March 8, 2022: Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter

Texas Education Agency sent this bulletin at 03/08/2022 03:21 PM CST

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Texas Education Agency

March 8, 2022

Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter
Three young students on the floor, sharing a book called Ovals, from Donna ISD

Welcome

March 8th Intro

“Keep calm and spring forward” 

This is your reminder that we spring forward on Sunday, March 13. Although we “lose” an hour of sleep, take this as an opportunity to get a jumpstart on spring projects, spring cleaning and a renewed sense of a fresh beginning. Gone (hopefully) are the chilly winter winds; now warmer weather comes, flowers bloom, and the start of graduation season! Spring is when you see the fruits of your winter labor pay off and a new season of hope blossoms. May the demanding work of the last few months bring you joy!

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.   

If you are not currently subscribed to the newsletter, please sign up at the link below.   
Educator Preparation Program Listserv Registration  

Upcoming Events

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) 

Upcoming Deadlines

Topic: Vetted Teacher Residency Program Application
Action: Open Application, not required.
Due Date: March 22, 2022- April 12, 2022

Topic: PASL
Action: Spring Registration Closes 
Due Date: April 5, 2022

Topic: Vetted Principal Residency Program Application
Action: Open Application, not required.
Due Date: April 12, 2022- May 9, 2022

Topic: PASL
Action: Task Submission Deadline
Due Date: April 19, 2022 2 pm ET

New Topic: School Counselor Certification
Action: Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #152.
Due Date: September 6, 2022

New Topic: Trade & Industrial Education 6-12 Certification
Action: Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #270.
Due Date: September 6, 2022

New Topic: ELAR 4-8 Certification
Action: Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #117.
Due Date: October 30, 2022

Table Of Contents

EPP Points of Contact

Your best source for information and support at the TEA.   

As an EPP, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.   

Educator Preparation Program Support

Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management

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.  

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.  

 

Educator Standards and Testing

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing   

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.  

  • New: Additional workshops and webinars have been scheduled for spring and summer 2022. Information about the workshops and webinars (e.g., date, time, how to join) can be found in the flyer Spring and Summer 2022 edTPA Virtual Workshops and Webinars. Please note that when you access the flyer, you will want to save the flyer locally (rather than open in Google docs) in order to select the registration links.  

Updated: PASL resources videos  
ETS and TEA have worked together to create instructional videos to orient faculty, staff, and candidates to the requirements of the PASL test. Video one provides a general overview of PASL, its content, and scoring/reporting procedures. Video two provides a more in-depth overview of the tasks associated with the assessment. Full requirements, descriptions, and resources may be found in the PASL Candidate and Educator handbook.   

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.    

Approved Exam Framework Posted – Deafblind EC-12 #185 
The development of certification exams is based on the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) approved certification standards for each field. Recently approved exam frameworks are posted on the New Educator Standards and Test Frameworks website.  

DID YOU KNOW?  
Representative Examinations are available for purchase on the Pearson website.   

  • Core Subjects EC-6 (391) 
  • English Language Arts & Reading 4-8 (217) – Available September 2022 

Information about Representative Examinations is available on the program website at http://www.tx.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_AssessingCandidatesReadiness.html. To order a Representative Examination, authorized representatives from SBEC-approved educator preparation programs (EPPs) can send a request for an order form to estestvoucher@pearson.com. 

 

Program Spotlight

In each newsletter, we aim to celebrate the great work from EPPs around Texas.

New: In this week’s newsletter, we would like to highlight and congratulate the EPPs who were recently recognized for the 2020-2021 Educator Preparation Program Commendations for Category 1, Rigorous and Robust Preparation. The EPPs who were recognized for Commendations in Category 1 performed above and beyond on exam pass rates. Please join us in congratulating each of these EPPs! 

Category 1 Commendations

In the following weeks’ newsletters, we will highlight and congratulate EPPs who received commendations for the other three categories: Category 2, Preparing the Educators Texas Needs;  Category 3, Preparing Educators for Long Term Success; and Category 4, Innovative Educator Preparation. The full list of EPPs who were recognized for each category can be found on 2020-21 Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Commendations | Texas Education Agency.  

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. 

 

FAQs

Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.  

Q: Where can I find the certification exam chart that identifies the last recommendation date for exams that are being replaced? 
A: EPPs can find the exam transition deadlines, last recommendation date, and required exams for Texas certification in the Required Texas Certification Test Chart. The test chart can be found on TEA’s Educator Testing webpage.

 

TEA Updates

Additional updates on initiatives and opportunities from the TEA.  

New: Opportunity: Center for Transforming Alterative Preparation Pathways (CTAPP) Fellowship for ACP Transformation  
In Summer 2022, CTAPP at Dallas College School of Education will select up to three new educator preparation programs across Texas through a competitive application process for a $150,000 grant. As partners for the three-year Transformation Fellowship, EPPs will receive grant funding as well as technical assistance to improve, scale, and sustain novice teacher preparation for their respective ACPs. 

CTAPP’s Summer 2022 Cohort emphasizes extended clinical practice for novice teacher candidates (year-long residency or enhanced student teaching for candidates) prior to serving as teacher of record.  CTAPP strives to impact EPPs that serve historically marginalized PK-12 students and their communities.  

Applications for the fellowship are due April 19, 2022. Please see the flyer for more information about this opportunity.  

 

For More Information...

Information regarding educator certification testing can be accessed at the Texas Educator Certification Exam website.   

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.   

To view previous editions of the weekly newsletter, please see the Texas Educator Preparation Program Weekly Newsletter webpage.  

Lesson Study Gateway Resources  

Practice based preparation resources for virtual field-based experience: Provides model lessons and video of instructional delivery.  

Texas Teach Like a Champion (TLAC)

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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