March 9, 2023
Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter

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 

Upcoming Events 

 

Topic 

Description 

Event Date & Time 

New Certification Officer Training 

New Certification Officers are invited to attend the New Certification Officer training in person at the TEA.  

Tuesday, March 28 

9 AM-4:00 PM 

(Registration guidance below) 

Insight to Impact Data Dashboard Launch Event 

Join us for the launch of the Insight to Impact EPP Dashboards. This in-person event will feature demonstrations, technical support, and the launch of the Insight to Impact Academy – support materials for getting the most out of these dashboards. Please note that limited funding will be available to support EPP representatives in attending this event.  

Wednesday, April 5 

12pm-5pm 

Register Here 

Educator Preparation Program Support 

Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management  
 

Reminder: New Certification Officer Training 

The EPP Team is hosting New Certification Officer Training on March 28, 2023 from 9 AM-4:00 PM in PDC7 at TEA. Please a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs to register for the training. Space is limited so please register soon.  

Reminder: Register Today! Insight to Impact Data Dashboards Launch 

Please join us for the launch of the Insight to Impact Data Dashboards! TEA and the Educator Preparation Improvement and Innovation Center (EPIIC) are hosting all EPPs for a half day launch event on Wednesday, April 5. This in-person event will feature demonstrations, technical support, and the launch of the Insight to Impact Academy – support materials for getting the most out of these dashboards. Please note that limited funding will be available to support EPP representatives in attending this event. Register here today!

Educator Standards and Testing   

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing  

New: Updated ELAR 7-12 (331) and Physical Education (258) Exam One-Pagers 

During the February SBEC meeting, TEA staff provided an update related to the ELAR 7-12 (331) and Physical Education EC-12 (258) redesigned exams and their respective launch dates. Both the ELAR 7-12 (331) and Physical Education EC-12 (258) exams will now launch in September 2024. Please find important information for each redesigned exam in the updated one-pagers linked here: ELAR 7-12 (331) and Physical Education EC-12 (258). As we prepare for the launch of these exams, more information regarding the exams and aligned capacity building opportunities will be shared in upcoming months. 

New: Special Education Specialist EC-12 (186) Framework Now Available   

At the September 30th, 2022, SBEC meeting, TEA discussed with SBEC the move to a non-grade banded Special Education Specialist EC-12 certificate and exam based on the Special Education EC-6 and 6-12 grade-banded standards and stakeholder feedback. Those changes discussed during the board meeting are now reflected in the updated Special Education Specialist EC-12 exam framework, which includes a redline version detailing updates to the framework. Click here to view the updated framework. 

Reminder: Reading Academies Webinar Recording   

The TEA Reading Academies and Educator Quality teams held a webinar on February 27th to provide information about the Texas Reading Academies and potential future opportunities for EPPs. If you were unable to attend the webinar and are interested in learning more, please see the Reading Academies Webinar Recording.  

If your EPP has interest in participating in the EPP Reading Academies Working Groups discussed during the webinar, please fill out the interest survey.The information you provide will be used for planning purposes only. In addition, please enter your questions, concerns, and suggestions into this form. Your questions and feedback will guide our work as we plan for our working groups, and we will provide a FAQ in future newsletters.   

Reminder: TX257 Health EC-12 Pilot Test Opportunity 

Pearson is conducting pilot testing for the updated 257 Health EC-12 exam.  Pilot testing is intended to collect information on the performance of exam questions to be used at future exam administrations. Pilot testing will be available at Pearson VUE test centers throughout Texas from March 7 through April 3, 2023, and registration for participation opened on February 21st here.   

Please note that participation in a pilot test does not satisfy certification requirements or count against a candidate’s test attempts. Participants and educator preparation programs do not receive a Pass/Fail status or a score report. If you have questions or need further information, please contact the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program at estexas@pearson.com. 

 

DID YOU KNOW?  

Candidates are responsible for ensuring that the name shown in their testing account matches (excluding suffix, middle name or initial, spaces, and special characters such as hyphens, accents, and apostrophes) the first and last name on the ID documents that will be presented at the test center. 

If their ID documents do not match the first and last name used when they registered, they will be prohibited from testing and their exam fees will be forfeited. 

A name change request can be submitted via the TEA Help Desk at least 12 business days before their exam date. 

Educator Certification 

Updates related to Educator Certification  

New: Superintendent Certification Application 
The Superintendent Certification Application for the substitution of managerial experience in lieu of the principal certification requirement has been updated.  Please ensure that you are no longer providing the old form with the orange and red TEA logo and provide the new form with the blue and orange logo.  Along with the link above, you may also access the form at https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/additional-certifications/becoming-a-principal-or-superintendent-in-texas.

FAQs   

We take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs. 

Q: In the Clinical Experience Record, what do I do if a cooperating teacher/mentor does not know their TEA ID or will not provide it to the EPP? 

A: The TEA ID is available to all educators when they log in to ECOS for Educators. Starting 9/1/2023 the TEA ID of the mentor is required. If your cooperating teacher/mentor does not know their TEA ID, they can easily find it on the landing page after logging into TEAL. Educators and their employing districts can easily access the TEA ID numbers. You may wish to note the following in your materials or conversations with cooperating teachers / mentors: 

EPP staff routinely work with candidate identifiers such as Social Security numbers and TEA ID numbers. 19 TAC §228.10(b)(1) reinforces and requires that “an EPP is responsible for establishing procedures and practices sufficient to ensure the security of information against unauthorized or accidental access, disclosure, modification, destruction, or misuse.” ECOS is a secure environment, so entering the TEA ID numbers into the Clinical Experience Records should not cause concern. 
 

Q: With the Clinical Experience Record, what if something happens to or with the cooperating teacher and another one needs to be assigned to the candidate? Can this data be edited once submitted or is it locked? What if candidates are in their placement and something changes, are we able to go in and make adjustments?  

A: Data that is not pre-populated from another source in ECOS may be edited in the Clinical Experience Record if the record is not tied to an observation; however, once there is an observation entered for the original Clinical Experience Record, the EPP will not be able to edit or delete that record. If an aspect of the supervised clinical experience changes once observations have begun, TEA recommends the EPP create a new record with the new aspects of the assignment. This allows the EPP to easily document and track changes in the candidate’s clinical experience. EPPs are encouraged to use the edit feature to correct mistakes and make updates in the record when possible. 

For More Information...   

Information regarding educator certification testing can be accessed at the Texas Educator Certification Exam website.   

Information and updates regarding the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) can be accessed at the Important Updates link.   

Updated information related to the COVID-19 response can be accessed here.   

To view previous editions of the weekly newsletter, please see the Texas Educator Preparation Program Weekly Newsletter webpage.  

Information regarding the current Texas certification exams can be found on the 2021-2022 Required Test Chart for Texas Certification. 

Educator account setup instructions can be found on the TEA’s Educator Certification Online System website. 

EPP Points of Contact   

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 associated Education Specialist. 
  • For easiest assistance, file a HelpDesk Ticket.  
    • Or EPPs (and candidates) may call (512) 936-8400 and select Option #5: Educator Preparation Programs. If an Education Specialist is not available to answer the call at that time, please leave a voicemail. An Education Specialist will promptly return the call.  

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 Certification  
  • Option 3: Fingerprinting  
  • Option 6: Investigations
  • Option 8: General Office Information 

The Teal Account Access team and Educator Testing team are available through the Help Desk.
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