 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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3:00-5:00 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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9:00-11:00 am CT,
via Zoom
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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: Welcome to Our Two New EPPs
We welcome our two newest EPPs, Educate Hearts Teaching Corps and Tarrant County Community College. Both were approved at the April 25, 2025, SBEC Meeting.
New: Superintendent Certification Applications to Substitute Managerial Experience
Educator Preparation Program Advisors, as you guide individuals who do not currently hold a principal certification through the application process to substitute managerial experience in lieu of this requirement for enrollment in the superintendent certification program, please ensure the following:
The applicant must have a minimum of three years of experience as a district-level employee in all the following areas:
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Supervising and/or appraising personnel: This must involve direct supervision or appraisal responsibilities, not merely participation in the appraisal process.
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Leading district-wide initiatives or projects: Experience must extend beyond campus-level leadership.
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Managing and/or developing a budget: Demonstrated responsibility in budget oversight or creation is required.
Thank you for your attention to these important details and for your continued support in preparing future educational leaders.
New: Updated Employment Data in Insight to Impact
The 2024-2025 school year employment data is now included in the Insight to Impact Dashboards. As a reminder, this data is based on the snapshot data collected from school systems in October. This new data affects the Initial Employment and Employment and Retention dashboards.
Please note: we are in the process of updating calculations on the “Employment Retention” page of the Employment and Retention dashboards, so this visualization will likely change in the coming weeks. We will place an announcement in the newsletter when the update is complete.
Reminder: Chapter 228 Adoption FAQ Has Been Updated and is Now Available
The Chapter 228 Adoption FAQ has been updated and is now available on the Program Provider Resources page under the EPP Training Events and Materials section. Anything that has been recently added begins with NEW or REVISED. Please take some time to review the recent updates found in the Chapter 228 Adoption FAQ and if you have any questions, please submit a Help Desk ticket to the Preparation Programs tile, and we are happy to assist you.
Reminder: Employment Data Set Distribution
Based on requests from the field, TEA makes data sets available to EPPs that contain five years of employment data for finishers. This is our fifth year of providing this data, and we have updated it to include the 2024-2025 employment data. These data sets include information like TEA IDs, LEA of employment, Campus, Course Assignments, Population Served, and Pay. This data will become available through the ShareFile data locker in early- to mid-May.
EPPs will receive a notification email once the data has been distributed. For assistance with Sharefile, please view this guide. If you still have questions about Sharefile, please send a Helpdesk ticket.
Please note – while much of this information is available in the Insight to Impact Dashboard, we know that some EPPs use this data in different ways, and we plan to continue this data distribution.
Reminder: Principal and Teacher Surveys
TEA is currently collecting the principal and teacher survey through June 15, 2025. These data are used as part of the Accountability System for Educator Preparation. As a reminder, we are sharing the criteria for the population surveyed below. This is an FYI only - There is no action required on your part.
Principals complete a survey in ECOS for each teacher who meets the following criteria:
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Is working for the first year as a teacher of record in Texas public schools, as of the end of October 2024
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Has taught for at least five months of the school year
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Holds the first active standard, intern, or probationary certificate, as of the end of October 2024
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Is enrolled or finished a Texas Educator Preparation Program within the 5 years prior to the reporting year
Teachers complete a survey sent from Qualtrics when they meet the following criteria:
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Is working for the first year as a teacher of record in Texas public schools, as of the end of October 2024
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Has taught for at least five months of the school year
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Holds the first active standard, intern, or probationary certificate, as of the end of October 2024
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Is enrolled or finished a Texas Educator Preparation Program within the 5 years prior to the reporting year
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
Reminder: 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 CRI Deep Dive and Work Session Follow-up and Session Reminder
Thank you to the 95 participants who attended the first 186 Special Education Specialist EC-12 CRI Deep Dive and Work Session earlier this week on Monday, May 5th! This session provided participants with an overview of the constructed response item included on the 186 Special Education Specialist exam, including the candidate assignment, exhibits included with the constructed response item, and scoring rubrics. Participants then spent most of the session working in small groups to review and analyze sample candidate responses to identify the qualities and characteristics of a strong response.
