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Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter
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Welcome
“To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.” – Zen proverb
Hopefully, we have seen the last of winter weather. To me, March brings about the beginnings of spring, freshness, and a renewed hope. However, March can also feel like it brings about madness (and not just in basketball). The feeling of the mid-semester pressure, the crunch time to get things accomplished, candidates may feel the stress of test preparation and interviews all while the world is currently watching chaos ensue. I challenge you to find your calm and explore things that allow you to relax. Something as simple as taking five minutes for deep breathing, doing a nightly walk, having appetizers with a friend, or watching a silly TV show; make sure to set aside time just for you and find that inner peace and keep moving forward. With March comes renewed hope and fresh starts! Welcome to March.
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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.
New Topic: Supporting Candidates during Instruction and edTPA Implementation (Part 3 of a webinar series)
Description: In this webinar series, an edTPA National Academy Member (affiliated with a Texas Educator Preparation Program) will orient participants to the subject-specific, performance-based assessment edTPA; provide examples of best practices to effectively implement edTPA; identify strategies when supporting candidates during instruction and edTPA implementation; and describe methods for using and learning from edTPA evidence.
Event Date: March 10, 2022
Event Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Register here)
New Topic: edTPA 101
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: March 16, 2022
Event Time: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Register here)
New Topic: Evaluating Candidate’s edTPA Performance
Description: In this workshop, a member of the edTPA National Academy (affiliated with a Texas Educator Preparation Program) will provide opportunities for participants to review the edTPA rubrics, introduce a process for identifying and evaluating evidence within an edTPA portfolio, and identify ways in which the performance evaluation process can be used for continuous improvement.
Event Date: (Half Day) March 18, 2022
Event Time: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. (Register here)
New Topic: Equity Features of edTPA
Description: In this webinar, a member of the edTPA National Academy (affiliated with a Texas educator preparation program) and/or representative(s) from a Texas educator preparation program will provide opportunities for participants to examine the equitable instructional practices embedded in the edTPA tasks and rubrics. Furthermore, the session facilitator(s) will provide examples of best practices to help prepare equity-minded candidates.
Event Date: March 24, 2022
Event Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. (Register here)
Topic: PASL
Action: Spring Registration Closes
Due Date: April 5th, 2022
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
New: Title II Reporting Update
With spring on the way, Title II reporting for EPPs is coming. This annual reporting is due April 30 of every year. Typically, by this time of the year, the website at title2.ed.gov has been updated to allow EPPs to begin their reporting. However, the USDE recently changed vendors that support this reporting, and our understanding is that the website is not yet ready for Title II reporting to begin. We appreciate that Texas EPPs are ready and waiting to start reporting, and once we have additional information from the new vendor RTI, we will be sure to share it.
New: 2022 edTPA Virtual Workshops and Webinars
Are you looking to learn more about edTPA and edTPA implementation? We invite you to join the virtual learning opportunities that have been scheduled in partnership with Texas’ edTPA National Academy members. These learning opportunities range from workshops, to edTPA 101s, to implementation support. Please see the Upcoming Events section of this newsletter for more information. NOTE: Additional workshops and webinars are being scheduled for spring and summer 2022, and information about them will be released in next week’s newsletter.
EPP Complaints Process
Did you know that TAC §228.70(b)(1) requires each EPP to have their complaints process on file at TEA? Most EPPs have a process on file with TEA, but some may be outdated. If you’ve updated your EPP’s complaints process recently or plan to update it soon, please remember to send your Education Specialist a copy so that we can update the information in your file.
EPP Contact Information
Does your EPP’s Contact List need updating? If so, please let us know. It's easy to do. Just send an email to your Education Specialist and include the name, phone number, and email address of the faculty/staff member who has recently been added to your EPP or who is no longer with your EPP. By keeping your EPP’s Contact List up to date, your EPP faculty/staff will be sure to receive information, communications, etc. in a timely manner.
