Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 7 - STATE BOARD FOR EDUCATOR CERTIFICATION › Chapter 227 - PROVISIONS FOR EDUCATOR PREPARATION CANDIDATES › Subchapter A - ADMISSION TO EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS › Section 227.10 - Admission Criteria

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 2024
(a) The educator
				  preparation program (EPP) delivering educator preparation shall require the
				  following minimum criteria of all applicants seeking initial certification in
				  any class of certificate, unless specified otherwise, prior to admission to the
				  program.
(1) For an undergraduate university
				  program, an applicant shall be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher
				  education (IHE).
(2) For an
				  alternative certification program or post-baccalaureate program, an applicant
				  shall have, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree earned from and conferred by an
				  accredited IHE.
(3) For an
				  undergraduate university program, alternative certification program, or
				  post-baccalaureate program, to be eligible for admission into an EPP, an
				  applicant shall have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 before
				  admission.
(A) The GPA shall be calculated
				  from an official transcript as follows:
(i)
				  2.5 on all coursework previously attempted by the person at an accredited IHE:
(I) at which the applicant is currently
				  enrolled (undergraduate university program formal admission, alternative
				  certification program contingency admission, or post-baccalaureate program
				  contingency admission); or
(II)
				  from which the most recent bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited IHE
				  was conferred (alternative certification program formal admission or
				  post-baccalaureate program formal admission); or
(ii) 2.5 in the last 60 semester credit hours
				  on all coursework previously attempted by the person at an accredited IHE:
(I) at which the applicant is currently
				  enrolled (undergraduate university program formal admission, alternative
				  certification program contingency admission, or post-baccalaureate program
				  contingency admission). If an applicant has less than 60 semester credit hours
				  on the official transcript from the accredited IHE at which the applicant is
				  currently enrolled, the EPP shall use grades from all coursework previously
				  attempted by a person at the most recent accredited institution(s) of higher
				  education, starting with the most recent coursework from the official
				  transcript(s), to calculate a GPA for the last 60 semester credit hours;
				  or
(II) from which the most recent
				  bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited IHE was conferred. If an
				  applicant has hours beyond the most recent degree, an EPP may use grades from
				  the most recent 60 hours of coursework from an accredited IHE (alternative
				  certification program formal admission or post-baccalaureate program formal
				  admission).
(B)
				  In accordance with the Texas Education Code, (TEC), §21.0441(b), an
				  exception to the minimum GPA requirement may be granted by the program director
				  only in extraordinary circumstances and may not be used by a program to admit
				  more than 10% of any incoming class of candidates. An applicant is eligible for
				  this exception if:
(i) documentation and
				  certification from the program director that an applicant's work, business, or
				  career experience demonstrates achievement equivalent to the academic
				  achievement represented by the GPA requirement; and
(ii) in accordance with the TEC, §
													21.0441(a)(2)(B),
				  an applicant must pass an appropriate content certification examination as
				  specified in paragraph (4)(C) of this subsection for each subject in which the
				  applicant seeks certification prior to admission. In accordance with the TEC,
				  §
													21.0441(b),
				  applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement and have previously been
				  admitted into an EPP may request permission to register for an appropriate
				  content certification examination if the applicant is not seeking admission to
				  the same EPP that previously granted test approval for a certification
				  examination in the same certification class.
(C) An applicant who is seeking a career and
				  technical education (CTE) certificate that does not require a degree from an
				  accredited IHE is exempt from the minimum GPA requirement.
(D) An applicant who does not meet the
				  minimum GPA requirement and is seeking certification in a class other than
				  classroom teacher must perform at or above a score equivalent to a 2.5 GPA on
				  the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytic Writing sections of
				  the GRE® (Graduate Record Examinations) revised General Test. The State
				  Board for Educator Certification will use equivalency scores established by the
				  Educational Testing Service, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will publish
				  those equivalency scores annually on the TEA website.
(4) For an applicant who will be seeking an
				  initial certificate in the classroom teacher class of certificate, the
				  applicant shall have successfully completed, prior to admission, at least:
(A) a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in
				  the subject-specific content area for the certification sought, unless
				  certification sought is for mathematics or science at or above Grade 7;
				  or
(B) 15 semester credit hours in
				  the subject-specific content area for the certification sought if the
				  certification sought is for mathematics or science at or above Grade 7;
				  or
(C) a passing score on the
				  appropriate content certification examination as specified in the figure
				  provided in this subparagraph.
Attached
					 Graphic
(5) For an applicant who will be seeking an
				  initial certificate in a class other than classroom teacher, the applicant
				  shall meet the minimum requirements for admission described in Chapter 239 of
				  this title (relating to Student Services Certificates); Chapter 241 of this
				  title (relating to Certification as Principal); and Chapter 242 of this title
				  (relating to Superintendent Certificate). If an applicant has not met the
				  minimum certification, degree, and/or experience requirement(s) for issuance of
				  a standard certificate prior to admission, the EPP shall inform the applicant
				  in writing of any deficiency prior to admission.
(6) An applicant must demonstrate basic
				  skills in reading, written communication, and mathematics by meeting the
				  requirements of the Texas Success Initiative under the rules established by the
				  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in Part 1, Chapter 4,
				  Subchapter C, of this title (relating to Texas Success Initiative), including
				  one of the requirements established by §
											4.54
				  of this title (relating to Exemptions, Exceptions, and Waivers).
(7) An applicant must demonstrate the English
				  language proficiency skills as specified in §
											230.11 of
				  this title (relating to General Requirements).
(A) An applicant for CTE certification that
				  does not require a bachelor's degree from an accredited IHE may satisfy the
				  English language proficiency requirement with an associate's degree or high
				  school diploma or the equivalent that was earned at an accredited IHE or an
				  accredited high school in the United States.
(B) An applicant to a university
				  undergraduate program that leads to a bachelor's degree may satisfy the English
				  language proficiency requirement by meeting the English language proficiency
				  requirement of the accredited IHE at which the applicant is enrolled.
(8) An applicant must submit an
				  application and participate in either an interview or other screening
				  instrument to determine if the EPP applicant's knowledge, experience, skills,
				  and aptitude are appropriate for the certification sought.
(9) An applicant must fulfill any other
				  academic criteria for admission that are published and applied consistently to
				  all EPP applicants.