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Educator certification/continuing professional education
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The State Board for Educator Certification was created in 1995 by the Texas Legislature to regulate and oversee certification, continuing education and standards of conduct of public school educators. The SBEC comprises 15 members, 11 of whom are voting members appointed by the governor; of the four nonvoting members, one represents the Texas Education Agency, one represents the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, one is a college of education dean, and one is a person who has experience with an alternative certification program not affiliated with an institution of higher education. Among the 11 voting members are four public members and seven practitioners: four teachers, two administrators and one counselor.
Certificate renewal periods/CPE requirements
Teacher certificates issued after Aug. 31, 1999, are subject to a five-year renewal period, with a 150-hour continuing professional education requirement that must be met through an SBEC-approved provider. (TCTA offers more than 45 hours of free CPE videos for members at tcta.org/seminars.) Counselor, librarian, educational diagnostician and master teacher certificates issued after Aug. 31, 1999, have a 200-hour CPE requirement for every renewal cycle. Educators who add another class of certificate during a renewal cycle can prorate the additional CPE hours required by the new certificate for the remainder of the renewal cycle. Certificates issued before Sept. 1, 1999, are exempt from these rules. Educators adding new certificate areas should be aware that while their current certificates retain the “lifetime” designation, any certificates added after Aug. 31, 1999, are renewable and subject to the continuing education requirements. Education aides are required to be certified but are not subject to the continuing education requirements.
Note: Non-certified personnel are exempt from CPE requirements and are not subject to certificate sanctions. Certification by exam
TCTA-initiated legislation allows certified teachers to become certified in another area or level simply by passing the applicable certification exam, without having to complete an educator preparation program or obtain additional college credit hours. Certification by exam is not available for teachers of students with visual impairments; for the EC-3 certificate; or for certificates other than the classroom teacher category of certificate (e.g., school counselor, learning resources/ school librarian, educational diagnostician). Teachers adding certificates via exam can register with the testing company for the applicable certification exam by indicating that they are obtaining certification by examination and will not have to receive a bar code for the exam from an educator preparation program.
Certification exam retakes
Retakes of certification exams are limited to four times per exam unless SBEC waives the limitation for good cause. The retake limitation does not apply to candidates seeking a standard Trade and Industrial Workforce Training certificate. Applicants for good-cause waivers must pay a $164 fee and demonstrate successful completion of a specified number of educational activities hours directly related to the relevant certification exam competencies that the candidate failed to pass in the certification exam. The number of required educational activities hours increases the further away a candidate’s score is from meeting the passing standard. Candidates are required to wait progressively longer periods of time before applying for a good-cause waiver with each successive unsuccessful exam attempt, up to the limit of five attempts. Good-cause determinations are administratively handled with appeals available to SBEC. Waiver applications are available on the TEA website at https://tea.texas.gov/Texas_ Educators/Certification/Educator_Testing/.
Science of teaching reading certification exam
Candidates issued certification to teach prekindergarten through grade six after Jan. 1, 2021, must demonstrate proficiency on the science of teaching reading certification exam.
Districts of Innovation
Most districts of innovation have exempted themselves from teacher certification requirements, so many of the following requirements will not apply unless provided in the terms of the innovation plan or local policies.
Applied STEM teachers
Persons seeking certification to teach applied STEM courses must pass the certification test administered by the recognized group that created the curriculum on which the STEM course is based.
Out-of-field assignments
SBEC rules require that a certified teacher assigned out of field must consent to the activation of an emergency permit and be advised of the conditions of the emergency permit. A teacher who refuses may not be terminated or nonrenewed or otherwise retaliated against because of the teacher’s refusal to consent to the activation of the emergency permit. However, a teacher’s refusal does not impair a school district’s right to implement a necessary reduction in force or other personnel actions in accordance with local school district policy.
Maximum length of service without standard certification
Without obtaining initial, standard certification, an individual may not serve for more than three school years in the same assignment while holding an intern, probationary, emergency or one-year certificate.
