March 22, 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  
 

New: 2023 Vetted Teacher Residency Application is Open!  

TEA has opened the next cycle of the Vetted Teacher Residency Program application for EPPs that are actively implementing high-quality teacher residency models with existing district partnerships. The application window is open from 3/21/23 through 6/9/23. 

Currently, 28 approved programs are supporting over 90 districts across Texas in the Texas Covid Learning Acceleration Support (TCLAS) Grant Decision 5: Residency Program Support. These programs and their partner districts are working together to build sustainable residency programs throughout the three-year grant cycle (Fall 2021-Spring 2024). EPPs designated as vetted teacher residency programs during the Spring 2023 application cycle are eligible to partner with districts awarded with residency support incentives.  

Please see timelines below for anticipated application activities:  

Key Information  

Timelines and notes  

Application Window  

3/21-6/9/23 
Application posted to the TEA Program Provider Resources page and shared through the EPP newsletter.  

Application Q & A Window:  

3/21-4/7/23 
Written questions can be submitted to TEAteacherresidency@tea.texas.gov and responses will be shared in the 4/11/23 EPP newsletter, as well as posted to the program resources page.  

Review of Application and Notification:  

Summer 2023 
Notification will be sent no later than early September 2023 


 

New: Principal and Teacher Surveys 

Every year, TEA collects surveys from the principals of first-year teachers and from teachers completing their first year of teaching under a standard certificate. The Principal Survey is distributed via ECOS, and will be open on Tuesday, April 4. The Teacher Survey, which, based on feedback from EPPs has been rebranded the Evalution of Educator Preparation Programs by Teachers, is distributed via direct email to eligible teachers, and will be distributed on Monday, April 3. 

This year we are working on providing data sets that would allow your EPP to see your in-progress completion, which would enable you to complete targeted outreach to principals and teachers encouraging them to complete these vital evaluations. Please watch this newsletter for more information. 

No action is required from EPPs for the collection of these surveys, but if you have principals or candidates reach out to you, please feel free to direct them to the dedicated webpages:  

Principal Survey Webpage 

Evaluation of Educator Preparation Programs by Teachers Webpage 

New: ASEP Mid-Year Data Sets  

In order to provide data updates to EPPs, TEA will be distributing mid-year data sets to EPP data contacts. We are targeting this data distribution for Friday, March 31st. As in years past, these data sets will include updated observation data, pass rate data, and data to enable you to update your finisher records list.  

New this year will be data showing which candidates do not yet have clinical experience records. As a reminder, clinical experience records for all candidates who took part in an internship, practicum, or clinical teaching in 2022-2023 are required to be entered in the clinical experience system. 

Along with the data sets we will include a link to an explanatory video, that will describe the data sets and provide useful reminders for what EPPs should be doing right now to ensure successful ASEP reporting. The video will also be published on the TEA Program Provider Resources page on the TEA website. 

New: Admission Record Issue 

A few EPPs have reported experiencing problems creating admission records for candidates who were previously enrolled in another EPP in the same certificate area, even though the candidate was removed from the previous enrollment. The resulting error message states that the candidate is already enrolled in an EPP. The error prevents the creation of the admission record. This is a bug in the system. 

The TEA IT team is working on resolving this issue, and we expect to have the problem corrected in an update that will go live in late April. For now, if your EPP is getting the error message when attempting to create an admission record for a transfer candidate, please submit a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs-Data and we will assist. Thank you to the three EPPs that brought this issue to our attention. 

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 submit 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! 

At this event, you will also have time to connect with networks of EPPs – be they partners with the same technical assistance providers or your university system. We encourage all EPPs to have in-person representation at this event if possible. 

Educator Standards and Testing   

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing  

Reminder: Critical Shortage Area Exam Voucher Reimbursement Opportunity   

Recently, the Teacher Vacancy Task Force published a set of recommendations for the legislature, the TEA, and school systems (find the report linked here). One recommendation included providing funding for candidate certification exams particularly in hard to staff areas. In alignment with this recommendation, the TEA is providing a limited reimbursement opportunity for exams required for certification in federally designated critical shortage areas. The Critical Shortage Area Exam Voucher Reimbursement Opportunity is available to all eligible educator preparation programs certifying candidates in the Approved Shortage Areas for the 2022-2023 academic year. TEA provided information to all eligible program’s legal authority, certification officer, and primary contacts on Friday March 17th. Please connect with your program contacts for more information.  For FAQs and additional information related to this opportunity, please review the information posted to the Program Provider Resources page. 

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. 

FAQs   

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

Q: I am no longer receiving the EPP Weekly Newsletters in my inbox. How can I start receiving them again? 

A: If you are no longer receiving the EPP Weekly Newsletters delivered to your inbox, you can sign up to receive them again. Go to Texas Educator Preparation Program Weekly Newsletters and select any Newsletter. You will see the Listserve Registration Link. Just click on it and subscribe to the Newsletters to start receiving them again.  

Q: Is it too late to register to attend the New Certification Officer Training at TEA next week on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in PDC 7? 

A: No, it is not too late to register for the New Certification Officer Training. We would love to have you join us for the on-site training. There are still several slots open for reservation. Just submit a Help Desk ticket to Preparation Programs and we will get you registered. 

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.

The Texas Education Agency will improve outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.