Welcome
This newsletter compiles the most up-to-date information concerning what EPPs need to know to best support their faculty/instructors, staff, and candidates. Please thoroughly read all the sections for reminders, upcoming events, To Dos, and FAQs.
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Educator Preparation Program Listserv Registration
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Reminder: 257 Health EC-12, 258 Physical Education EC-12, and 331 ELAR 7-12 Framework Overview and CRI Deep Dive Webinar Follow Up
A big Thank You to those who joined the Framework Overview and CRI Deep Dive webinars earlier this month for three exams launching in September 2024: 257 Health EC-12, 258 Physical Education EC-12, and 331 ELAR 7-12. As a follow up to those sessions, webinar recordings and related materials and resources will be posted to the TEA Educator Testing page beginning the week of August 19th, 2024. Communication will be sent directly to session registrants and direct links will be provided in the weekly newsletter. Exam one pagers for each exam can be found here.
Updates related to Education Preparation and Certification
New: ASEP Reporting Webinar
Thank you to our EPPs for your participation in the 2023-2024 ASEP Reporting webinar on 8/6/2024! We appreciate your attendance. As soon as the presentation is ready for publishing, it will be posted on the Program Provider Resources page under EPP Training Events and Materials. The FAQ from the webinar will also be posted soon.
Reminder: New EPPs in Texas
TEA welcomes the two newest EPPs, Andrews ISD and Katy ISD. Both were approved to operate in Texas at the July 19, 2024, SBEC Meeting.
Countdown to ASEP Reporting 2023-2024
To assist EPPs with completing ASEP Reporting with ease, we have developed weekly reminders for those EPP staff working on ASEP Reporting. Each week, you will receive weekly reminders in this Newsletter that include timely tasks that will lead to successful completion of data reporting by September 15. Please remember that the Technical Manual published on the Program Provider Resources page on the TEA website is a wonderful “how to” resource for using the various functions needed for reporting in ECOS and contains some useful tips for problem solving, if needed.
New: Week 4 ASEP Task Reminders 8/5-9/2024: Update the Finisher Records List.
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Verify that all 2023-2024 finishers are correctly listed on the Finisher Record List (FRL) with a status of “Finisher” (F). If a finisher is on the FRL for certificate categories they are not finishing, you must remove those certificate categories from the list for the candidate.
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If candidates left your EPP without finishing requirements during the year 2023-2024, be sure that you have removed them from your Finisher Records List (and that you have removed their test approvals). You must update the record to “removed” in this reporting year. Once ASEP closes, you will not be able to make any changes to the FRL.
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Additionally, remember to review the candidates from your mid-year data set that have been enrolled for five or more years and remove any from your 2023-2024 list that are no longer actively enrolled. This data was provided to you in your Sharefile folder in April 2024. Note: Candidates that are removed will need to apply and be admitted if they want to work with the EPP in future.
Reminder: Week 3 ASEP Task 7/29-8/2/2024
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Each candidate admitted between 9/1/2023 and August 31, 2024 must have an admission record that is complete and correct by 9/15/2024.
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Verify that each candidate admitted in 9/1/2023-8/31/2024 has an accurate admission record. Verify all required admission data has been included in the record. If you need to update a record, you can do so manually or by bulk upload. Instructions are included in the Technical Manual located on the Program Provider Resources page of the TEA website.
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EPPs can view their admissions in ECOS. Also, you can download admission data from ECOS into a spreadsheet to help verify the admission data that has been reported to date.
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Remember: Admission records for candidates admitted in 2023-2024 cannot be created after 8/31/2024 except for candidates admitted in the last week of August. Admission records for candidates with admission dates in the last week of August can be entered until ECOS until 2023-2024 ASEP locks on 9/15/2024. Be sure to review the 2023-2024 Technical Manual in the Forms and Documents section on the Program Provider Resources page. This is a helpful resource as it provides step by step instructions for completing admission reporting.
