The Education Standards Advisory Committee (ESAC) met on April 5, 2021.  This meeting was held virtually and included a presentation from the Broker Responsibility Working Group (BRWG) Chair, Leslie Lerner.  ESAC and BRWG have agreed to collaborate to develop recommendations aimed at better informing sales agents and brokers of duties and responsibilities to one another, which may include both education and experience components.   

ESAC also heard suggestions from committee members on topics that may be included in the next versions of the Legal Update I & II courses.  These suggestions will be forwarded to the staff and subject matter experts who comprise this year’s non-elective course writing group.  Some of the suggestions include diversity; equality; unconscious bias; appraisal issues; and backup offers.   

The committee revisited the topic of professional designations and possible recommendations to current rule §535.92 which defines CE requirements for sales agents and brokers.  As a result, a focused working group was created to delve deeper into this topic and bring forth recommendations at the next full ESAC meeting.  The working group meeting will take place virtually on May 17, 2021, at 1:00 pm.   

Lastly, ESAC discussed current qualifying course exam proctoring requirements and heard suggestions for revisions proposed by one education provider.  The provider suggested alternative means of proctoring that do not include a live or virtual visual component.  After discussion, ESAC members agreed that the current requirements should remain in place and no recommendations for change will be considered at this time.  

The next ESAC meeting is scheduled for July 7, 2021, at 10:00 am.  Public comments can be submitted to general.counsel@trec.texas.gov.  A recording of the April 5, 2021, ESAC meeting is available on the TREC website.