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Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter
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Welcome
“We are each other’s harvest; we are each other’s business; we are each other’s magnitude and bond.” - Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for poetry. But she was more than just a poet, she was an activist for change and believed in raising our collective voices to bring about such change. Gwendolyn understood alone, a singular voice could only do so much; however, when we come together and help each other, we can all flourish. The last few years educators have continued to prove their grit and tenacity in the face of adversity. Now is the time to lean on one another for support, show our solidarity as educators, and provide comfort for those that are in need, especially with those universities who have found themselves facing even more adversity this week through the threats to their campuses because of what they represent. Alone we may struggle, but together we can stand strong, be united, and make sure that each one of us is thriving!
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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.
There are no new events at this time.
New Topic: PASL
Action: Spring Registration Closes
Due Date: April 5th, 2022
New Topic: PASL
Action: Task Submission Deadline
Due Date: April 19th, 2022 2 pm ET
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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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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
REMINDER: School Districts Paying Clinical Teachers
Programs and school partners continue to ask if teacher candidates can be paid during their clinical teaching experience. The answer is ‘YES!’ There isn’t a rule in the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) that would prohibit an LEA from paying a teacher candidate during their clinical teaching experience. For example, currently, there are district and EPP partnerships across Texas that are working with technical assistance providers to design and implement strategic staffing models that reallocate underutilized district funds for instructional priorities to support sustainably funded teacher resident wages. These partnerships are committed to providing teacher residents with a paid, high-quality clinical teaching experience. For more information about teacher residency, please contact teateacherresidency@tea.texas.gov.
Teacher Shortage Areas for 2022-2023
The teacher shortage areas for 2022-2023 school year have been approved by the US Department of Education. The approved shortage areas for 2022-2023 are as follows:
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Bilingual/English as a Second Language
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Career and Technical Education (Secondary only)
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Computer Science / Technology Applications
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English Language Arts and Reading
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Mathematics (Secondary only)
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Science (Secondary only)
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Special Education
Teachers with certain types of student loans may qualify for partial loan forgiveness, deferment, or cancellation benefits. Eligibility for these benefits depends on the type of loan the teacher has, the date of their first loan, and whether the teacher serves in a designated low-income school or subject matter teacher shortage area. TEA does not determine an educator’s eligibility for teacher loan forgiveness.
More information is available on the Student Loan Forgiveness for Teachers page. Please note that there are not any required action steps for EPPs related to this announcement.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
ETS Seeking Constructed Response Scorers for PASL
ETS invites school leaders and preparation faculty to participate in the online scoring of the ETS® Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). This is an excellent opportunity for school leaders and preparation program faculty to become more familiar with this certification exam. Professionals who meet the criteria listed on PASL Scoring Job Opportunities are eligible to be scoring professionals (raters) for the assessment.
ELAR 4-8 #217 Exam Launch January 1, 2022
The redesigned ELAR 4-8 #217 exam launched January 1, 2022. The last day for candidates to take the ELAR 4-8 #117 exam was December 31, 2021. The last registration date was December 29, 2021, with score reporting through January 2022. Please see the updated ELAR 4-8 exam one-pager for more information.
Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: If a candidate is observed on 8/31, which academic year does the observation fall under? Our EPP is trying to determine when observations that occur at the end of August should be reported.
A: Observations that occur during 9/1 - 8/31 must be reported during that reporting year. For example, if the observation occurred on 8/31/2022, the EPP would have until 9/15/22 to report that observation since it occurred between 9/1/21 - 8/31/22. Even when the internship/practicum/clinical teaching spans over two reporting years, the EPP must report the observation in the reporting year in which the observation occurs. See page 32 of the ASEP Data Reporting Manual for information about how to report the beginning and end dates that span over two reporting years.
Q: Our EPP is trying to determine subject-specific credit hours for a teacher applicant. Can a course coded Political Science American Government be utilized when calculating subject-specific credit hours for a History 7-12 candidate?
A: When reviewing a transcript, EPPs should rely on the course code listed on the transcript. History courses should have a code of HIS or HIST or something similar. You can also check the course catalogue for more information about the content of the course to make an informed decision. Reference 19 TAC §227.10(a)(4)(A-C) pertaining to required content hours.
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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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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