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.  

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Educator Preparation Program Listserv Registration

Upcoming Deadlines

Topic	Action Item	Due Date
Feedback on the Current EPF Draft	Provide input on the current draft of the EPF (see below)	Thursday May 11, 2023
Title II Report	Complete this federally required annual report at https://title2.ed.gov	May 19, 2023
2023 Vetted Teacher Residency Application	2023 Vetted Teacher Residency Application Window closes (See below)	Friday June 9, 2023

Educator Preparation Program Support

Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management 

Reminder: Clarification on the Vetted Teacher Residency Program Application

The 2023 Vetted Teacher Residency Program Application remains open through 6/9/23. The application includes several questions about the applicant’s intent to scale and sustain the residency model. These questions are information seeking only and are non-scored components of the application.

Reminder: Coming Soon - Reading Academies Working Group Application

In February, the Reading Academies Team and Educator Quality Team hosted a Reading Academies for EPP webinar. As an outcome of the webinar, several programs have expressed interest in opting in to the 2023-2024 EPP Reading Academies working group. TEA plans to launch an application this month for the opportunity. More information to come!

Reminder: Insight to Impact Dashboard Governance Committee

As announced at the Insight to Impact Dashboard launch, TEA is seeking EPP stakeholders who are interested in the Insight to Impact (I2I) Dashboard Governance Committee. The Insight to Impact Dashboards are focused on providing impactful and interpretable data so all appropriate stakeholders can use them effectively to support program improvement. The mission of the Insight to Impact Dashboard Governance Committee is to establish a robust pathway for collecting, defining, synthesizing, and prioritizing the requests of I2I EPP dashboard users so that dashboards are strategically developed and updated to provide the most useful and usable data for program improvement.

If you are interested in participating in the I2I Dashboard Governance Committee, please submit your information through this form by Friday, May 12th.

Educator Standards and Testing 

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing

New: Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity Participation Agreement Form and Additional Funds Survey Reminder

The Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity (CSACERO) is available to all eligible educator preparation programs that certify candidates in the Approved Shortage Areas for the 2022-2023 academic year. TEA will provide eligible programs the opportunity to receive reimbursement to cover the cost of candidate certification exams in one of the federally designated critical shortage areas. During the week of May 1st, TEA staff sent communication to all eligible programs’ legal authorities and certification officers regarding additional funding to support this effort. The Critical Shortage Area Certification Exam Reimbursement Opportunity Participation Agreement Form was included in this communication asking program contacts to confirm participation, funding, and to agree to the reimbursement opportunity assurances. The CSACERO Participation Agreement Form and Additional Funds Survey should be completed no later than EOD Monday May 15, 2023, to hold your program’s reimbursement funding. Reponses to this confirmation survey will be used to deterine reallocation of funds to participating programs. Note: Programs that completed the initial participation survey will need to complete this second survey— which includes opportunity assurances— to reserve reimbursement funds. Please contact Kelly Torrey (kelly.torrey@tea.texas.gov) with any questions.

DID YOU KNOW? 

2023–2024 score report dates for the Texas educator certification exams are now available.

Updates about SBEC, Rules, and Legislation 

Updates related to actions by the State Board For Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.

Reminder: The April SBEC meeting was held on Friday, April 28th. The agenda for the meeting and the recording can be found on the SBEC Meeting webpage.

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.

If EPPs (and candidates) would like to speak to a representative from another area(s), they may submit a Help Desk Ticket or contact (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.