 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.
If you are not currently subscribed to the newsletter, please sign up at the link below.
Educator Preparation Program Listserv Registration
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Description
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Event Date & Time
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Core EC EC-6 (491) Framework Overview and Application Process Webinar
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The 491 Core EC-6 Framework Overview and Application Process Webinar will guide programs through an overview of the updated Core EC-6 exam framework, closely examine application requirements and timeline, and provide programs an opportunity to explore how the new exam is aligned and different from the older Core Subjects EC-6 exam. TEA staff will facilitate this webinar several times throughout the Fall semester. We strongly encourage those faculty or staff who will be responsible for completing the program’s application to attend
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Exam Launch Reminders and Resources
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186 Special Education Specialist EC-12
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165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental
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Core Subjects Redesign, Phase 1
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Core with Fine Arts/Health/PE
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Core with Special Education
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Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP) (pending SBEC action)
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Core Subjects Redesign, Phase 2
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Core with Bilingual Education Spanish
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187 Bilingual Special Education
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Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
New: EPP ASEP Technology Fee Invoices
TEA will be distributing to EPPs the ASEP Technology Fee invoices for Academic Year 2024-2025, on October 21, 2025. This fee is assessed for each candidate who was admitted to your EPP on or after September 1, 2024, through August 31, 2025. The number of candidates is taken from the number of individuals reported as admitted by your EPP in ECOS. Additionally, similar to last year, admissions for the prior year who were added this year via a data fix will be included in the count. This is because they were not included in the prior year’s invoice.
The invoice will have payment information, including information about how to pay using ACH and how to submit a payment by mail. Credit cards are not accepted. Please note that ACH payment is preferred.
TEA will send the invoices to the EPP Legal Authority via email. We will also send notifications to Backup Legal Authorities and Certification Officers, to the extent that they are listed in our Contact List. Payment is due 30 days after receipt of the invoice. The Texas Administrative Code at 19 TAC §229.9 includes additional information about the ASEP Technology Fee.
New: LBB Reporting
Educator preparation programs at public colleges and universities are required to report certification rates of teacher education graduates to the LBB. Information about LBB reporting was sent out to public colleges and universities who had not yet completed this reporting on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Please review that email for steps, supports, and deadlines.
Detailed guidance for using the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) to upload and retrieve your certification rate is available in the Technical Manual.
Remember, this reporting is only for public colleges and universities – if your EPP is not at a public college or university, your EPP does not complete the LBB reporting process.
TEA is preparing to update the EPP Interactive Map linked from the Certification page on the TEA website. Please review your EPP address, telephone number, website, and certificates as they are listed on the EPP Interactive Map. If any changes are needed for your EPP, please submit a Help Desk ticket to the Preparation Programs tile on the TEA website. Title your Help Desk ticket with your EPP name & county-district number/Map Update and include what specifically needs to be changed in the body of your Help Desk ticket. We will make the requested changes at the next EPP Interactive Map quarterly update. Please submit your request by the close of business on Friday, October 10, 2025.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
New: Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP) Stakeholder Advisory Committee Update
Congratulations to the following educator preparation program individuals who were selected to serve on the T-TEP Stakeholder Advisory Committee (TSAC):
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Amy Simmons (UT-Austin)
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Christina Puente, Ed.D. (Lone Star College)
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Diann Huber (iTeach)
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Dr. Beverly Sande (PVAMU)
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Eric Branscome (East TAMU)
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Irene Chacon (ResponsiveEd)
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Jodie Wakefield (240 Certification)
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Karla Hamilton (Teach Us)
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Lupita Hinojosa (Region 4)
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Mandi Nelson (Tarleton)
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Michele R. Anderson (East TAMU)
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Rachel Scherer (Sam Houston State)
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Robin Pizzitola (TAMU-CC)
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Suzanne Bettencourt (TAMU)
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Theresa Garfield (TAMU-SA)
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Veronica Estrada (UTRGV)
Reminder: English as a Second Language Draft Exam Framework Public Comment
Public comments are being requested through October 15, 2025, on the draft #818 Core EC–6 English as a Second Language Examination Framework. The framework will help guide the test development process for the new Core EC–6 English as a Second Language individual subject exam. Comments may be sent to Kaye Jernigan.
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
: HB2 Implementation: Preparing and Retaining Educators through Partnership Program Allotment
House Bill 2, passed by the 89th Texas Legislature and signed into law in June 2025, established the PREP Program Allotment to strengthen the quality of teacher recruitment, preparation, and mentorship across the state. Participation in the PREP Program Allotment is optional for eligible districts and open-enrollment charters.
The PREP Program Allotment provides funding for five partnership types, listed in the table below. Districts and open-enrollment charter schools may apply for funding for the PREP Preservice Residency Program, Grow Your Own Program, and the Mentor Program through the LASO Cycle 4 process. Applications for the PREP Traditional and Alternative Preservice Programs will be available through LASO Cycle 5 shortly.
