 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
|
*TRAINING CHANGE*
Invitation to Attend I2I Training on the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard
|
The Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboards Team will host its latest I2I training, focusing on the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard. This training will replace the scheduled Employment and Retention Training, which has been postponed, but the Zoom training link will remain the same. 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
New: Published Completed Studies Dashboards and Data Reports
The Educator Data, Research, and Strategy (EDRS) team released on April 13, 2026, several dynamic longitudinal dashboards and accompanying data reports that reflect key information on Teacher Retention, New Hires, Attrition New Hires, and Uncertified Teachers. The reports are available on the TEA Educator Reports and Data webpage. Subscribe to the Educator Reports and Data Monthly Bulletins to stay informed about newly released data.
New: Disaster Declaration and Clinical Experiences
On January 22, 2026, Governor Abbott issued a proclamation that declared a state of disaster due to winter weather for specified counties. The Proclamation was reissued on January 25, 2026 to include additional counties. As the proclamation does not appear to have been renewed, it was effective for 30 days until February 24, 2026. Per 19 TAC §228.4, If the governor declares a state of disaster consistent with Texas Government Code §418.014, TEA staff may extend deadlines in 19 TAC Chapter 228 for up to 90 days and decrease clinical teaching, internship, and practicum assignment minimums by up to 20 percent as necessary to accommodate persons in the affected disaster areas. As such, to accommodate candidates completing clinical experiences in the affected counties who may have missed days due to the winter weather, EPPs may reduce clinical teaching time up to 20% as applicable to the time missed by the candidate. The counties are listed in the proclamation linked above. EPPs should retain related documentation in the candidate’s record.
Updates related to the PREP Program Allotment
New: PREP GYO Toolkit
TEA has partnered with the Center for Reigniting the Educator Workforce (CREW) to support school systems and EPPs partnering to participate in the new PREP Grow Your Own (GYO) pathway. CREW has developed a toolkit that contains resources to support the development of GYO partnerships. Please refer to this toolkit for information and supports that will assist you as you work with your school system partners.
Reminder: 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.
Reminder: 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: Updates to Exam Launch Overview Table
Following the April 24,2026 State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) meeting, changes have been made to the Exam Launch Overview table above to reflect the following:
-
Updated date for redesigned Core Subjects exams (Phase 1 and Phase 2) to reflect an anticipated September 2029 launch, aligned to State Board of Education (SBOE) approval of ELAR and Social Studies TEKS
-
Revised launch date of 2029 for the Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP), pending SBEC action
Updated exam one pagers and additional resources will be shared as they are available.
Reminder: 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 actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
New: SBEC Adopts the Ch. 227, 228, and 230 Rule Updates to Implement HB 2 Updates
On Friday, April 24, 2026, the SBEC adopted proposed rule updates to TAC Chapters 228, 227, and 230 to operationalize HB 2 requirements for Educator Preparation and Certification. Items may be reviewed on the website. Pending SBOE approval in June, rules will be effective for the 2026-2027 school year. To support EPPs with implementation next steps, the agency will be launching several resources, including the following series of implementation webinars (registration links will be updated shortly):
|
|
|
|
|
What the PREP Allotment Program Makes Possible: An Overview for EPPs (webinar 1)
|
A discussion of the PREP Allotment and related EPP requirements.
|
|
|
PREP Route Requirements: Residency
|
Preparing for 2026-2027 implementation, including an introduction to ECOS requirements
Preparing for the 2027-2028 Implementation
|
|
TBD
|
|
HB2 Requirements: the nuts and bolts of other preparation and certification Requirements
|
An overview of non-prep specific requirements coming out of the HB 2 implementation in TAC Chapter 227, 228, & 230
|
May 28, 2026
1:00 – 2:30 PM
|
TBD
|
|
PREP Route Requirements: Pre-Service Alternative Certification
|
An overview of 2027-2028 requirements for the new Pre-Service Alternative Certification Route
|
June 2, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 PM
|
TBD
|
|
PREP Route Requirements: Traditional
|
An overview of 2027-2028 requirements for the PREP Traditional Route
|
June 4, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 PM
|
TBD
|
|
PREP Training Content Overview
|
An overview of PREP Route training content requirements and related EPP training requirements and timelines.
|
June 9, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 PM
|
TBD
|
Updates related to Insight to Impact
New: Friday’s I2I Employment and Retention Training Changed to Exam Pass Rates Training
Due to a statewide server upgrade, the Thursday, April 30 training from 3-4 p.m. CT on the Employment and Retention Dashboard will be replaced with a training on the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard.
The training topic change was made to ensure the data accessed during the training has been properly updated. While the EPP Newsletter will provide a definitive update next week with a specific date, the current schedule is for the Employment and Retention Dashboard data to be verified and released over the next two weeks.
For the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard training, the I2I Dashboards Team will review opportunities to assist EPPs in improving data comprehension, analysis, and application within the dashboard. The goal of the training is to create a supportive community where EPPs can routinely share and tackle problems, provide insights and solutions, and receive value from the data.
The Zoom link on the original Employment and Retention Dashboard training invitation that was published remains the same, so feel free to share this invitation widely with your EPP community to ensure that all who use the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard data can benefit.
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!
New: Insight to Impact Dashboards Data Treasure Hunt: Exam Pass Rates
TEA will host an Insight to Impact Dashboards (I2I) training on how to get the most out of the Exam Pass Rates Dashboard on Thursday, April 30. To ensure that the lesson sticks, we created a fun, interactive “treasure hunt” for EPP staff to practice identifying actionable insights about their respective programs. Those who complete the treasure hunt and email TEA will not only be featured in the EPP Newsletter but also receive a prize (in addition to a hard-earned high-five)!
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 securely 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: When can an EPP designate an educator candidate as a “Finisher”?
A: An Educator Preparation Program (EPP) may designate a candidate as a program finisher (also called a completer) only after the candidate has met all program requirements including completion of all required coursework and training and completion of a successful clinical experience (clinical teaching, internship, practicum, or residency, as applicable). Minimum program requirements are in 19 TAC Chapter 228. Whether the person has been recommended for a standard certificate or has passed certification exams may not be used as criteria for determining finisher status.
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
|
