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Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter
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Welcome
“We should indeed keep calm in the face of difference and live our lives in a state of inclusion and wonder at the diversity of humanity.” - George Takei
Wonder is my word for June. I always feel that June is the month of new opportunities, to create, and appreciate the uniqueness that each individual brings. America is full of diversity, blending of different cultures, and June is a time to celebrate the difference and provides us some time to intentionally plan for the inclusion of diverse groups. My June challenge to you is to “wonder at the diversity of humanity” and find one way to celebrate humanity’s diversity!
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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.
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New: Secondary ELAR Professional Learning Series: Optional information session
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If you have questions regarding the upcoming secondary elar professional learning series, please join us on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, for a brief overview and an opportunity to ask and answer questions. Please register for this optional meeting here.
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Secondary ELAR Professional Learning Series
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Secondary ELAR learning series [virtual] for teacher educators in Texas to build skills and knowledge to prepare teacher candidates seeking ELAR certification. Please see the program overview and the content below for more information.
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edTPA Handbook and Rubric Deep Dive
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This workshop is intended for faculty, instructors, supervisors, and school partners who support teacher candidates. 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.
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edTPA 101: Orientation to Performance-Based, Subject-Specific Assessment
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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.
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Webinar Series: edTPA Implementation, Support for the Change Process
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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.
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Academic Language in edTPA: Supporting Learning and Language Development
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This workshop is intended for faculty, instructors, supervisors, and school partners who support teacher candidates. In this workshop, a member of the edTPA National Academy (affiliated with a Texas Educator Preparation Program) will provide participants with an overview of academic language and demonstrate how academic language is an integral construct in edTPA through the lens of equitable instructional practices.
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Texas Educator Residency Summit
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6/29: 8:30-4:00 pm 6/30: 8:30- 12:00 pm (Virtual)
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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.
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Resubmission Scores updated in ECOS
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New Introductory Passing Standard
(Below committee recommendation)
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School Counselor Certification
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Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #152
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Trade & Industrial Education 6-12 Certification
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Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #270
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Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #117
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Last day to apply and recommend for certification using #291
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(At committee recommendation)
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Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
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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.
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Option 2: Educator Certification
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Option 3: Fingerprinting
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Option 6: Investigations
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Option 8: General Office Information
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Standard Certificate Recommendation Reminders
As candidates become eligible for standard certification, TEA would like to remind EPPs of the following:
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Candidates must apply and pay for their standard certificate through their TEAL account. Candidates can find the TEAL Login link at the top of the TEA website.
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A passed TExES certification exam does not automatically issue a certificate.
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The EPP is responsible for logging into the Educator Online Certification System (ECOS) and recommending candidates as appropriate.
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TEA does not recommend certificates on behalf of the EPP.
If the EPP allows the candidate to apply for standard certification prior to completing all certification requirements, make sure the candidate knows the standard certification cannot be recommended until all certification requirements are met.
TEA has received an increase in candidate calls and Help Desk tickets checking in on the status of their standard certificate recommendation. TEA is advising candidates to wait for the certificate recommendation from their educator preparation program. Please provide candidates with accurate guidance regarding the standard certification process. If the EPP recommends certifications in a specific timeframe, please share that information with your candidates. If the EPP requires candidates to notify the EPP of the standard certificate application, make sure candidates are aware of that process.
We appreciate your ongoing support with your candidates as they work towards standard certification.
Internship Placements for Candidates Certifying in Special Education
To support candidates who seek to complete an internship in Special Education EC-12, it is important to remember to collaborate with the employing district regarding any content specific certifications that may be needed for the assignment. The employing district should be able to provide specific information regarding the content certificates needed for a Special Education assignment and the EPP can then verify the candidate meets the requirements for the assignment. Districts and EPPs may use the Teacher Assignment Chart found on TEA’s Certification website and the Special Education assignment rules found in 19 TAC §231.701 to determine the appropriate certification(s) for a Special Education assignment.
As the certifying entity, it is the responsibility of the EPP to ensure the internship placement is appropriate. The internship placement must allow the candidate to demonstrate proficiency in the Special Education educator standards.
Thanks for all you do to make sure candidates are placed in appropriate settings for an internship.
