May 17, 2022: Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter

View as a webpage

Texas Education Agency

May 17, 2022

Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter

Three young students on the floor, sharing a book called Ovals, from Donna ISD

Welcome

“Nothing splendid was ever created in cold blood. Heat is required to forge anything. Every great accomplishment is the story of a flaming heart.” - Arnold H. Glasow 

The good news is that several accomplishments must be on the horizon because Texas has truly heated up this month. This quote serves as a great reminder to keep the passion. Each of us ventured into education for different reasons, but I would assume that we each had a burning desire to educate the future. Teaching is a calling, and one that is not always easy. Stay the course, and when you feel the fire start to dull, find something that will continue to keep it burning! 


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

Topic 

Description 

Event Date & Time

edTPA Implementation Series Part 3: Supporting Candidates during Instruction and Implementation  

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 implementation; and describe methods for using and learning from edTPA evidence. 

5/19/22 

3:30-4:30 P.M. 

edTPA Implementation Series Part 4: Learning from edTPA 

5/26/22 

3:30-4:30 P.M. 

edTPA Handbook and Rubric Deep Dive 

 

In this workshop, a member of the edTPA National Academy (affiliated with a Texas Educator Preparation Program) will guide participants through a close examination of the edTPA tasks and rubrics, providing a deeper dive into what candidates are asked to think about, do, and write for each task as well as how candidate portfolios will be evaluated.  Additionally, several instrumental resources will be shared along with best practices from successful implementation. Furthermore, this session will provide guidelines and best practices for supporting candidates as they prepare for edTPA within participants’ program context.

5/18/22 

9 A.M- 3 P.M. 

edTPA 101: Orientation to Performance-Based, Subject-Specific Assessment 

This webinar is for faculty, instructors, supervisors, and P-12 partners who support teacher candidates and are new to edTPA. In this edTPA 101 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.

5/18/22 

3-4 P.M. 

Tools for edTPA Data Analysis: edReports and Results Analyzer 101 

This webinar is intended for edTPA Coordinators and edTPA Score Reporting Contacts. In this webinar, a Pearson representative will provide an overview and demonstration of Education Reports (edReports) and ResultsAnalyzer®(RA). Note: RA is an interactive reporting tool to review and analyze performance-assessment data. 

5/19/22 

3-4 P.M. 

 

Texas Educator Residency Summit  

Save the date! The inaugural Texas Educator Residency Summit will be held this summer! Please join Texas Educator Preparation Programs, LEAs, and other experts in the Residency Field to learn & network. Register here for the Texas Educator Residency Summit..  

6/29/22: 8:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. 

6/30/22: 8:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.

(Virtual) 

 

Additional edTPA Workshops and Webinars: To find information about the workshops and webinars that will be offered between June and July 2022, please see Spring and Summer 2022 edTPA Virtual Workshops and Webinars. Please note: 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. 

 


Upcoming Deadlines

Topic   

Action Item   

Due Date   

PASL 

Scores updated in ECOS 

May 18, 2022 

PASL 

Resubmission Scores updated in ECOS 

June 29, 2022 

Title II IPRC 

Complete annual Title II IPRC Reporting at https://title2.ed.gov/ 

June 30, 2022 

ELAR 4-8 #217 

New Introductory Passing Standard  

(Below committee recommendation) 

September 2, 2022 

School Counselor Certification 

Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #152 

September 6, 2022 

Trade & Industrial Education 6-12 Certification 

Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #270 

September 6, 2022 

ELAR 4-8 Certification 

Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #117 

October 30, 2022 

Core Subjects EC-6 

Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #291 

December 30, 2022 

LOTE Spanish #613 

New Passing Standard 

January 9, 2023 

ELAR 4-8 #217 

New Passing Standard 

(At committee recommendation) 

September 1, 2023 


Table Of Contents

EPP Points of Contact

Your best source for information and support at the TEA.   

As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.   

  • Or, EPPs (and candidates) may call (512) 936-8400 and select Option #5: Educator Preparation Programs. If an Education Specialist is not available to answer the call at that time, please leave a voicemail. An Education Specialist will promptly return the call.  

If EPPs (and candidates) would like to speak to a representative from another area(s), they may submit a Help Desk Ticket or contact (512) 936-8400 and select one of the options listed below. 

