16 Tex. Admin. Code § 84.600 - Program of Organized Instruction
(a) To be approved
under this subchapter, a driver education plan must include one or more of the
following course programs.
(1) Core program.
This program must consist of a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction;
seven hours of behind-the-wheel instruction in the presence of a certified
instructor; seven hours of in-car observation in the presence of a certified
instructor; and 30 hours of behind-the-wheel supervised practice, including at
least 10 hours of instruction that takes place at night, certified by a parent
or guardian in the presence of an adult who meets the requirements of Texas
Transportation Code, §
521.222(d)(2).
(2) In-car only program. This program must
consist of at least seven hours of behind-the-wheel instruction in the presence
of a certified instructor; seven hours of in-car observation in the presence of
a certified instructor; and 30 hours of behind-the-wheel supervised practice,
including at least 10 hours of instruction that takes place at night, certified
by a parent or guardian in the presence of an adult who meets the requirements
of Texas Transportation Code, §
521.222(d)(2).
(3) Classroom only program. This program must
consist of a minimum of 24 hours of classroom instruction.
(b) The minimum requirements of the driver
education program must be met regardless of how the course is scheduled. The
following applies to all minor and adult driver education programs.
(1) A learner portion of a DE-964 must be
issued to a student to obtain a learner's license upon completion of Module One
of the POI-DE. A driver license portion of the DE-964 must be given when all
in-car laboratory and classroom instruction has been completed by the
student.
(2) In-car laboratory
lessons may be given only after the student has obtained a learner's
license.
(3) Instruction may be
scheduled any day of the week, during regular school hours, before or after
school, and during the summer.
(4)
Instruction must not be scheduled before 5:00 a.m. or after 11:00
p.m.
(5) The driver education
classroom phase must have uniform beginning and ending dates. Students must
proceed in a uniform sequence. Students must be enrolled and in class before
the fifth hour of classroom instruction in a 24-hour program and the 12th hour
of classroom instruction in 56-hour or semester-length programs.
(6) Self-study assignments occurring during
regularly scheduled class periods must not exceed 25 percent of the course and
must be presented to the entire class simultaneously.
(7) The driver education course must be
completed within the timelines established by the superintendent, college or
university chief school official, or ESC director. This must not circumvent
attendance or progress. Variances to the established timelines must be
determined by the superintendent, college or university chief school official,
or ESC director and must be agreed to by the parent or legal
guardian.
(8) Public schools are
allowed five minutes of break within each instructional hour in all phases of
instruction. A break is an interruption in a course of instruction occurring
after the lesson introduction and before the lesson summation. It is
recommended that the five minutes of break be provided outside the time devoted
to behind-the-wheel instruction so students receive a total of seven hours of
instruction.
(9) Driver education
training offered by the public school must not exceed six hours per day. Public
schools may include five minutes of break per instructional hour as identified
in §84.500 (relating to Courses of Instruction for Driver Education
Providers). In-car instruction provided by the public school must not exceed
four hours per day as follows:
(A) four hours
or less of in-car training; however, behind-the-wheel instruction must not
exceed two hours per day; or
(B)
four hours or less of simulation instruction; or
(C) four hours or less of multicar range
instruction; or
(D) any combination
of the methods delineated in this subsection that does not exceed four hours
per day.
(10) Driver
education training certified by the parent is limited to two hours per
day.
(c) Course content,
minimum instruction requirements, and administrative guidelines for each phase
of driver education classroom instruction, in-car training (behind-the-wheel
and observation), simulation, and multicar range must include the instructional
objectives established by the department, as specified in this subsection and
the POI-DE, and meet the requirements of this subchapter. Sample instructional
modules may be obtained from the department. Schools may use sample
instructional modules developed by the department or develop their own
instructional modules based on the approved instructional objectives. The
instructional objectives are organized into the modules outlined in this
subsection and include objectives for classroom and in-car training
(behind-the-wheel and observation), simulation lessons, parental involvement
activities, and evaluation techniques. In addition, the instructional
objectives that must be provided to every student enrolled in a minor and adult
driver education course include information relating to litter prevention;
anatomical gifts; safely operating a vehicle near oversize or overweight
vehicles; distractions, including the use of a wireless communication device
that includes texting; motorcycle awareness; alcohol awareness and the effect
of alcohol on the effective operation of a motor vehicle; and recreational
water safety. A student may apply to the Texas Department of Public Safety
(DPS) for a learner's license after completing six hours of instruction as
specified in Module One of the POI-DE.
