 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
|
Topic
|
Description
|
Event Date & Time
|
PREP Office Hours
Session #2
|
TEA Staff will be available to answer your questions regarding PREP Residency, PREP Grow Your Own, and PREP Mentorship in specific breakout rooms dedicated to each PREP route.
|
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
2:00 – 3:00 PM CST
via ZOOM
|
Invitation to Attend I2I Training on the Employment and Retention Dashboard
|
The Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboards Team will host its latest I2I training, focusing on the Employment and Retention Dashboard.
The team will also review opportunities to assist EPPs in improving assist EPPs with improved data comprehension, analysis, and application within the I2I Dashboards.
|
|
Exam Launch Reminders and Resources
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
186 Special Education Specialist EC-12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental
|
|
|
|
Core Subjects Redesign, Phase 1
-
Core with Fine Arts/Health/PE
-
Core with Special Education
|
|
Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP) (pending SBEC action)
|
|
|
|
Core Subjects Redesign,
Phase 2
-
Core with Bilingual Education Spanish
|
|
|
|
|
187 Bilingual Special Education
|
|
Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management
Reminder: Mid-Year Data Set 2026 Training Now Available
The 2026 Mid-Year Data Set Training resources are now available on our EPP Training Events and Materials section of the Program Provider Resources page. EPPs can access the full PowerPoint slide deck along with a brief, 30‑minute recorded webinar that walks through how to interpret and use the mid-year data sets. The webinar provides practical guidance for reviewing data, identifying potential issues early, and taking next steps within ECOS.
Updates related to the PREP Program Allotment
New: PREP Office Hours Session #2 to be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026
TEA Staff will be hosting an Office Hours webinar on Wednesday, April 29th, beginning at 2:00 PM CST. TEA Staff will be available to answer your questions regarding PREP Residency, PREP Grow Your Own, and PREP Mentorship in specific breakout rooms dedicated to each PREP route. Please register prior to the event.
New: PREP Residency MOU Information
We understand that many of you are working with your school system partners to complete the requirements for participation in the PREP Residency program. We have received feedback from multiple school systems and EPPs expressing concern regarding the requirement that MOUs be completed and uploaded as part of the Verification of Participation (VoP) process to be completed by May 31st. TEA staff is advising school systems and EPPs who have MOUs that may not be completed due to school board and/or university verification processes in time for upload with the VoP to upload the draft version of their MOU with the VoP. Upon full completion, school systems should submit the signed MOU to TEA through a link (to be provided at a later time).
DID YOU KNOW?
Because the funding for participation in the PREP Residency and PREP Grow Your Own pathways have been allocated by the Texas Legislature and IS NOT a grant, participating school systems and EPPs will not be required to complete paperwork normally associated with grant funding. The school system will verify participation with their EPP partners when they complete the Verification of Participation in May.
With PREP Residency and PREP Grow Your Own pathways beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, school system and EPP partnerships should be communicating regarding their partnership agreements. Examples and templates are available on the PREP Program Website. The completed documents will be uploaded by the school system as part of the Verification of Participation in May.
Information on all things related to PREP partnerships can be found by accessing the PREP Program Website. This website is updated regularly, so please bookmark it and check back on a regular basis! We also encourage you to register for the new PREP Program Newsletter.
Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing
New: Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165) exam Preparation Manual Overview and Constructed Response Item Deep Dive Spring 2026
Thank you to the 80 participants who attended the first Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165) Preparation Manual Overview and Constructed Response Item Deep Dive webinar on Thursday, April 16th! This webinar provided participants with an overview of the new 165 BESS preparation manual and walked participants through the new 165 BESS EC-12 exam constructed response items for Subtest 1 (166) Listening and Speaking in Spanish and Subtest 2 (167) Reading and Writing in Spanish. The deep dive allowed participants the opportunity to review content shifts and discuss the new requirements for candidates as they take the new Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental EC-12 (165). Participants explored the CRIs in groups and were able to gauge their knowledge and share necessary preparation information regarding the new exam, and were provided the opportunity to reflect and ask questions via Padlet.
