In alignment with The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) guiding principles, the College of Education & P-16 Integration (CEP) has established a mission of excellence in the preparation of educators, instructional leaders, and school leaders. The university has the esteemed reputation of having an educator preparation program with national accreditation and seeking continued status through CAEP accreditation. CEP holds the values of exemplary program and assessment standards, rigorous, relevant preparation, and strong community connections through early field experiences, clinical teaching, internships, and practicums as measures of distinction in the application of best practice in K-12 schools. As a result, these guidelines and policies have been developed.
State Testing Policy: Effective September 1, 2015,. teacher candidates will be limited to five attempts to take a certification exam. The five attempts include the first attempt to pass the exam and four retakes (TAC 230.21). Approvals for test-taking or retakes must be approved by the Office of Educator Preparation and Accountability (OEPA) upon verification of test readiness. Refer to the CEP OEPA website for information.
State Accountability Measures
All educator preparation programs are measured by results of the certification exams, performance based on the appraisal system for beginning teachers, improvement of achievement of students taught by beginning teachers (first three years), field supervision of clinical teachers/student teachers, or an internship and results from a principal survey.
Texas Administrative Code (TAC Rule §229.4):
- Accountability Performance Indicators The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) shall determine the accreditation status of an educator preparation program (EPP) at least annually, based on the following accountability performance indicators, disaggregated by demographic group and other requirements of this chapter and determined with the formulas and calculations included in the figure provided in §229.1(c) of this title (relating to General Provisions and Purpose of Accountability System for Educator Preparation Programs). Data will be used only if the following indicators are included in the accountability system for that academic year. Except for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years, when the data described in paragraphs 1-5 of this subsection will be reported to EPPs and will not be used to determine accreditation statuses, EPP accreditation statuses shall be based on:
- The EPP candidates' performance on pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests. The EPP candidates' performance on pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests shall provide separate accountability performance indicators for EPPs;
- For both pedagogy tests and content pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be the percent of individuals admitted after December 26, 2016, who passed an examination within the first two attempts, including those examinations attempted after the individual has completed the EPP or when the EPP has not recommended the individual for a standard certificate. The pass rate is based solely on the examinations approved by the EPP. Examinations taken before admission to the EPP, or specific examinations taken for pilot purposes are not included in the pass rate.
- For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years, the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) shall be treated as a content pedagogy test.
- For pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be a pass rate of 85%.
- For content pedagogy tests, the performance standard shall be a pass rate of 75% and beyond. Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 7, Chapter 229
UTRGV College of Education & P-16 Integration (CEP) Policies
All teacher candidates seeking State of Texas certification must meet appropriate and relevant Texas Administrative Code (TAC) and adhere to current CEP standards and policies. This ensures educators have the appropriate and current credentials for serving K-12 students as teachers, counselors, educational diagnosticians, master reading teachers, principals, and other school leaders.
The Teaching & Learning Department, the Bilingual and Literacy Studies Department, and the Human Development and School Services Department collaboratively develop policies for preparation and academic supports for test approval for Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) and elementary certification exams. Secondary content TExES exam approvals follow policies developed by respective academic departments. Teacher candidates are recommended to refer to the CEP OEPA website for a description of the current Teacher Certification Roadmap.
If the TEA certification standards change between the time that the candidate completes the program and the time that certification is sought, the new standards must be met. The EPP may make test approval contingent on a candidate completing additional coursework and/or training in a) an area where the standards or test have changed or, b) when five years or more have passed since the academic year of program completion (TAC 228.40(d)).
Reference: Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 7, Chapter 228
UTRGV Initial Preparation Program TExES Policy
Requirements
CEP requires that Elementary Teacher Education Program candidates pass Content and PPR exams prior to admission into the clinical teaching program. Science of Teaching Reading (STR) and supplemental exams may be taken before or during clinical teaching. The College of Education & P-16 Integration requires that Secondary and All-Level Teacher Education Program candidates pass PPR TExES exams prior to admission into the clinical teaching program. Secondary content exam policies are developed by the respective academic department. Teacher candidates are required to follow all preparation protocols.
UTRGV Initial Certification Policy
Requirements
The UTRGV CEP Leadership Team has established the following policy with input from the Advisory Committee - effective date of this policy is August 2, 2021:
All teacher candidates defined as “program finishers” are eligible for certification when they fulfill all the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) requirements including clinical teaching, conferral of a degree, and submission of passing scores on a comprehensive examination prescribed by SBEC (TAC 230.13).
Program finisher(s) must request recommendation for teacher certification immediately upon conferring degree by UTRGV. Teacher candidates are recommended to refer to the OEPA webpage for a description of the current certification application process.
TExES Test Approval Process
TExES Test Approval Process |
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Exam |
1 st Attempt |
2 nd Attempt |
3 rd Attempt |
4 th Attempt |
5 th Attempt |
EC-12 PPR |
1. Complete Certify Teacher for the PPR and achieve a score of 80% or higher in all four domains . |
1. Create an " Eligibility Request Form " application on Tk20 with your official Pearson score report uploaded. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
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EC-6 Core Subjects |
1. Register for the Core Subjects Representative Exam. |
1. Create an " Eligibility Request Form " application on Tk20 with your official Pearson score report uploaded. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
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Science of Teaching Reading |
1. Register for the Science of Teaching Reading Representative Exam. |
1. Create an " Eligibility Request Form " application on Tk20 with your official Pearson score report uploaded. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
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PK-3 Early Childhood |
1. Complete 3 workshops |
1. Create an " Eligibility Request Form " application on Tk20 with your official Pearson score report uploaded. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
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Secondary & All Level Content |
1. Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
1. Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
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Specialization Exams |
1. Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
1. Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
Email department chair or program coordinator with request for eligibility and complete educational activities as assigned. |
Change in State Standards and Teacher Certification
Subsequent to completion of degree and request for approval to take State Certification exam; the current TEA regulations will be adhered to. Therefore, candidates may be required to fulfill additional requirements not present at the time of initial completion of degree.
Transfer Requirements
If a teacher candidate does not complete all required testing requirements to be recommended for certification and opts to pursue a different area of certification/track for teacher certification, the student must complete a Transfer Form. The completion of a Transfer Form indemnifies UTRGV EPP against responsibility for the former student’s teacher certification recommendation and reporting requirements.