 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.
You may subscribe to the newsletter or access previous editions
using the links below:
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Topic
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Description
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Event Date & Time
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Join PREP Office Hours for support with key implementation tasks, including:
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ECOS data entry support for Spring 2027 start dates
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General PREP implementation questions
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Wednesday,
September 23, 2026
2:00 – 3:00 PM CST
via ZOOM
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LASO Cycle 5 Webinars: Register for Upcoming Sessions
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EPPs are encouraged to register for upcoming LASO Cycle 5 webinars to prepare for the next cycle and better understand how PREP programs will be presented to school system partners. Webinar sessions will include:
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PREP Preservice: Residency, Traditional, and Alternative
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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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187 Bilingual Special Education
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Texas Test of Educator Proficiency (T-TEP) (pending SBEC action)
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Updated one pager anticipated Summer 2026
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- Core EC-6
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Core with Fine Arts/Health/PE
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Core with Bilingual Education Spanish
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Core with ESL
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Updates related to ASEP Reporting 2025-2026
New: Revised Observation Data Distribution
The revised observation datasets were shared with EPP Legal Authorities, via ShareFile, on September 4, 2026. Based on feedback from the field, we identified discrepancies in the original dataset. We appreciate the feedback, and the datasets were updated and corrected. This updated dataset is only current as of the end of the day on 09/03/2026. Updates to your observation list after that time are not captured in this data. EPPs have the option to review their data and submit a request for exception (RFE) form, as needed. More information about the procedure to evaluate the frequency and duration of field observations indicator is available in the ASEP Manual.
EPPs may report observation, student growth, teacher survey, and principal survey ASEP exceptions within a single RFE form.
As a reminder, all 2025-2026 ASEP data, including the RFE submissions, must be reported to TEA by Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM CDT.
Countdown to ASEP Reporting 2025-2026
To assist EPPs with completing ASEP Reporting with ease, we have developed weekly reminders for those EPP staff working on ASEP Reporting. Each week, you will receive weekly reminders in this Newsletter that include timely tasks that will lead to successful completion of data reporting by September 15, 2026. Please remember that the 2024-2025 Technical Manual published on the Program Provider Resources page on the TEA website is a wonderful “how to” resource for using the various functions needed for reporting in ECOS and contains some useful tips for problem solving, if needed.
New: Week 9 ASEP Tasks Final ASEP Task Reminder 9/7-11/2026: Make any final corrections and submit your affidavit.
Submit with confidence that your EPP has gotten everything perfect and ready to go. Submit your affidavit to the Educator Testing and Preparation Programs Help Desk. Be sure to name your affidavit according to the instructions on the Affidavit template.
The observation dataset for your EPP can be found in your ShareFile folder. This dataset is only current as of the end of the day, September 3, 2026. Updates to your observation list after that time are not captured in this data.
Reminder: Week 8 ASEP Tasks 8/31-9/4/2026: Review all Your Data.
Compare your final EPP data with the data sets from TEA just to be sure you have not forgotten anything or anyone in your reports. Your final data sets were sent out on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Make any final corrections if needed. Reach out to your assigned specialist with any questions or issues.
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Observations! Every observation for every candidate in clinical teaching, an internship, or a practicum that occurred between 9/1/2025 and 8/31/2026 must be reported. Failure to properly report observations is the #1 reason why EPPs end up in an Informal Review. Save yourself this headache by ensuring that every observation is entered into ECOS before 9/15/2026.
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Finishers! Specifically, if a candidate finished in one certificate classification but had records for additional certificates on the Finisher Records List, the other certificates must be removed from 2025-2026, or the candidate will carry forward as Other Enrolled into 2026-2027.
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Applied Data! Please ensure that your numbers reflect the total number of applicants to all of your programs this year. Ensure that the total number applied is greater than or equal to the total admitted.
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Admissions! Every candidate with an admission date in 2025-2026 must have an admission record. This requirement applies to all certificate classes and categories.
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Requests for Exception (RFEs)! Please review the teacher and principal survey data, observations data, and student growth data, and apply for RFEs now, rather than waiting until the final week to complete RFEs.