  • Option 2: Educator Certification  
  • Option 3: Fingerprinting  
  • Option 6: Investigations 
  • Option 8: General Office Information 

The Teal Account Access team and Educator Testing team are available through the Help Desk. Links to both teams are below. 

Educator Preparation Program Support

New: End-of-Semester Reminders 
As the academic year is wrapping up and candidates are completing their clinical teaching, internship, or practicum requirements, it is a great time to engage in some record-keeping. Listed below are some end-of-semester reminders that can be completed now. 

  • Collect and retain the recommendations of a successful clinical experience from the field supervisor and appropriate campus personnel. 
  • Update the Finisher Records List with candidate status. 
  • Upload observations for each candidate. 
  • Ensure an admission record was created for each candidate. 
  • Remind candidates about expiring exams and encourage them to work to achieve certification prior to the identified deadline(s). Please see the newsletter section, Upcoming Deadlines, that includes the last day to apply and recommend candidates for exams that will soon expire. 

Vetted Teacher Residency Program List: 2022 Approved Programs 
Congratulations to all programs who have been newly approved to the Texas Vetted Teacher Residency Program List for 2022! These programs are now eligible partners for districts seeking additional EPP partners for existing state grant opportunities aimed at building sustainable teacher residencies.  

Title II IPRC Reporting portal now open 
The Title II website is now available for all EPPs to complete their required federal reporting. All EPP Title II representatives should have received notification via email. If your EPP’s Title II reporting lead did not receive an email, please reach out to title2@rti.org 

To begin, please log in to the system. Go to https://title2.ed.gov/ and select "Submit Reports" in the upper righthand corner of the webpage. Your username and password remain the same. To recover a username or password, select "Forgot your username or password?" and enter your email. To add a user, email title2@rti.org with Name, Title, Institution, Phone, and Email. 

For support in completing this report, please visit https://title2.ed.gov/Public/TA.aspx for links to a Glossary of Key Terms and Reporting Requirements. A new user manual will be added soon. Instructions are included in the reporting instrument. If you have specific questions, please email title2@rti.org. 

This reporting is due June 30. As a reminder, TEA does not provide technical support for this required federal reporting. We do, however, monitor EPP completion to ensure that all EPPs are in compliance with this requirement. 

Employment Data is Now Available 
Based on requests from the field, TEA is now making data sets available to EPPs that contain five years of employment data for finishers. This data was first made available last year, and we have updated it with the new 2021-2022 employment data. These data sets include TEA IDs, LEA of employment, Campus, Course Assignments, Population Served, and Pay. If your EPP wants to receive these data sets, please file a Help Desk Ticket requesting the Employment Data sets for your EPP. We will then send them securely via email. 

In the future this information will be reported through our Insight to Impact Dashboards. However, while those dashboards are still in development, we are making this data available to EPPs. 

Educator Standards and Testing

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing   

New Passing Standards for School Counselor and PPR for Trade & Industrial Education 
The School Counselor (252) and PPR for T&I (370) exam introductory period ended on May 2, 2022. Adopted passing standards are found in Chapter 151. Commissioner's Rules Concerning Passing Standards for Educator Certification Examinations. 

DID YOU KNOW? 
The Teacher Certification Redesign page includes information about content assessments that will be updated. Information will be provided on this page regarding last operational and certificate submission dates. Any amendments will be made on the site. We encourage you to share the one-pager or FAQ documents with your candidates who may be impacted by exam transitions.  

 

Updates about SBEC, Rules, and Legislation

Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.   

Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards Advisory Committee Application  
At the April 29, 2022 SBEC meeting, the SBEC approved TEA staff to establish an Educator Standards Advisory Committee for the Bilingual Special Education certificate area in response to HB 2256, which requires the implementation of a new Bilingual Special Education educator certificate. This new certification area would ensure that there are teachers with special training in providing instruction to students of limited English proficiency with disabilities.  

The Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards Advisory Committee (BSE-ESAC) will: 

  • Develop educator standards aligned with statute 
  • Advise on issues related to the certificate area more broadly 

TEA staff is seeking committee member applications from the SBEC, professional organizations, educator preparation programs, teacher organizations, and other key stakeholders to ensure the selection represents a diverse group of highly qualified educators. The application submission period begins on May 2, 2022 and ends June 1, 2022.  

