[Updates Below]In raising a procedural concern against House Bill 4, State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford) found that the “pre-K” measure gives requires new licensing authority to be granted to publishing and testing giant Pearson Vue and a DC-based “common core” group.
HB4 was authored by Kingwood Republican Dan Huberty.
Stickland’s “point of order” related to that new licensing provision. According to Stickland, HB4 would require any pre-kindergarten teacher under the new proposed “high quality” program to obtain the “Child Development Associate” (CDA) credential. Stickland found that this “credential” is a trademark of the Council for Professional Recognition of Washington D.C.
From a fact-sheet issued by Stickland’s office:
According to the Council for Professional Recognition’s website, the CDA requires 120 hours of professional education, 480 hours of professional experience, the submission of a professional portfolio and “family questionnaire,” a $425 assessment fee, a “verification visit with a CDA Professional Development Specialist,” observation of the candidate in the classroom setting, “re-flective dialogue,” and a CDA exam “completed at a Pearson Vue test center.”
None of this was acknowledged in the caption of HB4, despite House Rule 8, Section 1(d).
(House Speaker Joe Straus over-ruled the point of order.)
“I promised my constituents I would fight against common core and all federal regulations on state education, including more unfunded mandates,” said Stickland. “House Bill 4 should be sent back to the Committee on Public Education so that members can further consider the efficacy of handing over approval of Texas Pre-K teachers to a Washington, DC, based organization and the testing giant Pearson Vue.”
UPDATE: 3:20pm
State Rep. Jeff Leach (R-Plano) successfully inserted an amendment forbidding Common Core from being used in pre-K. The amendment, which passed by a voice vote, did not address the licensing by the Council for Professional Recognition or the mandated testing by Pearson Vue.
