B.A.I.S./B.S.I.S. - Teacher Certification, General Information

The major in Education offers two levels of certification

  • The Early Childhood Level EC-6th Grade, options are:
    EC-6 Core Subjects (Includes courses to support ESL)
    EC-6 Bilingual (Spanish)
    EC-6 Special Education
  • The Middle Level 4th - 8th Grade, options are:
    4-8 Math
    4-8 Science
    4-8 Math/Science
    4-8 English/Language Arts/Reading
    4-8 Science with English as a Second Language (ESL)
    4-8 Math with English as a Second Language (ESL)
    4-8 English/Language Arts/Reading with English as a Second Language (ESL)
    4-8 Social Studies (See History Department Advisor)
  • If you are a current Educational Aide, see your Academic Advisor
  • Students seeking a BA will be required to take 12 hours of a Foreign Language.

  • Professional Education and Support Courses

    Professional education is that component in the program which provides the preservice teacher with:

  1. Generic teaching skills required to plan, deliver, and evaluate teaching;
  2. Organization and management skills needed for large group, small group, and individual instruction
  3. Methods for teaching specific subjects in the elementary curriculum; and
  4. Field experiences to practice the theories and methods learned at the university and in public school classrooms.

Benchmark One: Academic Advising (TSI/Course Completion Check/GPA)

Student will meet with an Academic Advisor to assure:

  • Completion of a minimum of 45 semester credit hours of college coursework; COEHS Mentor Center provides course completion check.
  • Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements met
  • Overall GPA of 2.50 is a prerequisite to ELED 300 and RDG 350
  • Minimum overall GPA of 2.75 as a prerequisite to SED 300/330 and RDG 380
  • Documented Early Field Experience Observation Hours (ELED/SED 300 & 330/30 hours and RDG 350/15 hours)
  • Degree Evaluation in My Leo (Degree Works) indicates courses and requirements still to be met throughout the student’s program.
  • Review of core course work for appropriate grades and completion (usually after earning 54 hours of core and interdisciplinary courses) 
  • Co- and prerequisites me

Benchmark Two: ADMISSION TO EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM

Students will begin the admission screening during the ELED 300 semester with the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

  • Students apply through Tk20 for admissions to the Educator Preparation Program.  A Texas Education Agency assessment fee is applied at time of application.
  • Students enrolled in ELED 300 will complete the application, which includes a teaching disposition survey. An assigned faculty member will review the completed survey. 
  • Overall GPA of 2.65, TSI complete and 12 hours in major coursework (15 hours for Math and Science majors)
  • The results of the admission screening are recorded on the Educator Preparation Program Admission Interview Form within the Tk20 system. Upon receiving the Acceptance Survey, candidates must complete the survey to finalize formal admission into the program by the deadline provided by the certification office. 
  • Students who are accepted into the program must submit their acceptance survey in TK20 by the communicated deadline. Students who fail to complete the TEA required TK20 acceptance survey within the designated timeframe will be removed from the list of accepted students. They will then be required to complete the full program application and meet all requirements again.

In the event that an applicant is not successful with admission into the program the following pre-mediation/remediation steps will occur:

  • Students who do not meet the disposition rubric score requirements or TEA screening requirements will be denied admission to the program. 
  • Students who do not meet admission requirements will be notified by certification office to determine next steps.  For a pre-mediation/remediation action plan, students will be notified by department personnel.
  • Students must reapply to the program and complete/meet all admissions requirements (disposition survey, minimum GPA, application fee, etc.) in order to be considered for admission into the program. 

Benchmark Three:  Complete the coursework and benchmarks required in the junior year prior to beginning internship placement:

All requirements for Admission to Professional Development Coursework must continue to be met and an official degree plan declared.

  • Completion of a minimum of 80 semester credit hours of college coursework
  • EFE hours (30 hours) documented inTk20 -  (ELED 300/RDG 350)
  • Bilingual Generalist students meeting all requirements determined by the Department will be granted approval to take the BTLPT.
  • C or better in English 1301 or 1302, College Algebra or (appropriate test score) 
  • GPA of 2.75 & Grade no lower than “C” in each:
    • Education Core, Concentration/Specialization, and Professional Development Courses
  • All Education Core courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher if they are required for your degree.  IS 351, IS 352, HHPK 324, MUS/THE/ART 305, Math 1350, Math 1351, SPED 346
  • Overall GPA of 2.75 is a prerequisite to RDG 360, RDG 370 and RDG 380.
  • Lacking no more than four hours to start Internship

Benchmark Four:  Complete Application for Intern semester:

  • Students must apply for their pre-clinical and clinical teaching placement in the field-based Teacher Education Program in the spring/fall semester prior to beginning the intern/clinical semester. 
  • The application is an online process within Tk20.  The application opens on the 1st class day and remains open until the 12th class day.
  • Students should apply the semester prior to starting their internship for EC-6/4-8 and clinical semester for SED/All-level.
  • Applications may not be processed past this date. The application file will contain the following documents:
  • Application processing fee receipt
  • An autobiographical sketch (online submission process) 
  • A signed commitment contract 
  • A schedule of courses currently enrolled in and courses still lacking
  • Orientation PowerPoint Acknowledgement
  • Students must meet all requirements under Benchmark Three.
  • Departmental review and approval to interview and begin the intern/clinical semester. (If two or more separate faculty members file a Departmental Concern Form, a student may be prevented from interviewing or beginning the intern/clinical semester if a pattern of professional issues is documented.)
  • Before participating in the field-based interview sessions with ISDs, Teacher Candidate applicants have an opportunity to attend a Q&A session to address questions and/or concerns related to the Orientation PowerPoint and prepare for intern/clinical interviews. 

A student who does not meet the established criteria for approval to begin student teaching may appeal to the Departmental Appeals Committee or to TEARAC for permission to begin intern semester or clinical teaching, with the following exceptions:

  • A student may not appeal to begin a pre-clinical/clinical teaching placement if they have not completed a successful interview that resulted in a confirmed placement.
  • A student may not appeal a “Departmental review and non-approval to interview and begin internship.” This occurs when faculty have professional concerns and complete two Department “Fitness to Teach” for Prospective Teacher Education Students Professional Behavioral Standards Evaluation Forms, which are filed in the department.
  • A student may not appeal a low GPA.
  • A student may not appeal a low Basic Skills Requirement score (Reading, Writing, or Math).

However, a student may appeal a grade below a “C” only if (a) the student’s overall GPA is 2.75 or above and (b) the student’s department gives written approval for the student to appeal to TEARAC.

Benchmark Five:  Successful Interview and Field Based Placement

  • Prospective interns are required to attend an interview session with partner school districts organized by a field-based center.
  • District interviews are held in fall for spring placement and spring for fall placement for NET CPDT Centers. An interview schedule will be posted on the application website. The purpose of this interview session is to provide prospective interns with information about the various ISDs and to provide an opportunity for ISD personnel (often a team of the principal and Mentor/Cooperating teachers), to identify prospective interns with whom they would like to work.
  • Once each prospective Teacher Candidate has interviewed with the team from their first choice district, respective districts identify the applicants to invite to be Teacher Candidates in their districts. The students will be notified by phone or email of their assignments by the Center Coordinator or Educator Certification & Academic Services staff.
  • If a student does not have a satisfactory interview then they will be notified by departmental personnel about next steps.

Benchmark Six: First Semester of Senior Year- (Intern Semester)

  • Interns must pass the Core Subjects/Content (for 4-8) prior to beginning the clinical teaching semester.
  • Interns that are not successful passing the Core Subjects or Content exam prior to the beginning of their clinical teaching semester (as determined by the ILT) will be required to sit out (unable to take clinical teaching course work and be in the field) one consecutive full semester.  The intern will be able to remain a teacher candidate in the program during this time period and will not have to appeal to TEARAC.  An Intern who is not successful on the Core Subjects or Content exam after this time period will be deemed out of the Educator Preparation Program and will be required to appeal to TEARAC for readmission.

Benchmark Seven: Clinical Teaching

  • Student must be enrolled in appropriate clinical teaching coursework
  • Teacher Candidates must maintain a 2.75 GPA in clinical teaching, successfully complete clinical teaching seminar courses with no grade below a 'C' and have all other requirements and benchmarks met.
  • Students should take any remaining TExES exams needed for their level or subject areas of certification.  Students must follow the certification exam authorization process to gain approval for registering for exams. Information about the approval process is provided by the Center Coordinators.
  • Students must apply for graduation at the beginning of their clinical teaching semester regardless if they choose to walk or not.

Benchmark 8: Recommendation for Certification

  • Approval from the Instructional Leadership Team and Center Faculty for recommendation for certification.

Retention

To be retained in the Educator Preparation Program, a student must continue to meet all admission standards. A student may be dismissed from the teacher education program following a review of the student’s admission status. This review can be requested by either TAMU-Commerce or public school personnel. A student may be withdrawn from internship or clinical teaching upon recommendation of the student’s field based instructional leadership team (ILT). This withdrawal from internship or clinical teaching will result in the student no longer being retained in the teacher education program.

Certification

After completion of all degree and/or certification requirements, students may visit http://www.tamuc.edu/academics/colleges/educationHumanServices/educatorCertificationAcademicServices/alternativecertification/filing-for-certification/default.aspx to file for certification. Before the State Board for Educator Certification issues a certificate, a criminal history background check will be conducted and can result  in the denial of certification to those persons with felony or misdemeanor convictions.

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