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Yearly applications are initially available
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First year for which funding is available
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PREP Preservice Residency Program
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PREP Grow Your Own Program
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PREP Preservice Traditional Program
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PREP Preservice Alternative Program
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We encourage EPPs to attend LASO webinars alongside their District partners. The table below provides links to register for those upcoming webinars:
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PREP Program Overview webinar - option #1
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PREP Program Overview webinar - option #2
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PREP Mentorship Program webinar - option #1
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PREP Mentorship Program webinar - option #2
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PREP Residency Preservice Program webinar - option #1
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PREP Residency Preservice Program webinar - option #2
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PREP GYO Program webinar* - option #1
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PREP GYO Program webinar* - option #2
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Texas Strategic Staffing for Residencies (TSS) program webinar - option #1
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Texas Strategic Staffing for Residencies (TSS) program webinar - option #2
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Additionally, there will be office hours for each program at the following times, as well as EPP specific office hours:
PREP Residency Office Hours
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PREP Mentorship Office Hours
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Educator Preparation Program Specific Office Hours for PREP Allotment
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Updates related to Insight to Impact
New: Dashboards Sign-up Event Rescheduled to October 23
On Wednesday, October 1, the I2I Dashboards Team planned to host an Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboards Sign-up Event to grant the education preparation program (EPP) community access to the dashboards. However, due to some unforeseen technical difficulties, the event had to be cancelled. The I2I Dashboards Team apologizes for any inconvenience the cancellation might have caused.
Fortunately, those still searching for access to the I2I Dashboards needn’t look any further. On October 23, from 3-4 p.m. CT, there will be another session for members of the EPP community who would like to learn more about the steps in the process of receiving access, including dedicated time to request access to the dashboards, roles pertinent to their work and time with our team to troubleshoot issues.
Feel free to share this invitation widely with your EPP community to ensure that all who are eligible and would benefit from using dashboard data to make programmatic decisions have appropriate access. Register here now!
: I2I Dashboards User Survey Released
Since user feedback for the Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboards is essential to TEA’s mission of strategically developing and updating the dashboards, the I2I Dashboards Team is requesting your input through a quick user survey. Although it will only take a few minutes to complete, it will immensely help the team in its pursuit to provide the most useful and usable data for program improvement.
Reminder: Research on I2I Dashboard Use
For those who missed it, in October 2024, the Charles Butt Foundation (CBF) conducted a third-party preliminary analysis of Insight to Impact (I2I) dashboard users within EPPs, publishing their findings in this presentation. TEA used these findings to inform its communication plan for future updates, communications, and training sessions.
It’s been a year since CBF published its findings, and TEA just hosted its I2I Kickoff Meeting, so the I2I Dashboards Team thought it would be beneficial to highlight it for EPPs. Since the rollout of the dashboards and the publishing of the findings, TEA has assembled feedback from the DGC, its own staff, EPP employees, and CBF to target certain areas of the dashboards for potential improvement.
Check out those areas below:
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Data Comprehension: EPP users could benefit from a comprehensive overview of the dashboards and the included data.
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Data Analysis: EPPs would like to learn how to extract customized data and use it to produce meaningful reports and insights to inform individualized EPP strategy.
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Increase Number of Users: It was revealed that a sizable number of users at EPPs who could receive tangible benefits from utilizing the dashboards for their work rarely or ever use them.
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Provide Additional Resources: EPPs have not yet received a formal communication cadence, materials, or training provided by TEA throughout the year.
If you would like to provide further input on the dashboards or become more involved with the EPP community, feel free to contact TEA’s EDRS Project Manager of Educator Data, Research, & Strategy Tanisha Jones, or TEA Director of EDRS Project Management Paige Tooley.
Reminder: Connect With the I2I Dashboards Team at CSOTTE
The CSOTTE Conference from October 12-14 in Denton, TX, provides an opportune time for EPP staff to collaborate with other members of their community. There are at least a couple of ways to get involved, whether it’s attending one of the TEA Office Hours or a breakout session.
Here are a couple of sessions below for you to keep on your radar:
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Responding to User Feedback: Use of the Insight to Impact Dashboards, Oct. 13 from 3:45-4:30 PM
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Enabling Continuous Improvement: Insight into Observation Data During Teacher Preparation, Oct. 14 from 8-8:45 AM
We look forward to seeing you there!
Reminder: I2I Dashboards September Kickoff Meeting Presentation and Video Recording
The I2I Dashboards Team hosted its inaugural Kickoff Meeting last Thursday, marking the beginning of comprehensive dashboard training aimed at assisting EPPs with improved data comprehension, analysis and application. The goal of these training sessions is to create a supportive community where EPPs can routinely share and tackle problems, provide insights and solutions, and receive value and benefits from the data.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: Could the feedback after all observations be documented with the EPP mentor, with the LEA mentor being a part of this process to ensure continuity of feedback provided?
A: The observation requirements in Subchapter F identify the required recipients of the written feedback provided to a candidate post-observation. The EPP may choose additional recipients as appropriate.
Q: Do the updates to Chapter 228 impact the number of formal observations required for non-teacher candidates? [19 TAC §228.117(b)]
A: No. Per 19 TAC §228.117(b), candidates completing a practicum are required to have a minimum of 3 formal observations that total a minimum of 135 minutes. This is the requirement, even if the candidate is completing a practicum while holding an Intern or Probationary certificate. This mirrors the requirement in legacy 228.
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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