Updated: Secondary ELAR Professional Learning Series: Opportunity for Informational Session Next Week
In response to program feedback, from September through November 2022, the TEA and Teaching Works will provide a series of virtual professional learning opportunities for teacher educators in Texas with the following goals:
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Support participants to continue building their own content knowledge for teaching English Language Arts with a focus on the new Texas Research Based Instructional Practices;
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Support participants to continue building their understanding of and skill with teaching high-leverage teaching practices that are required to teach English Language Arts to children; and
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Support participants in building their ability to help teacher candidates develop curriculum literacy, or capability with analyzing and adapting published curriculum materials to meet the needs of students, contexts, and purposes.
Please see the program overview for more information and apply here if interested in participating. As this is a commitment of time and effort, all accepted applicants will receive a course release stipend; please see the above application for details. All applications are due by end of the day on July 1, 2022.
For more information about the learning series, plese join us for a brief overview and opportunity to ask questions on June 14, 2022 from 3:00-4:00 pm. Please register here.
Title II IPRC Reporting: Complete your Title II Report Now!
The Title II website is available for all EPPs to complete their required federal reporting. This reporting is due June 30. Please plan on completing this report as soon as possible to avoid any last-minute issues. Congratulations to the 19 programs which have already certified their report!
To complete your report, go to https://title2.ed.gov/ and select "Submit Reports" in the upper righthand corner of the webpage. 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.
If your EPP has both a traditional and an alternative certification route, you will need to complete both reports. Even if you did not certify any candidates through that route this year, if you have approval from TEA for the route, you must complete the report.
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.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
Updated: Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards Advisory Committee Application
The application for the Bilingual Special Education Educator Standards Advisory Committee is now closed! TEA staff will review applications and recommend committee members to the SBEC for approval at the July 22, 2022 SBEC meeting. Committee members will be notified beginning the week of July 25, 2022.
In each newsletter, we aim to celebrate the great work from EPPs around Texas.
New: For our inaugural Program Spotlight feature, we are so excited to highlight a group of EPPs from around the state who have come together to support and guide candidates seeking their Educational Leadership and Principal certifications through a professional learning community (PLC), the Principal Program Resource Group! The following EPPs are members of the PLC: Angelo State University, Concordia University, Dallas Baptist University, East Texas Baptist University, Houston Baptist University, Lamar University, LeTourneau University, Lubbock Christian University, Mary Hardin-Baylor University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, The University of Texas Permian Basin, The University of Texas at San Antonio, The University of Texas at Tyler, and Wayland Baptist University. This PLC meets monthly to share best practices, resources and professional development opportunities for their candidates, as well as sharing and discussing the most up-to-date information to support their candidates preparing for the PIL and PASL exams. We were inspired to learn about the ways in which this PLC works together to help support the development of school leaders across Texas. Please join us in celebrating these EPPs and thanking them for their leadership! Note: If you are interested in joining this innovative PLC please contact the PLC organizer, Tia Agan at tia.agan@angelo.edu for more information.
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: When should my EPP recommend candidates for standard certification?
A: The EPP should recommend the standard certificate on the date that the last requirement is met. For undergrad and post-bac candidates, this is typically once the degree is conferred. For ACP candidates, this is typically once the internship year is complete (see 19 TAC §230.13).
Q: If a candidate applies for a certification but selects the wrong EPP and/or program type (e.g., alternative instead of university-based), what does the candidate need to do to fix this? The candidate already paid for the application. Are they required to pay again?
A: The candidate is required to complete a new application with the correct information until the candidate gets to the payment screen. The candidate will then submit a Help Desk ticket to TEA’s Certification team requesting a fee transfer from the initial application to the new application. The candidate should allow several business days for the request to be processed and should submit one Help Desk ticket for their certificate fee request. Candidates are not required to pay for the certification again when completing a new application.
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TEA’s guidance: To decrease the amount of fee transfer requests received, EPPs please provide candidates with specific information on the certificate application process, including selecting the correct EPP name and the program type.
Additional updates on initiatives and opportunities from the TEA.
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.
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.
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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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PASL Videos
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TEA
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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.
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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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