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Educator Preparation Program Support 

Updates related to Educator Preparation Program Management  

New: Customer Service Support 

The end of the school year is a busy time for all, including various TEA divisions who experience a surge in calls and Help Desk tickets each year at this time. EPPs can help alleviate some of the volume by communicating important information to candidates on some common topics. 

• Candidates who seek test approval should contact the EPP directly since TEA cannot provide test approval to candidates. Additionally, candidates can view their approved tests in the View Examinations tab of their Educator accounts in ECOS. 

• Candidates who have applied for certification should contact the EPP directly regarding the status of their recommendation since TEA cannot recommend Intern, Probationary, or Standard certificates for candidates. 

Candidates who are transferring to a new EPP should contact the previous EPP directly for a transfer form since TEA does not issue transfer forms. EPP candidates will need to resolve any outstanding issues with their previous EPP if something is delaying completion of the transfer form.  

New:  Reading Academies for EPP Working Group Application is Now Live 

The Texas Reading Academies is a statewide professional development program that engages educators with high-quality instructional strategies rooted in the Science of Teaching Reading (STR). In response to feedback from the field, TEA is currently exploring opportunities for EPPs to have the option to engage with offering Reading Academy training to their teacher candidates. As a first step, TEA would like to engage a cohort of EPPs as a working group who would partner with an existing Authorized provider to offer Reading Academies to their teacher candidates during the upcoming academic year. The goal of this working group is to learn side by side with EPPs to ultimately provide recommendations for implementation approaches going forward. EPPs who are interested should apply to participate in the working group via the application process below. 

The application process consists of: 

• Competitive Authorization Application Window June 1 – June 16, 2023. 

• Application Question and Answer Period June 1 – June 5, 2023 

• Questions about the application may be submitted at this link: Question Form 

• Application Evaluation Window June 20- June 23, 2023 

• All applications will be reviewed. Once qualified programs have been identified, TEA will be in communication with all applicants. Additional steps for qualified applicants may include a follow-up meeting and negotiations, as needed, followed by execution of agreement(s) for selected providers. 

• All applicants selected will participate in a virtual kick off meeting during the week of July 10, 2023. 

EPPs that are interested in applying to be a Texas Reading Academies working group beginning in July 2023 may submit their application through this link: Application Link 

The rubric that will be used to score applications can be found at this link: Application Scoring Rubric. 

Texas Reading Academies Page:  EPP Page 

New: Welcome to our newest EPP! 

TEA welcomes ResponsiveEd 180 Educator Preparation Program, our newest SBEC-approved EPP in Texas effective April 28, 2023! ResponsiveEd 180 EPP is approved as an alternative certification program to prepare teacher candidates in Core Subjects/STR EC-6, Mathematics 4-8, Science 4-8, and English as a Second Language (ESL) Supplemental. ResponsiveEd 180 EPP is based in Lewisville, Texas. 

Updated: Vetted Teacher Residency Program Applications: Due 6/9/2023 

The 2023 Vetted Teacher Residency Program Application remains open through 6/9/23. All existing vetted teacher residency programs must reapply to remain a vetted teacher residency program. Please reach out to Melissa.Yoder@tea.texas.gov if you have final questions about the application.  

As a reminder, 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: EPP Commendations Category 4: Innovative Educator Preparation – Application Now Posted 

For the 2022-2024 Innovative Educator Preparation commendation, the SBEC seeks to recognize EPPs that engage in innovative development of EPP faculty and staff, field supervisors, and/or cooperating and mentor teachers in alignment with current research and best practices. Examples include, but are not limited to, co-teaching models, coaching practices, high quality instructional materials implementation, and/or response to intervention (RTI). Such practices must be well above the SBEC’s minimum requirements to be considered.  

EPPs must respond to the call by October 10, 2023 by 11:59 pm by emailing a complete set of materials to: innovative_epp@tea.texas.gov. Any questions related to the call should also be submitted to innovative_epp@tea.texas.gov. 

Please see the call and related instructions on the Program Provider Resources Page. ​​​​​​​

Educator Preparation and Certification

Updates related to Educator Preparation and Certification

New: Emergency Permits and Certification Waivers  

As districts work through the busy summer season of hiring, we want to share with you some helpful information regarding options that districts have when seeking to place individuals in assignments.  Given the ongoing vacancies across the state, districts are submitting requests to place EPP candidates on emergency permits and certification waivers. 

Emergency permits and teacher certification waivers allow districts to employ an individual to serve as a teacher without the necessary certification requirements. Teacher certification waivers cannot be approved for individuals to serve in special education or bilingual education assignments. Permits and certification waivers are not recommended for Educator Preparation Program (EPP) candidates because it does not count towards program requirements, is not issued, or supervised by the EPP, and can prolong the certification process.   

When an emergency permit or teacher certification waiver request is submitted by a district for an EPP candidate, TEA staff in Educator Preparation and Certification will contact the district to ensure that the EPP candidate is not currently eligible for an SBEC-issued credential and confirms that a conversation has occurred with the candidate and their EPP. TEA staff continue to encourage districts to maintain open and ongoing communication with EPPs so that both parties can actively support candidates in transitioning to an SBEC-issued certificate as soon as all requirements are met. 

Upon a candidate’s eligibility for an intern or probationary certificate, the district must submit a help desk ticket to end an emergency permit.  If you are interested in knowing the process and procedures that districts must follow, you may access the Emergency Permits Guide at this link. 

New: Incorrect Applications and Fee Transfers 

TEA staff in Educator Preparation and Certification are processing a high volume of help desk ticket requests to transfer fees to new applications due to candidates selecting incorrect applications.  When the incorrect application is submitted, TEA staff cannot edit or remove the submitted application. The Educator Preparation Program (EPP) must remove the incorrect application and the candidate must re-apply.  TEA staff will then need to transfer the fee from the old to the new application.  To help reduce the number of these requests, please ensure that candidates are well informed of the correct applications to select during the application process.  We appreciate your assistance with this matter. 

FAQs 

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

Q: Can an EPP recommend a candidate for an intern or probationary certificate while the candidate is on an emergency permit? 

A: A candidate may not hold an intern or probationary certificate concurrent with a permit unless the EPP is not approved to prepare candidates in the permitted area.  

Q: What should my EPP be doing now in terms of ASEP Reporting now that the school year is ending? 

A: EPPs should have entered clinical experience records for candidates participating in clinical teaching, internship, or practicum in 2022-2023 and should be finalizing observation data for all candidates who received observations in 2022-2023. Remember, every observation that occurs in 2022-2023 must be reported in 2022-2023, even if the clinical teaching, internship, or practicum is not over. Again, every observation that occurs between 9/1/2022 and 8/31/2023 must be reported in this year’s data. 

Additionally, candidate enrollment status should be updated for candidates. This means to update the enrollment records for finishers, exiters, candidates who change the certificate that they are pursuing, or any other changes. A good rule of thumb is to make sure candidate records are complete as you are recommending their standard certificates or exiting them from the program. 

If you need a refresher for using the various functions in ECOS, you can reference webinars such as Mid-Year ASEP Update and Clinical Experience Records and their related FAQs under Training Events and Materials, and the 2022-2023 Technical Manual under Forms and Documents both located on the Program Provider Resources page. 

Completing these tasks now will ensure that you will be ready with up-to-date data for the September 15 data reporting deadline. 

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 

• Option 8: General Office Information 

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