Introduction
"Real education should consist of drawing the goodness and the best out of our own students. What better books can there be than the book of humanity. “
This quote has been seen over the past week as we work on recovering from the winter storm. We hope that this newsletter finds you and your family safe and warm and on the road to normalcy from the events of the past weeks. Below you will find the most up-to-date information concerning what you need to know that impacts your candidates in the coming weeks. Please thoroughly read all the sections for reminders, upcoming events, to dos and FAQs.
We hope that this newsletter provides clarity and platform for access to all the important updates.
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Due Date |
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Text Comprehension and Analysis Deep Dive
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2:00-3:00 pm (access information below)
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Academic Language in edTPA
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9:00-12:00pm (More information below)
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edTPA Year 3 Pilot Application
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Feb. 26, 2021 (deadline extended)
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School Librarian and Reading Specialist Educator Standards Advisory Committee Nominations
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March 1, 2021 (deadline extended)
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Deadline for PASL Task submission
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April 13, 2021, 1:00 PM CT
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
Update to TEA EPP Support Team
The EPP Support team has shifted reporting structures within TEA as of March 1. Dr. Tam Jones, formerly the Director of Educator Preparation Program Management, is no longer with the agency. The EPP Support team will now join the Educator Standards and Testing team, overseen by Jessica McLoughlin. For EPPs, your primary point of contact remains your program specialist.
Upcoming ECOS Outage
Due to an update in the system, the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) will be unavailable from Friday, March 26, 2021 through Sunday, March 28, 2021. During this time the system will not be available for any actions. Please complete any necessary actions in ECOS by the end of the day on Thursday, March 25, 2021, and log out of the system to ensure that all your work has saved.
Save the Date: Title II Webinar
On Thursday, April 1, at 10:00am there will be a webinar hosted by Westat to directly support Texas EPPs in the completion of the IPRC Title II report. This report is due April 30. Please save the date for this important training webinar, which is designed for individuals at EPPs who complete the IPRC report. We will share a link for registration in upcoming newsletters.
Due Diligence Before Recommending Candidates for Certificates
When recommending candidates for certification, please double-check to be sure that the candidate has met all the requirements for the certificate and the certificate information is correct before you click recommend. As a reminder, the attestation that you select during the recommendation process affirms that you have properly completed this check. While we are always happy to support EPPs and their candidates in correcting EPP errors, we want to remind EPPs to check the certificate information for accuracy before recommending the certificate. Erroneously recommended certificates potentially create confusion and negative outcomes for candidates and local education agencies. The TEA process of removing a certificate recommended in error requires multiple manual steps
within the certification system. By doing your due diligence when recommending candidates, you are ensuring that your candidates hold the correct certification(s) to be successful educators in Texas.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Reminder to Candidates Currently on a WPRO or WINT Certificate to Complete Testing Requirements
Candidates who were issued a waiver probationary (WPRO) or waiver intern (WINT) certificate, under the Governor’s waiver of certification exam requirements in Spring and Summer 2020, will need to complete all testing requirements before they can be issued a standard certificate. We encourage all programs to proactively communicate with those candidates who were issued these certificates to remind them of these requirements well in advance of their certification expiration date.
In particular, those candidates who were issued a WPRO or WINT principal certificate should be made aware that the deadline for PASL registration (a requirement for standard principal certification) is fast approaching. For additional information around PASL registration and submission deadlines, please see below.
PASL Spring Registration Window and Upcoming Training
Please note the following important dates for the Spring 2021 administration window for the PASL Assessment.
Registration opened August 4, 2020 and closes April 2, 2021. Task submission began on January 5, 2021 with the deadline to have all tasks submitted closing on April 13,2021 at 1pm CT.
ETS will be offering a PASL webinar to provide guidance for programs to support candidates with their upcoming submission. Mark your calendar for March 10, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 pm CT.
You may access the webinar through this zoom link (passcode: webinar1!).