A second, identical session will be held Monday June 16th, 2025, from 9:00-11:00 am CT. Registration information can be found above. We hope to see you there!
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
Reminder: 19 TAC Chapter 231, Subchapter F, Special Education-Related Personnel Assignments Rules
The SBEC and the SBOE recently approved updated rules related to special education personnel assignments. The updated 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 231, Subchapter F, §231.701 rules require all special education teachers:
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To hold a valid special education certificate
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Who are serving as teachers of record to hold the appropriate, grade-banded content certification for each area they are assigned as teacher of record or meet requirements in the applicable section of the Texas Core Content Competency Worksheet for Special Education Teachers of Record
This updated set of personnel assignment rules, with an implementation date of September 1, 2025, replaces the HOUSSE framework and provides an option for educators currently utilizing HOUSSE to meet this new requirement.
Initial questions regarding the updated rule text have been addressed below.
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When do the new rules become effective? What is the difference between the effective date and implementation date?
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The updated Chapter 231 Special Education Personnel Assignment rules become effective May 18, 2025. The updated Chapter 231 Special Education Personnel assignment rules have an implementation date of September 1, 2025. All special education teachers must meet updated rules by this date.
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Who are the new rules applicable to?
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The new Special Education Personnel assignment rules are applicable to all educators serving in an assignment of special education teacher.
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What is the minimum certification requirement for any special education teacher assignment?
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All teachers serving in an assignment of special education teacher must hold a valid, SBEC-approved special education certification appropriate for the grade level of assignment and instruction per §231.701(b).
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Which teachers need to meet content competency requirements?
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As of 9/1/2025, all special education teachers serving as teacher of record must meet content competency requirements as specified in §231.701(d). Special educators assigned to non-teacher of record roles do not have content competency requirements.
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Who is a teacher of record?
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Per 19 TAC §230.1 (24) a teacher serving as teacher of record is “An educator who is employed by a school or district and who teaches in an academic instructional setting or a career and technical instructional setting not less than an average of four hours each day and is responsible for evaluating student achievement and assigning grades.”
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Additional implementation resources, including a comprehensive FAQ document and webinar series, are forthcoming and will be available no later than June 1st, 2025.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: A candidate admitted prior to 9/1/2024 starts an internship prior to 8/31/2025 in an attempt to complete requirements for standard certification by 8/31/2026. The Intern encounters an extenuating circumstance (FMLA, District eliminates their position, etc.) that prohibits completion of requirements (time taught, observations, PPR, final coursework, etc.) before the 8/31/2026 deadline. Does the candidate have to start the internship over to update all requirements to the new ruleset? [19 TAC §228.6]
A: Repeating or resuming a clinical experience is an EPP decision based on the circumstances (e.g. duration of first experience, success of first experience, etc.) If the clinical experience extends past the 8/31/2026 deadline, any remaining requirements to be met in that experience must meet requirements currently in effect. Additionally, if the internship started on or after 9/1/2024, it needs to meet the updated requirements for frequency and duration of formal observations for evaluation in ASEP.
Q: Please clarify in detail what extracurricular activities would entail? Ex. Marching or concert band practice, attendance at marching or concert band UIL events or contests, attendance at a field trip for the assigned classroom, UIL academic contests, athletic events, if seeking Physical Education, etc. [19 TAC §228.2(26)]
A: The new definition of Extracurricular activities in 19 TAC §228.2(26) identifies activities that are sponsored by the University Interscholastic Leagues (UIL), the school district board of trustees, or an organization sanctioned by resolution of the board of trustees. To meet clinical teaching requirements, the activities must be TEKS-based and directly related to the subject area of the certificate sought. For example, a candidate pursuing Music EC-12 may accrue some clinical teaching hours assisting with marching band practice after school; however, hours accrued assisting students with marching band practice would not be appropriate as clinical teaching hours for a candidate pursuing ELAR 7-12 certification.
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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