Reminder: Week 7 ASEP Tasks 8/24-28/2026: Report your Applied Data:
Use the Applied portal in ECOS Entities > ASEP to report the number of individuals that applied to any of the programs within your EPP in 2025-2026 (from 9/1/2025-8/31/2026). The Applied data is reported as a total of ‘All’ that applied and is also reported as disaggregated by demographic group. This Applied portal will lock when ASEP locks, so data must be entered before the 2025-2026 ASEP locks on September 15. Be sure to review the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page if you need assistance using the Applied portal.
Reminder: Week 6 ASEP Tasks 8/17-21/2026: Enter All Observations
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Verify that all the observations completed in 2025-2026 (9/1-8/31) have been entered into ECOS. Observations for the 2025-2026 year are entered into the Clinical Experience Record (CER). There is an updated functionality that will allow EPPs to add observations that are associated with any clinical experience that has an end date in the 2025-2026 year, along with any clinical experience that began in the 2025-2026 year but has not yet ended. All observations must be reported for all teacher and non-teacher candidates completing clinical teaching, internship, residency or practicum. All observations must be reported in the reporting year in which they occurred.
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Ensure that all your field supervisors are on your field supervisor list in ECOS. If they are not there, please enter them so observations for candidates assigned to those field supervisors can be entered into ECOS. If you are trying to enter an observation record with a field supervisor who is not in the system, the observation record will not load. You must add the field supervisor first.
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If necessary, complete the Request for Exception (RFE) form to submit an exception request for a candidate whose observations should not be included in the data calculations. The ASEP Request for Exception (RFE) Form for Observations, Principal Survey, Student Growth, and Teacher Survey is located on the Program Provider Resources page under ASEP Reporting 2025-2026 Forms. Submit forms securely to the Data Reporting Help Desk.
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For the best functionality of RFE forms, use Google Chrome to download and save the form on your computer before completing. Please fill out the first sheet of the form completely, then enter all RFE requests for observations, principal survey, student growth, and teacher survey on the next sheet. Save the completed form and attach it to a Help Desk ticket to submit to TEA.
Reminder: Week 5 ASEP Tasks 8/10-14/2026: Create Clinical Experience Records
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Verify that each candidate who completed any part of a clinical experience (clinical teaching, internship, or practicum) in 2025-2026 has a Clinical Experience Record.
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Ensure that all cooperating teachers, mentor teachers, host teachers, and site supervisors are entered to create the Clinical Experience Record.
Note: You can download the Clinical Experience Records from ECOS into a spreadsheet to assist with reviewing and verifying your data. Be sure to review the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page if you need assistance with downloading records from ECOS.
Reminder: Week 4 ASEP Tasks 8/3-7/2026: Update the Finisher Records List.
- Verify that all 2025-2026 finishers are correctly listed on the Finisher Record List (FRL) with a status of “Finisher” (F). If a finisher is on the FRL for certificate categories they are not finishing, remove the certificate categories that the candidate will not be finishing.
- If candidates left your EPP without completing program requirements during the 2025-2026 reporting year, remove all certificate categories from your FRL and ensure any associated test approvals have also been removed. The candidate's record must be updated to "Removed" during the 2025-2026 reporting year. Once ASEP closes on September 15, 2026, you will no longer be able to make changes to the FRL for the 2025-2026 reporting year.
- Remember to review the candidates from your mid-year data set in ShareFile. This data was provided to you in your ShareFile folder in March 2026 and it includes the number of consecutive years of enrollment for your candidates. Pursuant to 19TAC §228.31(b), EPPs must have an exit policy that identifies a point of dismissal for inactive candidates after no more than two years of inactivity Please review candidate records to determine whether any inactive candidates should be exited in accordance with your program’s published policy. Note: Candidates that are removed will need to apply and be admitted if they want to work with the EPP in the future.
Reminder: Week 3 ASEP Tasks 7/27-7/31/2026: Complete all admission reporting.