Out-of-state/out-of-country certification
An out-of-state certified educator has at least one full year from final SBEC review of their credentials to complete all Texas certification requirements as long as all required documents have been submitted. The requirements include satisfactory performance on the applicable Texas certification exam(s), or an exam similar to and at least as rigorous as the applicable Texas certification exam administered by the home state/country.
TExES ADMINISTRATION
Most TExES tests are administered via computer at specially equipped test centers, most on a continuous basis. For more information on test dates and registration, visit the Pearson website at www.tx.nesinc.com, or click on the Texas Educators link on the TEA website at www.tea. texas.gov.
State law allows the commissioner to adopt rules establishing exceptions to these certification exam requirements for out-ofstate/out-of-country certified educators. The commissioner’s rules require that applicants requesting an exemption from most Texas educator certification exam requirements meet the following requirements:
A) obtain a bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher education that, at the time it conferred the degree, was accredited or otherwise approved by an accrediting organization recognized by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board; (B) complete a state-approved educator preparation program, including student teaching or a teaching practicum, in the state where the standard certificate was issued; (C) pass the examinations required by the state department of education or country of licensure for issuance of the standard certificate; (D) hold a standard certificate issued by the state department of education or country of licensure that is equivalent to a
Texas standard classroom or professional class certificate;
PARENT NOTICE OF NON-CERTIFIED/INAPPROPRIATELY CERTIFIED TEACHERS
State law requires that a school district that assigns an inappropriately certified or uncertified teacher to the same classroom for more than 30 consecutive instructional days provide written notice of the assignment to the parent/ guardian of each student in that classroom. The statute defines “inappropriately certified or uncertified teacher” as an individual serving on an emergency permit or one who does not hold any certificate or permit. It does not include someone serving on a school district teaching permit or for whom a waiver of certification has been granted by the commissioner, or to non-certified people hired by DOIs that claim exemption from certification requirements. The statute also exempts certified teachers who are teaching a class/classes outside their area of certification from the parent notice requirement. Additionally, the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requires that school districts provide timely notice to a student’s parents if a student has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who does not meet applicable state certification or licensure requirements for the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned. State law provides that school districts that provide the notice required by ESSA are not required to provide the notice required by state law. ESSA also requires that, upon request, parents of students receive timely information about whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications, and whether their child’s teacher:
• has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction; • is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and • is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.
(E) for an applicant certified as a classroom teacher, have at least one academic year of verifiable, full-time experience serving in the role and documented on a service record; and (F) for an applicant certified in a professional class area only, have two academic years of verifiable, full-time experience serving in the role and documented on a service record. Note: Additional requirements apply for those seeking exemption from the Science of Teaching Reading exam.
Failure to obtain/maintain certification/permit
Failure to obtain or maintain certification or a permit renders an employee’s contract void, unless the employee timely fulfills renewal requirements but suffers a bureaucratic delay causing the certificate/permit to lapse. Districts may terminate an employee’s contract that is void, unless the employee requests and takes necessary steps to receive an extension from SBEC to renew the certificate/permit within 10 days after the contract becomes void. For more information about contracts, see page 9.
Extension of certification renewal deadlines
Certification renewal deadlines can be extended in hardship situations involving catastrophic illness or injury of an educator or immediate family member. Military service members receive two additional years to complete all renewal requirements. Additionally, a local school district may apply for a hardship exemption on behalf of an educator who has an invalid certificate due to lack of earning the required continuing professional education (CPE) hours. The hardship exemption is valid for the academic year of the application and may be renewed up to one additional academic year, provided that the superintendent or designee of the local school district requests the extension.
Criminal background checks/fingerprinting
All applicants for certification who have not previously held a certificate issued by SBEC are required to undergo fingerprinting and a national criminal history background check prior to becoming certified. Additionally, any individual enrolled/ planning to enroll in an educator preparation program for teacher certification or planning to take a certification exam, who has reason to believe that they may be ineligible for certification due to a conviction or deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor offense, can ask TEA to issue a criminal history evaluation letter regarding the person’s eligibility for a teaching certificate. The fee for such a request is $50. For more information on fingerprinting and the national criminal history background check, see page 30.