Vetted Teacher Residency Program and Vetted Principal Residency Program Vetted List Application Cycles: Coming Soon
Does your EPP have an established Teacher and/or Principal residency program? If so, be on the lookout for a new application cycle for the Vetted Teacher Residency Program or Vetted Principal Residency Program list. Vetted programs are eligible for partnership through TEA supported grant opportunities. See the chart below for more information, and even more information will be coming soon!
Vetted Teacher Residency Program List
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Vetted Principal Residency
Program List
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Current VTRPs are eligible to support TCLAS decision 5 awarded districts
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Application Window: 3/22/22 – 4/12/22
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Communication about Application Status: By 4/30/22
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Application will be annual
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Current VPRPs are eligible providers for district grantees in the Principal Residency Grant. New VPRPs may support 2022-23 Cycle grantees
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Application Window: 4/12/22 – 5/9/22
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Communication about Application Status: By 6/10/22
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Application will be annual
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edTPA Pilot Webpage
We are thrilled to inform you that the Texas edTPA Pilot webpage has launched! Please find the edTPA pilot webpage here, which includes information about the edTPA pilot in Texas for stakeholder groups (EPPs, P-12 partners, and candidates) and will feature regular updates. If you would like to offer suggestions to enhance the edTPA pilot webpage, please feel free to do so via this survey. If you have any questions regarding the edTPA pilot, please contact DeMarco Pitre at demarco.pitre@tea.texas.gov.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
New: PASL resources videos
As you work to help your students prepare for their PASL exam ETS has created two resource videos to help you navigate PASL.
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The first video is a general PASL overview that covers the purpose/creation; PASL content; scoring/reports, score reporting process, and score reporting to candidates and preparation programs.
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The second video is specific toward PASL structure and tasks and explains the structure of the PASL Tasks, provides an overview of each PASL task, and suggests resources for both candidates and educator preparation programs.
We hope that you find these resources beneficial as you navigate PASL with your principal candidates.
NOTE: If you have trouble accessing the videos linked above, please copy and paste the links (see below) in your web browser.
ETS Seeking 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.
DID YOU KNOW?
Representative Examinations are available for purchase on the Pearson website.
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Core Subjects EC-6 (391)
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English Language Arts & Reading 4-8 (217) – Available September 2022
Updates related to Educator Certification
In each newsletter, we aim to celebrate the great work from EPPs around Texas.
New: In this edition's spotlight, Dr. Belinda Flores, the Associate Dean of Professional Preparation & Partnerships and Principal Investigator & Founder of the Academy for Teacher Excellence Research Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s College of Education and Human Development (UTSA COEHD), conveyed the impact of teacher residencies in the current climate, stating, “The emergence of the COVID health pandemic presented new needs for LEAs and exacerbated existing challenge areas such as staffing shortages, teacher retention, the student digital divide, and mental wellness needs. [...] The Signature Teacher Residency program provided opportunities to direct customized support to partner districts and participating mentor teachers.”
Read and learn more about the residency program at UTSA COED here and look for the key resources and hands-on tools that Dr. Flores has so graciously embedded within.
Program Spotlight Nomination Form TEA has created a process to gather information about the wonderful practices, partnerships, and initiatives conducted by EPPs. If you would like to nominate your EPP or another EPP you’ve worked with, please complete and submit the Program Spotlight Nomination Form. If you have any questions, please reach out to your Education Specialist.
Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: Where can I find the EPP curriculum extras requirements?
A: EPPs can find curriculum extras, such as the mental health, substance abuse, and youth suicide requirement in 19 TAC §228.30(c).
Q: How should my EPP handle a candidate admitted to my EPP who is also wanting to go through the out-of-state/country review of credentials process to be certified in Texas?
A: TEA often gets Help Desk tickets from candidates who are trying to complete an EPP and go through the review of credentials process. An educator cannot do both. They must either complete an EPP to be certified in Texas, or if they have the equivalent of a standard certificate in another state or country, they would complete the Review of Credentials Process. If you have a candidate in that situation, please remove them from your system so they can complete the review of credentials process.
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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