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Each year TEA invoices each EPP for each unique admission. To do this accurately, we ask that you verify that each candidate admitted in 9/1/2025-8/31/2026 has an accurate admission record, and includes all required admission data has been included in the record. If you need to update a record, you can do so manually or by bulk upload. Instructions are included in the 2024-2025 Technical Manual located on the Program Provider Resources page of the TEA website.
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EPPs can also view their admissions in ECOS. The steps are as follows:
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Go to ASEP>Maintain Admissions in your greenscreen.
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Select 2025-26 Reporting Year and click the green Search button. You will see all candidates admitted for 2025-2026.
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At the bottom of the page, you will see “Click Here to download the data in comma delimited format (Excel sheet)
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Reminder: Admission records for candidates admitted in 2025-2026 cannot be created after 8/31/2026 except for candidates admitted in the last week of August beginning August 25, 2026. Those records can be entered until ECOS locks the ASEP reporting year on 9/15/2026 but should be entered within seven days of the date of formal or contingency admission per 19 TAC §227.17 or 19 TAC §227.15, respectively. This means that for all candidates admitted between 9/1/2025 and 8/25/2026, the deadline for ensuring that their admission records are complete and correct is 8/31/2026.
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Be sure to review the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page. It is located under Forms and Documents. This is a helpful resource as it provides step-by-step instructions for completing admission reporting.
Reminder: Week 2 ASEP Tasks 7/20-24/2026:
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Ensure that TEA has your updated EPP Contact Information.
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Each EPP should have one Legal Authority or, for an EPP at a school district or Education Service Center, a Primary Contact, and at least one Backup Legal Authority. If you have recently had a change in these staff, please use the EPP Change Request Form to update the contact information.
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Each EPP must have a Primary Title II Pearson and Title II IPRC contact and should have a Secondary contact for each, if possible. Ensure that TEA has these current contacts. The following organizations must also have current contact information for your Title II contacts:
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Make sure that the following contacts are correct (your assigned TEA specialist can provide you a list of contacts that we have on file for your EPP):
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Your LBB contact if you are a college or university.
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The staff that manages your data.
To verify contacts with TEA, please submit a Help Desk ticket to the Preparation Programs tile.
Reminder: Week 1 ASEP Tasks 7/13-17/2026:
1. Know your assigned Education Specialist. This is the TEA staff member that you will need to reach out to when you have questions about ASEP Reporting. The EPP Education Specialist Assignments list is published on the Program Provider Resources page under Forms and Documents. Your Education Specialist is one of four staff members:
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Trinity Bankhead
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Rebecca Bunting
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Jennifer Gonzalez
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Lorrie Ayers, Director
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2. Become familiar with the Help Desk, which EPPs should use for all questions related to ASEP Reporting. Your Education Specialist will address your EPP’s questions in the Help Desk. We are in the Help Desk under the Educator Testing and Preparation Programs tile. |
3. Review the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page. It is located under Forms and Documents. This is a helpful resource as it provides useful information needed to complete ASEP Reporting.
4. Review your ASEP reporting processes from 2024-2025. We recommend that you review internal documents, correspondence with your Education Specialist, and any place where you encountered difficulties. Particularly if your EPP encountered challenges with Observation reporting or was subject to an informal review, we encourage you to review your processes and reach out to your assigned Education Specialist early and proactively seek support.
5. Register for the ASEP Reporting 2025-2026 webinar on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM CST. The webinar will provide useful information and reminders about state reporting processes and tips to improve the reporting experience. Please find the link in the Upcoming Events section above.
Updates related to the PREP Program Allotment
New: PREP Partnership Agreements: September 11, 2026 Deadline
EPPs should work with their partnering school systems to ensure written PREP partnership agreements are signed and submitted to TEA by September 11, 2026. Only approved partnerships in place by this deadline will generate PREP Program Allotment funding.