Virtual certificates online
Anyone holding a valid Texas public school educator certificate can view his/her certificate through the secure Certificate Lookup at https://goo.gl/5bnmXQ. The virtual certificate is the official record of an educator’s certification status, eliminating the need for school districts and individuals to keep paper copies on file. The virtual certificate satisfies the requirement of the Texas Education Code to present a certificate prior to employment with a school district. Virtual certificates are posted immediately upon approval, and a printable version is available.
More information
If you have certification questions, call TEA’s credentialing division at 512-936-8400. More information on certification and how to become a teacher is available via the Texas Educators link on the TEA website, www.tea.texas.gov.
ACCEPTABLE CPE ACTIVITIES FOR CERTIFICATE RENEWAL
If you have a standard renewable certificate or you have voluntarily opted into the certificate renewal system, you must obtain CPE from an SBEC-approved provider to renew your certificate. Existing school district-provided in-service should count toward the CPE requirement, as may other activities such as college coursework, professional seminars, mentoring and self-directed study. TCTA
is an SBEC-approved provider. Members can earn CPE hours through TCTA’s free online seminars at tcta.org/seminars.
One semester credit hour earned at an accredited institution of higher education is equivalent to 15 CPE clock hours. Continuing education requirements for educators must include training regarding educating students with disabilities. Additionally, other than hours needed to comply with required topics for CPE (see below), CPE activities must be related to the certificate(s) being renewed and focus on the standards required for issuance of the certificate(s), including: 1. content area knowledge and skills; and 2. professional ethics and standards of conduct. A classroom teacher must attain no more than 25% of CPE hours that include training directly related to each of the following topics and may include two or more listed topics combined: (A) collecting and analyzing information that will improve effectiveness in the classroom; (B) recognizing early warning indicators that a student may be at risk of dropping out of school; (C) digital learning, digital teaching, and integrating technology into classroom instruction; (D) educating diverse student populations, including: (i) students who are educationally disadvantaged; and (ii) students at risk of dropping out of school; and (E) understanding appropriate relationships, boundaries, and
communications between educators and students. A school counselor must attain no more than 25% of CPE hours that include training directly related to each of the following topics: (A) assisting students in developing high school graduation plans; (B) implementing dropout prevention strategies; (C) informing students concerning: (i) college admissions, including college financial aid resources and application procedures; and (ii) career opportunities; (D) counseling students concerning mental health conditions and substance abuse, including through the use of grief-informed and trauma-informed interventions and crisis management and suicide prevention strategies; and (E) effective implementation of the
Texas Model for Comprehensive School
Counseling Programs under TEC §33.005. An educator may fulfill up to 16 clock hours of required CPE activities by participating in an evidence-based mental health first aid training program or an evidence-based grief-informed and trauma-informed care program that is offered through a classroom instruction format that requires in-person attendance. A person receiving this training will receive credit for twice the number of hours of instruction provided under that program, not to exceed 16 hours. An educator may receive credit toward CPE requirements for: • suicide prevention training that meets the guidelines for suicide prevention training approved under TEC §21.451; • an instructional course on the use of an automated external defibrillator that meets the guidelines for AED training approved under Texas Health and
Safety Code §779.002, in accordance with TEC §21.0541; and • education courses that: (A) use technology to increase the educator’s digital literacy; and (B) assist the educator in the use of digital technology in learning activities that improve teaching, assessment, and instructional practices. State law provides that continuing education requirements for educators teaching students with dyslexia must include training on new research and practices in the area. Completion of a literacy achievement academy meets this requirement. For more information on CPE requirements and a list of SBEC-approved providers, click on the Texas Educators link at www.tea.texas.gov. Some districts also require professional development as a condition of employment. While each district can decide what it will count for local employment purposes, it cannot decide what will count for CPE purposes.