The application for the Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards Advisory Committee can be accessed by selecting the link- https://forms.office.com/r/gFisJFqbFN. All applications should be submitted via the application link on or before the June 1, 2022 deadline.  

*TEA staff will review applications, identify between 8-12 committee members, and recommend committee members to the SBEC for approval at the July 22, 2022 SBEC meeting. 

 

Program Spotlight

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

Program Spotlight Nomination Form 
Thank you to the individuals who have submitted the Program Spotlight Nomination Form to celebrate high-quality educator preparation work. Beginning in summer 2022, we plan on recognizing nominated EPPs that exemplify best practices, strategic partnerships, and initiatives that enrich and support candidate development and P-12 student learning.  

 

FAQs

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

Q: I did not create an admission record for a candidate admitted in 2021-2022 year and only put the candidate in Test Approval. What do I do to correct this? 
A: You will first need to go to Test Approval / Search/Maintain Candidates and enter the candidate’s TEA ID to locate the candidate. Go to the live link for the certificate and select the link. You will see the exam and can toggle it to “Remove” in Approval Status and click save. Then, you will need to create an Admission Record for the candidate. The 2021-2022 EPP Data Reporting Manual contains information on page 22 about how to create an admission record for one candidate, and it also includes information on how to upload several candidates as admitted on subsequent pages. The manual is located on the Program Provider Resources page under Forms and Documents. 

 

Q: Our candidate is completing an internship and has 2 weeks remaining in the school year and all observations are complete. Can we recommend the candidate’s Standard certificate now?
A: No, the Standard certificate must not be recommended until the date the last requirement was met. After the candidate completes the final 2 weeks of the “full school year” internship, and if all other requirements are complete including the recommendations from the field supervisor and campus supervisor, then the candidate will qualify for Standard certification and the Standard certificate may be recommended. 

 

TEA Updates

Additional updates on initiatives and opportunities from the TEA.  

Texas Ed Residency Summit

Save the Date: Texas Educator Residency Summit: June 29- June 30 
Please join us for the first ever Texas Educator Residency Summit! During the Summit, you will have the opportunity to learn from local partnerships and other experts in the field about residency practices that not only prepare our Texas teachers with the tools they need but also support local teacher pipeline development. All EPPs and school partners are welcome and encouraged to attend. Whether you are planning for the next phase of scaling your residency implementation or looking to get started, there will be opportunities to learn for all. The Summit will be held virtually from June 29 – June 30. Register here for the Texas Educator Residency Summit. 

TEA is Hiring – Senior Analyst for Instructional Support 
The Educator Data, Research, and Strategy division is hiring a new Senior Data Analyst. This role will lead the team doing program evaluation and other analytical work to support the Instructional Support department. This department houses several initiatives, including: 

This is a great career opportunity for folks who have a rich understanding of K-12 education policy and practices, solid analytical and technical skills, and skills in supporting and leading a team. 

The position posting is here: https://bit.ly/3MDwMCY  

Teacher Vacancy Task Force 
TEA established the Teacher Vacancy Task Force to address ongoing staffing concerns that have been exacerbated by both population growth and the wide-ranging disruptions of a two-year-long pandemic. The Teacher Vacancy Task Force is working to find teacher-shaped solutions to these challenges, blending a variety of perspectives and experiences from current classroom teachers and school administrators into thoughtful policy recommendations and an innovative way forward that firmly supports the needs of our teachers. For more information, please go to Teacher Vacancy Task Force Overview 

Resources at a Glance

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   

PASL 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.   

PASL Video One: https://vimeo.com/user127014634/download/669946029/6aa375f585 

TEA Dyslexia Training 

TEALearn has a new dyslexia training, TEA Dyslexia, that has been made available (at no cost) to candidates who are seeking an initial certification for all certification classes. Information about the training and how to enroll can be found on the TEA Learn platform. NOTE: For candidates who have not yet been issued an intern, probationary, or standard certificate, please follow the steps noted on the webpage, Dyslexia Requirements for Educator Preparation Programs, to enroll in the course.   

If you have any questions or need assistance accessing TEA Dyslexia, please contact specialeducation@tea.texas.gov or submit a TEALearn Help Desk ticket. 

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.  

Back to top

Click here to subscribe to this newsletter.