STR Exam Frequently Asked Questions Document Update
The recently updated STR Exam Requirement FAQ document includes answers to frequently asked questions on the following topics:
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The HB 3 STR Exam Mandate
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STR Exam Introductory Period
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Scoring, Reporting, and Retakes
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Preparing for the Exam
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Preparation Materials
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Constructed Response Questions on the STR Exam
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Impact on Core Subjects: EC-6 TExES Exams
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Testing Centers
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STR Exam and Reading Academy Requirements
STR Webinar Series: Text Comprehension and Analysis Deep Dive The STR Deep Dive session this week will focus on developing vocabulary and comprehension skills in developing readers. We look forward to another opportunity to collaboratively learn with you as we unpack the underlying knowledge and skills teacher candidates need to successfully prepare students to comprehend literary and informational text.
The session will be on March 5, 2021 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm CST. Please register here.
edTPA Statewide Webinars In partnership with Pearson, Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning and Equity, and Texas’ edTPA Regional Coordinators, a series of edTPA virtual workshops and webinars have been scheduled for 2021. These workshops and webinars are open to all Texas educator preparation programs (not limited to pilot programs) and are a great way to learn more about edTPA and to engage more deeply with edTPA practitioners and explorers. The full scope and sequence of state-wide workshops and webinars accessible to Texas EPPs here.
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Academic Language in edTPA: Supporting Learning and Language Development: March 12, 2021, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Register HERE. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the workshop.
If you have any questions about edTPA or the upcoming workshops and webinars, please reach out to DeMarco Pitre (demarco.pitre@tea.texas.gov).
DID YOU KNOW?
Some exams require candidates to bring a graphing calculator. Candidates should review the applicable exam information page to learn whether an exam requires the use of a graphing calculator or on-screen scientific calculator.
Information and updates related to Educator Certification
There is no new information to share currently.
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: I need to locate information about my EPP. Where can I find it?
A: Information about each specific EPP is found in the Green Screen in ECOS under ASEP / Other Reports. You will find LBB information and Candidate Exit Survey information by reporting year on your Green Screen. You can also find information on the Data Dashboard located on the Consumer Information Page About EPPs.
The EPP Compliance Reports by year are also found on the Consumer Information page.
Q: Recently my EPP has received calls from currently certified teachers who are looking to certify in another teaching category. Can you direct me to where I can find this information?
A: Educators who hold a standard teaching certificate and a bachelor’s degree can add an additional teaching certification by exam on their own. They can sign up for the related TExES teacher certification exam through Pearson without needing test approval from an approved EPP. Educators can also find the additional certification by exam link on TEA’s Certification page. Please note that this exam route is not applicable for all teaching categories.
Your best source for information and support at the TEA
As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Program Specialist.
To view a list of EPPs and their associated Program Specialist, please click here.
Information regarding the Science of Teaching Reading Exam can be accessed at
tea.texas.gov/str.
Information regarding edTPA 2020-2021 information opportunities can be accessed here.
Information and updates regarding the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) can be accessed at the Important Updates link.
Updated information related to the COVID-19 response can be accessed here.
Texas Educator Preparation Program Weekly Newsletter webpage.
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Practice based preparation resources for virtual field-based experience: Provides model lessons and video of instructional delivery.
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Practice based preparation resources for virtual field-based experience: Provides content neutral pedagogical skill building through observing a model of and practicing the same high leverage skill.
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Full scope and sequence of upcoming edTPA training opportunities.
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We want to make you aware of an opportunity that is being provided by the Center for Transforming Alternative Preparation Pathways (CTAPP) to be a part of their first cohort this spring and discussed at an upcoming informational webinar on March 11th. The webinar will provide an introduction to CTAPP’s Transformation Fellowship to grow ACPs in implementing high-quality programming and support in the preparation of teacher . For more information, see the informational flyer on the CTAPP website.
US PREP seeks new education preparation program partners in Texas-- Join US Prep this week to learn about the opportunity to engage in their next cohort. US Prep has been working since 2015 alongside a coalition of universities to better attract, train, and retain high-quality, racially diverse teachers for underserved communities across the country—and to ensure their candidates are ready to teach effectively.
Join US PREP on March 4th, 2021 from 9:00-10:00 pm CST or March 5th, 2021 from 11:00 – 12:00 pm CST to learn more about their innovative work in educator preparation and the cohort experience. Register here to learn more!
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