(d) A public school may use multimedia
systems, simulators, and multicar driving ranges for instruction in a driver
education program.
(e) Each
simulator, including the instructional programs, and each plan for a multicar
driving range must meet state specifications developed by the department.
Simulators are electromechanical equipment that provides for teacher evaluation
of perceptual, judgmental, and decision-making performance of individuals and
groups. With simulation, group learning experiences permit students to operate
vehicular controls in response to audiovisual depiction of traffic environments
and driving emergencies. The specifications are available from the
department.
(f) A minimum of four
periods of at least 55 minutes per hour of instruction in a simulator may be
substituted for one hour of behind-the-wheel and one hour observation
instruction. A minimum of two periods of at least 55 minutes per hour of
multicar driving range instruction may be substituted for one hour of
behind-the-wheel and one hour observation instruction relating to elementary or
city driving lessons. However, a minimum of four hours must be devoted to
behind-the-wheel instruction and a minimum of four hours must be devoted to
observation instruction.
(g) A
school may not permit more than 36 students per driver education class,
excluding makeup students.
(h) All
behind-the-wheel lessons must consist of actual driving instruction.
Observation of the instructor, mechanical demonstrations, etc., must not be
counted for behind-the-wheel instruction. The instructor must be in the vehicle
with the student during the entire time behind-the-wheel instruction is
provided.
(i) Minor and adult
driver education programs must include the following components.
(1) Driver education instruction is limited
to eligible students between the ages of 14-18 years of age, who are at least
14 years of age when the driver education classroom phase begins and who will
be 15 years of age or older when the behind-the-wheel instruction begins.
Students officially enrolled in school who are 18-21 years of age may attend a
minor and adult driver education program.
(2) Motion picture films, slides, videos,
tape recordings, and other media that present concepts outlined in the
instructional objectives may be used as part of the required instructional
hours of the classroom instruction. Units scheduled to be instructed may also
be conducted by guest speakers as part of the required hours of instruction.
Together, these must not exceed 720 minutes of the total classroom
phase.
(3) Each classroom student
must be provided a driver education textbook or driver education instructional
materials approved by the department.
(4) A copy of the current edition of the
"Texas Driver Handbook" or equivalent study material must be made available to
each student enrolled in the classroom phase of the driver education
course.
(5) No public school should
permit a ratio of less than two, or more than four, students per instructor for
behind-the-wheel instruction, except behind-the-wheel instruction may be
provided for only one student when it is not practical to instruct more than
one student, for makeup lessons, or if a hardship would result if scheduled
instruction were not provided. In each case when only one student is
instructed:
(A) the school must obtain a
waiver signed and dated by the parent or legal guardian of the student and the
chief school official stating that the parent or legal guardian understands
that the student may be provided behind-the-wheel instruction on a one-on-one
basis with only the instructor and student present in the vehicle during
instruction;
(B) the waiver may be
provided for any number of lessons; however, the waiver must specify the exact
number of lessons for which the parent is providing the waiver; and
(C) the waiver must be signed before the
first lesson in which the parent is granting permission for the student to
receive one-on-one instruction.
(j) Colleges and universities that offer
driver education to adults must submit and receive written approval for the
course from the department prior to implementation of the program. The request
for approval must include a syllabus, list of instructors, samples of
instructional records that will be used with the course, and information
necessary for approval of the program.
Notes
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