For Immediate ReleaseApril, 8 2015Contact: Tim Hardin512-463-0522

Jonathan Stickland Calls Point of Order on HB 4

Please find attached the Point of Order called by State Rep. Jonathan Stickland against House Bill 4 today.

The point of order relates to a provision added to House Bill 4 in committee which would require any pre-kindergarten teacher under the new proposed “high quality” program to obtain the “Child Development Associate” (CDA) credential. This credential is a trademark of the Council for Professional Recognition of Washington D.C.

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.”

House Bill 4 fails to acknowledge the creation of these onerous new requirements in its caption, as required by House Rule 8, Section 1(d).

Rep. Stickland provided the following statements with regard to his point of order on House Bill 4:

“I promised my constituents I would fight against common core and all federal regulations on state education, including more unfunded mandates. 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.”

Jonathan Stickland represents District 92 in the Texas House. His district includes Hurst, Euless, Bedford, and portions of Fort Worth, Arlington, and Grand Prairie. More information regarding Representative Stickland can be found at http://jonathanstickland.com/.

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