Reminder: PREP Office Hours
Join PREP Office Hours for support with key implementation tasks, including:
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ECOS data entry support for Spring 2027 start dates
Coming Soon: LASO Cycle 5 Webinars: Register for Upcoming Sessions
EPPs are encouraged to register for upcoming LASO Cycle 5 webinars to prepare for the next cycle and better understand how PREP programs will be presented to school system partners. Webinar sessions will include:
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PREP Preservice: Residency, Traditional, and Alternative
Need Help?
PREP SUPPORT PORTAL
Submit your questions through the PREP support portal at any time. Include enough detail to assist the team with identifying the issue. Screenshots or documentation may be helpful when reporting ECOS issues.
Visit the PREP allotment webpage to find helpful program information, guidance documents, resources, and updates.
Updates related to Insight to Impact
Reminder: Check Out the Observation Tool Resources
Completely optional, the I2I Observation Tool provides a streamlined, digital interface for Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) to record, track, and report observations, as well as view visualized metrics associated with the observations they enter. The primary objective of the I2I Observation Tool is to bridge the gap between field-based assessments and state-level reporting to drive continuous improvement efforts.
Check out the newly created Observation Tool Resources webpage for the I2I TEAL Access Guide, Observation Tool User Guide, Observation Dashboard User Guide, instructional videos and the Observation Dashboard FAQ.
Reminder: Observation Tool Launch Session Recording Is Live
For those who missed the I2I Observation Tool launch session on Thursday, August 27, you’re luck. The recorded event video is now available for members of the EPP community who would like to learn more about how the tool can assist with tracking their candidate observations. Feel free to share this video widely with your EPP community to ensure that all who are eligible and would benefit from utilizing this new tool have appropriate access.
As a reminder, the EPP community can begin requesting roles for the new I2I Observation Tool on Wednesday, 9/16, and candidate observations for the 2026-27 reporting year can be entered starting on Monday, 9/21. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) from the launch event will be added to the Observation Dashboard section of I2I Academy website by Wednesday, 9/30.
Reminder: I2I Dashboards Trivia Challenge Winners Announced
TEA would like to congratulate two Insight to Impact Dashboards Trivia Challenge Winners for their skillful displays! In a five-question challenge put forth in the EPP Newsletter last week, University of Texas at San Antonio Assistant Director of Assessment and Program Accountability Dr. Jessica McConnell and Lubbock Christian University Director of Certification and PDSO Shelley Parnell both received a perfect score on trivia, earning them the title of Dashboard Experts!
Not only do they each receive widespread recognition in this newsletter and a prize (they’re definitely in the mail!), but virtual high-fives from the I2I Dashboard Team are also in order!
Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.
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To hold a valid special education certificate
We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs.
Q: How many observations are required for each type of clinical experience?
A: For this 2025-2026 ASEP reporting period, EPPs should continue to follow the observation requirements that became effective in September 2024. The observation schedule that went into effect in September 2024 is the schedule that applies to the current ASEP reporting period and should be referenced when reporting observations. This document indicating simplified version of the required number of observations is current for this reporting year. Beginning in 2026-2027, EPPs should follow the observation requirements in the updated TAC which went into effect August 2026 based on the candidate’s assignment and clinical experience type.
Q: Should we use 490 hours, or 14 weeks for the clinical experience model when reporting clinical teaching in ECOS?
A: As of September 1, 2024, EPPs should select 490 Hours as the clinical experience model for Clinical Teaching when entering clinical experience records (CERs) in ECOS. The previous options of 14 Weeks Full-Day and 28 Weeks Half-Day are no longer valid selections and should not be used. Programs should ensure that Clinical Teaching experiences are reported using the 490 Hours option.
Q: How can I download observation data for my EPP? Is there an ECOS function for this?
A: Yes. ECOS includes a function that allows EPPs to generate a list of observations reported during a specific academic year. Reviewing this report is an important quality-control step because it helps verify that observations have been reported correctly and that candidates have met SBEC observation requirements. For instructions on accessing and using the observation report in ECOS, refer to the 2024-2025 Technical Manual on the Program Provider Resources page beginning on page 56.
Your best source for information and support at the TEA.
As an Educator Preparation Program, your main point of contact is your Education Specialist.
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View a list of EPPs and Education Specialist Assignments
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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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