies, and the agency, in establishing the family
engagement strategies, shall consider any received recommendations. The engagement
strategies must be:
1. based on empirical research; and
2. proven to demonstrate significant positive short-term and long-term
outcomes for early childhood education.

TEC 29.169, Program Evaluation

a. A school district shall:

1. select and implement appropriate methods for evaluating the district's
program classes by measuring student progress; and
2. make data from the results of program evaluations available to parents.
b. A school district may administer diagnostic assessments to students in a program class to
evaluate student progress as required by Subsection (a) but may not administer a state
standardized assessment instrument.
c. An assessment instrument administered to a prekindergarten program class must be
selected from a list of appropriate prekindergarten assessment instruments identified by
the commissioner.

TEC 29.170, Program Funding Evaluation

a. The commissioner shall evaluate the use and effectiveness of funding provided under this
subchapter in improving student learning. The commissioner shall identify effective
instruction strategies implemented by school districts under this subchapter.
b. Beginning in 2018, not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, the
commissioner shall deliver a report to the legislature containing the results of the
evaluation.
c. This section expires December 31, 2024.
TEC 29.171, Eligible Private Providers

a. A school district participating in the grant program under this subchapter may enter into a
contract with an eligible private provider to provide services or equipment for the
program.
b. To be eligible to contract with a school district to provide a program or part of a program,
a private provider must be licensed by and in good standing with the Department of
Family and Protective Services. For purposes of this section, a private provider is in good
standing with the Department of Family and Protective Services if the department has not
taken an action against the provider's license under Section 42.071, 42.072, or 42.078,
Human Resources Code, during the 24-month period preceding the date of a contract
with a school district. The private provider must also:
1. be accredited by a research-based, nationally recognized, and universally
accessible accreditation system approved by the commissioner;
2. be a Texas Rising Star Program provider with a three-star certification or
higher;
3. be a Texas School Ready! participant;
4. have an existing partnership with a school district to provide a
prekindergarten program not provided under this subchapter; or
5. be accredited by an organization that is recognized by the Texas Private
School Accreditation Commission.
6. A prekindergarten program provided by a private provider under this section
is subject to the requirements of this subchapter.