 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
Topic
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Description
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Event Date & Time
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Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Standards EPP Orientation
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This 90-minute session will provide an overview of the recently adopted Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Standards, implementation timelines, and information on how this set of standards aligns with standards for practicing teachers and T-TESS. Questions raised during the session will be used to build an FAQ. Finally, this will serve as the launch of the EPP Standards Learning Series—monthly sessions to support implementation through deep dives and discussion of concepts embedded in the standards.
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3:00–4:30 PM CT, via Zoom
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186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 Constructed Response Item Deep Dive Webinar and Work Session
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The 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 CRI Deep Dive Webinar and Work Sessions will provide programs an overview of the constructed response item, including the CRI prompt and exhibits candidates can expect to engage with on the exam. Programs will also have an opportunity to work in collaborative groups to review sample CRI responses, share best practices for candidate success on the constructed response item, and discuss curriculum updates. These two identical sessions will be highly interactive! Attending and/or viewing the 186 Preparation Manual Overview webinar prior to work session attendance is strongly encouraged.
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Option 1:
Monday, May 5, 2025
2:00-4:00 pm CT, via Zoom
Register Here
Option 2:
Monday, June 16, 2025
9:00-11:00 pm CT, via Zoom
Register Here
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Certification Officer Training
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The in-person Certification Officer Training will be conducted in one full-day session.
The in-person training is limited to 35 participants.
In this training, we will cover essential aspects of certification officer responsibilities, including admissions processes, clinical experiences, candidate observations, test approvals, compliance protocols, data reporting, and resources & contacts available through TEA.
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William B. Travis Building, 1701 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
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Certification Officer Training
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The online Certification Officer Training will be conducted in one full-day session. In this training, we will cover essential aspects of certification officer responsibilities, including admissions processes, clinical experiences, candidate observations, test approvals, compliance protocols, data reporting, and resources & contacts available through TEA.
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Virtual Training
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
New: ASEP Reporting Mid-Year Data Check-Ins
All Legal Authorities and Primary Point of Contacts have now had access to your mid-year data for a few weeks and have had time to review the data. Education Specialists will soon be contacting some EPPs to schedule meetings to discuss your data. The purpose of the check-ins is to discuss five-year enrollment data for candidates that appear to be inactive, pass rates for PPR & content exams, and observation data, as applicable. If you have not yet had an opportunity to review it or are not sure that you understand it, we are happy to assist you. If you are not contacted, but would like to meet with your Education Specialist, please contact them directly to schedule a meeting.
New: Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Standards EPP Orientation
Representatives from Educator Preparation Programs are invited to join us for an orientation to the recently adopted Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Standards. This 90-minute session will provide an overview of the standards, implementation timelines, and information on how this set of standards aligns with standards for practicing teachers and T-TESS. Questions raised during the session will be used to build an FAQ. Finally, this will serve as the launch of the EPP Standards Learning Series—monthly sessions to support implementation through deep dives and discussion of concepts embedded in the standards.
Reminder: Certification Officer Training 2025
We are pleased to offer Certification Officer Training in two flexible formats: in-person and online. The in-person training on Monday, June 2, 2025, will be conducted in one full-day session, and registration is limited to 35 participants. The online training on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Room G-100C, will also be conducted in one full-day session, and there is no limit on participants.
In this training, we will cover essential aspects of common Certification Officer responsibilities, including admissions processes, creating records in ECOS (e.g. admissions, clinical experiences, test approval, observations, etc.), data reporting, compliance protocols, and resources & contacts available through TEA. This training will be helpful for New Certification Officers, but we know those who are experienced may also want a refresher, so all are welcome to attend. Please use the registration links above in the Newsletter Upcoming Events to register for the option that meets your needs.
Reminder: Title II Reporting DUE APRIL 30
The Title II website is available for all EPPs to complete their required federal reporting. 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. Instructions are included in the reporting instrument. If you have specific questions, please email title2@trewon.com.
This reporting is due April 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
New: 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 Preparation Manual Overview Webinar Recording Now Available
Thank you again to those programs who joined the 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 Preparation Manual Overview webinar in March. A recorded version of the webinar is now available and can be found here.
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
the enhanced
Updates related to agency initiatives and opportunities
New: Acknowledgment of CAR Pilot Participants
The TEA extends its sincere appreciation to the EPPs that voluntarily participated in the redesigned Continuing Approval Review (CAR) pilot in lieu of the traditional review: Dallas ISD, ESC 5, West Texas A&M University, Texas State University, and Texas Wesleyan University. Their participation provided valuable feedback and insights that have played a crucial role in refining the CAR process to better support educators and educational institutions statewide. TEA is deeply grateful for their dedication to this work and their steadfast commitment to developing high-quality teachers for the benefit of Texas students.
Reminder: Interest Form for Potential Texas CAR Reviewers
TPI–US, under the direction of TEA and SBEC, is currently redesigning the five-year continuing approval review (CAR) process for EPPs. The goal of the redesign is to provide substantive feedback to programs on areas of strength and opportunities for growth.
In Fall 2024, TEA put a call out to recruit Texas reviewers from the field and trained a cohort of reviewers in December. As we prepare for new reviewer training in August of this year, we will use the original interest submission to send out communication in the coming weeks. Individuals from this original submission whose background and experience fit current needs will soon receive communication with a screener to further gauge their readiness for training. Additionally, individuals who received an invite to the December 2024 training but were unable to attend will also receive communication confirming availability for the upcoming training.
If you did not fill out the original interest form and would like to be considered for future trainings, please complete this new interest form. We may pull from this list depending on availability and space for August training, and will maintain the list for future trainings.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: I am a new Certification Officer. Please tell me where I can locate the records retention requirements and what must be retained by my EPP.
A: The records retention requirements are found in 19 TAC §228.13(h) and 19 TAC §228.31(i). An EPP must retain documents that evidence a candidate's eligibility for admission to the program and evidence of completion of all program requirements for a period of five years after a candidate completes, withdraws from, or is discharged or released from the program. The evidence figure found in 19 TAC §228.13(f) Attached Graphic provides guidance on the types of records and documents to retain. If the EPP retains paper, electronic, or both types of records, that is what must be retained.
Q: If my EPP has a benchmark document that is used by EPP staff to track all documents received from a candidate, is this something that must be retained?
A: Yes, everything pertaining to admission and completion of all program requirements must be retained by the EPP for a period of five years after a candidate completes, withdraws from, or is discharged or released from the program. This includes any benchmark documents in a candidate’s record. Reference 19 TAC §228.13(h) and 19 TAC §228.31(i) for the full citations.
Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
- 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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