 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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Topic
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Description
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Event Date & Time
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The 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 Framework Overview Webinar will guide programs through an overview of the updated Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 exam framework, closely examine shifts to the exam format, requirements, and timeline, and provide programs an opportunity to exchange resources and discuss course/curriculum problems of practice.
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Thursday,
October 31, 2024
1:30-4:30 pm CST
via Zoom
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The 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 Framework Overview and Application Process Webinar will guide programs through an overview of the updated Special Education Specialist EC-12 exam framework, closely examine program application requirements and timeline, and provide programs an opportunity to exchange resources and discuss course/curriculum problems of practice. TEA staff will facilitate this webinar several times throughout the Fall semester. Programs are encouraged to attend the webinar that best suits their availability.
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Friday,
November 22, 2024
9:00-11:30 am CST
via Zoom
Wednesday,
December 11, 2024
2:30-5:00 pm CST
via Zoom
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
New: Principal Survey and Evaluation of Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) by Teachers Scored Rosters
The Principal Survey and Evaluation of Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) by Teachers scored rosters will be distributed via ShareFile to each EPP Legal Authority or Point of Contact on October 31, 2024. These rosters, distributed annually, include scored data gathered from the Principal Survey and Evaluation of EPPs by Teachers, administered during the academic year 2023-2024, as part of the Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP). We provide this data to EPPs for informational purposes only.
We will also send a notification to Backup Legal Authorities and Certification Officers to the extent that they are listed in our Contact List. If your EPP has a staff member who needs to review the data, they will need to reach out to the EPP Legal Authority or Point of Contact who has access to ShareFile.
New: Residency Fields for EPPs in ECOS for Entities
As a reminder, when creating a Clinical Experience Record (CER) for candidates completing clinical teaching, please do not use the Clinical Experience Model option “750 hours (SBEC Approved Residency)”. This model is for use only by EPPs that are approved for a Residency by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). At this time, no EPPs have been approved by the SBEC for a residency model. EPPs will be notified if they are approved by the SBEC, and only following that approval will they use the clinical experience model option. The first time the SBEC will consider Residency programs for approval is at the December 2024 meeting.
The Residency route is being introduced into the ECOS Entities screens in several IT releases. In the coming months, you will begin to see options such as “Upload Performance Gates” and “Performance Gates Records”, under the ASEP tab. EPPs should only use the Residency options if they have an SBEC-approved Residency program. You will find more information about offering an SBEC-approved Residency on the Program Provider Resources page on the TEA website.
Reminder: ECOS Entities Field Supervisor Database Under Repair
Currently, there is a glitch in ECOS for Entities that prevents manual addition or editing of Field Supervisors. The issue is known and is currently being fixed. For now, the workaround is to use the upload feature with a csv file. You can find a step-by-step guide for how to upload Field Supervisors on the Program Provider Resources page.
Reminder: Two New Trainings Posted on the Program Provider Resources Page
There are two new recorded webinars and their associated PDFs posted on the Program Provider Resources page under Forms and Documents. They are “Requesting Legal Authority & Primary Approver Access for EPPs” and “Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) for Entities Access for EPPs”. If you have new staff who need access as TEAL Approvers or who need ECOS for Entities access for your entity, these presentations will be helpful.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Reminder: Special Education Specialist EC-12 (186) Exam Framework Update and Exam One Pager To better align with current terminology utilized by practitioners in the field, minor edits have been made to the 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 exam framework. Both a redline version and an updated final version of the 186 Special Education Specialist exam framework can be found on the Educator Testing site. Additional important information for the exam can be found on the new exam one-pager linked here: 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12.
Reminder: 185 Deafblind EC-12 Exam One Pager
The new 185 Deafblind EC-12 exam will launch in September 2025. Please find important information for the new exam in the one-pager linked here: 185 Deafblind EC-12.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: Should our EPP refer candidates to the TEA Help Desk to be admitted to our EPP?
A: No. TEA has noticed an increased volume of candidates being referred by their EPP to the Help Desk for admissions assistance, mostly because the educator either has a reprimand or an investigation in their TEAL account. If an educator needs assistance with admission and has questions about their status with TEA, the EPP should refer the educator to the Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation FAQs that are found on the TEA website.
Q: What is the EPP’s responsibility as it pertains to preliminary criminal history background checks?
A: The EPP is responsible for notifying applicants and candidates that they must undergo a preliminary criminal history background check prior to employment as an educator or prior to clinical teaching. The EPP must also notify each applicant to and enrollee in the EPP in writing (by mail, fax, email, or electronic communication) of the following, regardless of whether they have been convicted of an offense:
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The potential ineligibility of an individual who has been convicted of an offense for issuance of a certificate on completion of the EPP, the SBEC rules relating to eligibility of persons with a criminal history for certification, and
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The right to request a criminal history evaluation letter.
If the EPP fails to notify applicants and candidates, the EPP will be required to refund any tuition paid by the individual and pay to the individual any application and exam fees paid by the individual. Reference 19 TAC §227.1(d)-(e).
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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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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