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Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter
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Welcome
“Doing [the work] is a non-negotiable, but how you do [the work] can be adjusted.” Dr. Clifton S. Tanabe
Dr. Tanabe, Dean of the College of Education at University of Texas at El Paso, stated this last week while sharing with others about the teacher residency transformation work he has led at UTEP. This quote is power for so many reasons. In education, we ground our work in our shared mission to best serve Texas students, leverage opportunities for continuous improvement daily, and adjust course as needed. What a great reminder as we come to the end of the Fall semester and reflect on what we’ve been able to accomplish so far and what we can adjust moving forward in service of our mission!
Our goal is for this newsletter to serve as a support by compiling 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.
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Event: edTPA 101: Orientation to Performance-Based, Subject-Specific Assessment
Event Description: In this webinar, participants will be provided with an overview of the purpose, development, and design of edTPA. Additionally, participants will examine what candidates provide as evidence for each of the edTPA tasks, engage in a review of the scoring process, and learn how to access key resources.
Event Date: November 17, 2021 Register here
Event Time: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Event: Tools for edTPA Data Analysis
Event Description: In this webinar, a Pearson representative will provide an overview and demonstration of the ResultsAnalyzer® interactive reporting tool for edTPA. ResultsAnalyzer® is the web-based application that allows score reporting contacts the opportunity to review and analyze assessment data.
Event Date: November 18, 2021 Register here
Event Time: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Event: Certificate Correction, Deactivation/Reactivation, and Data Fix Webinar
Event Description: The purpose of this webinar is to review certificate correction, deactivation, reactivation, and data fix processes.
Event Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021 Register Here
Event Time: 10:00 am - 11:00 am CST
Topic: ASEP Technology Fee
Action Item: Submit payment of fee, per invoice
Due Date: November 16, 2021
Topic: Test-Limit Waiver
Action Item: Last date to submit waiver applications for Core Subjects EC-6 (291) & ELAR 4-8 (117) - if applicable for the candidate
Due Date: December 1, 2021
Topic: Last Administration Date for TExES #117 & TExES #291 Exams
Action Item: Share deadline information with candidates and encourage early exam registration.
Due Date: Last administered December 31, 2021
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Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
As an EPP, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
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To view a list of EPPs and their associated Education Specialist, please click here.
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For easiest assistance, file a HelpDesk Ticket.
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
New: ASEP Technology Fee Due
As of today, 11/16/2021, all ASEP Technology fee payments are due to TEA. If your EPP has not yet submitted payment, please do so immediately. Please note that it generally takes TEA accounting 3-7 days to process payments and notify our office.
New: ASEP Status Letters
TEA will be issuing notification letters to inform all EPPs of their recommended accreditation statuses for the 2020-2021 academic year following the State Board of Education meeting this week. As a reminder, the State Board for Educator Certification approved rule changes that would provide a status of “Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster” for all EPPs for 2020-2021. The SBEC also stipulated that if an EPP that previously had a rating other than Accredited would have met the standard for Accredited in 2020-2021, any count of years on a status other than Accredited will be reset, and the EPP will be eligible for commendations this year. More information is available in the Proposed Amendments to Ch. 229 document.
The notification letters will reflect the recommended status of Not Rated: Declared State of Disaster and will provide any relevant information about programs that previously had lowered statuses. Additionally, the letters will contain the report-only ASEP data for the 2020-2021 academic year. The letters will be sent via email to EPP legal authorities, and will be issued late this week or early next week, dependent on Board action.
Upcoming Agency Holidays
TEA will be closed on Wednesday, November 24th through Friday, November 26th for the Thanksgiving holiday. TEA staff will respond to phone calls, emails, and Help Desk tickets submitted on agency holidays once the agency reopens.
TExES 291 – 391 Exam Transition Test Approval Reminder
With the upcoming discontinuation of the TExES #291 Core Subjects EC-6 exam, TEA would like to remind programs to provide candidates with test approval (once test readiness is demonstrated) for candidates who have remaining exam attempts on the #291 exam. TEA is in the process of notifying candidates who have remaining TExES #291 exam attempts but programs can start to notify candidates as well. The TEA email will be sent to the candidate’s email address that is listed in the candidate’s TEAL educator account.
A passing score on the TExES #291 exam can be used for certification purposes until December 30, 2022. TEA advises programs to notify candidates of the exam transition.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Updated: Special Education Exam Framework Public Comment Period through December 10th
Public comments are being requested through December 10, 2021, on the draft Special Education EC-6 Framework, which is based on the new Special Education Certificate Standards recently approved by the State Board for Educator Certification. The framework will help guide the test development process for the new Special Education EC-6 test. Comments may be sent to DeMarco Pitre.
DID YOU KNOW?
Candidates have until November 16, 2021, to register, reschedule, or cancel the PASL assessment. The deadline takes effect at 11:59 p.m. ET on the date indicated.
When possible, we present updates and shared practices from EPPs around Texas. If you have information you would like to share in this space, please reach out to your education specialist.
New: University of Texas at El Paso Listening Tour
UTEP’s teacher preparation program has recently undergone a transformation to implement a teacher residency model, providing teacher candidates with a yearlong clinical teaching experience where the resident works alongside a quality mentor teacher. Teacher candidates benefit from co-teaching with a mentor teacher three days per week and substitute teaching one day per week, allowing the teacher candidate to apply their learning in real time. On November 9th and 10th, the TEA Teacher Residency team had the opportunity to visit UTEP’s teacher residency program alongside several members of the US Prep team, ESC leaders, LEAs, and EPPs who are all striving to implement high-quality, sustainable residencies through innovative staffing. UTEP and their partnering district served as models of strong LEA-EPP partnership in service of building high-quality teacher pipelines. Thank you, UTEP, for sharing your teacher residency program in action with our team!
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Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: If a student had two attempts and failed the 291 Core Subjects: EC-6 exam, then transitioned to the 391 exam, does the attempt on the 391 count as a first attempt, or do the two failed attempts on 291 count towards the candidate’s total attempts on the 391?
A: The 291 and 391 exams are considered two different exams, so a candidate has five attempts on each exam. If a candidate has used two attempts on the 291 exam, and then switches to the 391 exam, the candidate will have five full attempts on the 391 exam.
Q: If an applicant is required to take the TOEFL iBT exam for program admission, can the applicant take the home edition?
A: Yes, 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5) identifies “TOEFL iBT” as the required exam. This allows the applicant to take the TOEFL iBT exam via one of the 3 exam options offered by ETS – in a test center, the home edition, or the paper edition.
Information regarding the Science of Teaching Reading Exam can be accessed at tea.texas.gov/str.
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.
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Lesson Study Gateway Resources
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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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Texas Teach Like a Champion (TLAC)
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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.
Texas TLAC One Pager for EPPs
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Full scope and sequence of upcoming edTPA training opportunities.
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The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.
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