Updates related to Insight to Impact
Reminder: Invitation to Attend I2I Training on the Employment and Retention Dashboard
On Thursday, April 30, from 3-4 p.m. CT, the Texas Education Agency’s Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboards Team will host its latest I2I training, focusing on the Employment and Retention Dashboard. The team will review the opportunities designed to assist EPPs with improved data comprehension, analysis, and application within the I2I Dashboards. The goal is to create a supportive community where EPPs can routinely share and tackle problems, provide insights and solutions, and receive value from the data.
Feel free to share this invitation widely with your EPP community to ensure that all who use the dashboard data have the opportunity to benefit. We look forward to having you attend the training!
This also marks an opportunity for EPP staff to claim a square on the I2I Bingo Card. The I2I Dashboards Team created the I2I Bingo Card to make training resources more engaging and enjoyable for those looking to master the dashboards. Each activity takes no more than 15 minutes and is comprehensively designed to build your skills step-by-step through the entirety of the dashboards.
In addition, if you complete a bingo, you can win TEA recognition in the EPP Newsletter and prizes! Let’s see who the first person will be to complete a bingo or an entire blackout of their card! Download the bingo card now and register for the training!
We look forward to your attendance!
Reminder: Treasure Hunt Prize Winner Announced
Recently, the I2I Team hosted a training on how to get the most out of the Candidate Characteristics Dashboard. To ensure that the lesson stuck, the team created a fun, interactive “treasure hunt” for EPP staff to practice finding actionable insights about their respective programs.
By accessing dashboards to locate specific data points, interpreting their meaning, and identifying at least one way to apply the insight to strengthen her EPP, University of Texas at San Antonio Assistant Director of Assessment and Program Accountability, Dr. Jessica McConnell, located her data treasure!
Not only does she receive this prestigious EPP Newsletter shout-out and a crisp high-five, but Dr. McConnell will also be the recipient of a TEA prize! We’re actually being serious when we say, “It’s already in the mail!”
Reminder: Candidate Characteristics Dashboards Training Video Posted
For those who missed the Insight to Impact Dashboards Candidate Characteristics training last month, you’re in luck. The recorded event video is now posted for members of the EPP community who would like to learn more about utilizing the Candidate Characteristics dashboard as a tool within their respective EPP.
Feel free to share this video widely with your EPP community to ensure that all who would benefit from the Candidate Characteristics dashboard data receive it.
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from .
Q: What is my EPP’s responsibility if a candidate decides to transfer before finishing the EPP?
A: If a candidate is not a finisher, the EPP is responsible for removing any exams for which the candidate is “eligible” or “approved” to take and for removing the candidate’s enrollment record from the finisher records list. Additionally, the EPP will need to provide the candidate with a transfer form so they may seek admission to a new EPP. The EPP needs to retain a copy of the transfer form for the EPP’s records.
Q: Can a candidate who was never identified as a finisher but was last enrolled at my EPP be formally readmitted to the same EPP in the same certificate category or class?
A: Yes. As long as the candidate was not identified as a finisher in the certificate category or class, they may be formally readmitted to the same EPP. There are only two instances in which an EPP may not admit a candidate. (1) An EPP may not admit a candidate who was reported as completing all requirements by another EPP in the same category or class unless they only need test approval. (2) An EPP may also not admit a candidate who has been employed for three years under a permit, intern, or probationary certificate, unless the candidate is seeking clinical teaching that may lead to the issuance of a standard certificate. Reference 19 TAC §227.10(c)(1-2). In both instances, the EPP is accountable for the candidate’s testing. Reference 19 TAC §229.4(a)(1)(A).
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 Education Specialist Assignments.
-
For most efficient assistance, please submit a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs.
-
EPPs may contact their assigned Education Specialist directly via phone or email.
-
Candidates may call (512) 936-8400 and select Option #2: Educator Preparation and Certification for assistance.
-
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.
-
Option 2: Educator Preparation and Certification
-
Option 3: Fingerprinting
-
Option 6: Investigations
|