Reminder: Week 2 ASEP Task 7/22-26, 2024
- Ensure that TEA has your updated EPP Contact Information.
- Each EPP should have one Legal Authority, or for an EPP at a school district or Education Service Center, a Primary Contact, and at least one Backup Legal Authority. If you have recently had a change in these staff, please contact your Education Specialist assigned and we will send you the template so you can request the changes to be made.
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Each EPP must have a Primary Title II Pearson and Title II IPRC contact and should have a Secondary contact for each, if possible. Ensure TEA has these current contacts. The following organizations must also have current contact information for your Title II contacts: es-titleii@pearson.com and Title2@trewon.com
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Make sure that the following contacts are correct (your assigned TEA specialist can provide you a list of contacts that we have on file for your EPP):
- The staff that manages your data.
- Your LBB contact if you are a college or university.
To verify and/or update contacts with TEA, please contact your Education Specialist.
Reminder: Week 1 ASEP Task 7/15-19/2024:
1. Know your assigned Education Specialist. This is the TEA staff member that you will need to reach out to when you have questions about ASEP Reporting. The EPP specialist assignment list is published on the Program Provider Resources page under Forms and Documents.
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Your Education Specialist is one of four staff members or the Director of Preparation Program Management:
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Vanessa Alba
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Rebecca Bunting
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Irene Chacon
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Keena Sandlin
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Lorrie Ayers, Director
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2. Become familiar with the Help Desk which EPPs should use for all questions related to ASEP Reporting. Your Education Specialist will address your EPP’s questions in the Help Desk. We are in the Help Desk under the Educator Testing and Preparation Programs tile. |
3. Review the 2023-2024 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page. It is located under Forms and Documents. This is a helpful resource as it provides useful information needed to complete ASEP Reporting.
4. Review your ASEP reporting processes from 2022-2023. We recommend that you review internal documents, correspondence with your Education Specialist, and any place where you encountered difficulties. Particularly if your EPP encountered challenges with Observation reporting or were subject to an informal review, we encourage you to review your processes and reach out to your Education Specialist assigned early and proactively for support.
5. Register for the ASEP Reporting 2023-2024 webinar on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, at 10:30-11:30 AM CST. The webinar will provide useful information and reminders about state reporting processes and tips to improve the reporting experience. Please find the link in the Upcoming Events section above.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: How do I remove a certificate category for a candidate that is not enrolled or did not finish the program in a certificate category?
A: To remove a certificate category for a candidate because they were not enrolled, did not test, did not complete the clinical experience, or did not finish the program in a category, go to ASEP>Student Search and enter the TEA ID or SSN for the candidate. The candidate will appear on the Student Maintenance screen. All certificate categories for which the candidate is enrolled will appear. If one needs to be removed, toggle the current year to “Remove” and click the green Save button to remove the certificate category that is not needed. You can only make changes for the current year.
Q: How can I access the Mid-Year Data Sets for candidates who have been enrolled for more than five years and what do I need to do with that information?
A: The Mid-Year Data Sets were added to a Sharefile for each EPP. Your EPP’s Legal Authority has access to the Sharefile and can provide the data to EPP team members as needed. If a candidate has been enrolled for more than five years and is not actively pursuing certification, you will want to remove the candidate from your finisher records list (FRL). Be sure to inform the candidate and provide a transfer form to use as needed.
Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
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As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
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View a list of EPPs and their assigned Education Specialist.
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For most efficient assistance, please submit a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs.
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EPPs may contact their assigned Education Specialist directly via phone or email.
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Candidates may call (512) 936-8400 and select Option #2: Educator Preparation and Certification for assistance.
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Updated: If EPPs (and candidates) would like to speak to a representative from another area(s), they may call (512) 936-8400 and select one of the options listed below.
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Option 2: Educator Preparation and Certification
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Option 3: Fingerprinting
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Option 6: Investigations
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