Department of Graduate Education

Dr. Darla Baggett, Chair of Global Education

Professor: Dr. Darla Baggett

• Acceptance Requirements
• Field Experience
• State Certification Exams
• Teacher Certification

Requirements for Acceptance into the Educator Preparation Program (EPP)

Per Texas Education Agency guidelines, students seeking certification must be admitted into the Educator Preparation Program (EPP).  This is separate from being admitted to the University.  After a student is admitted to the University, education students must meet the following requirements in order to be admitted into the EPP:

Applicants must have passed the pre-admission content exam (PACT) for state educator certification to show competency in the subject area.  The student must provide the type of exam and the date the exam was taken. Exam types are:

              EC-6 Core Subjects

              4-8 Core Subjects or subject area of teaching field

              7-12 subject area of teaching field

              Overall cumulative GPA or 2.75 OR

                          2.75 in the last 60 hours OR

                          Written documentation that work, business, or career experiences demonstrates achievement equivalent to academic achievement  represented by the GPA requirement.

Provide a well-written response to a series of questions relating to education. Content, writing mechanics, style, and clarity will be considered in the admission decision.

Complete a series of questions relating to education.

Principal as Instructional Leader Certification

Applicants seeking Principal as Instructional Leader certification must be admitted into the Educator Preparation Program (EPP).  This is separate from being admitted to the University.  After a student is admitted to the University, students must meeting the following requirements in order to be EPP admitted:

• Conferred Bachelor degree
• Overall minimum GPA of 2.75 OR 2.75 in the last 60 hours OR GRE scores as follows:

• TEA service record indicating years of teaching experience.  (This can be obtained from the HR offices of the district.)

TEACHER CERTIFICATION FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT

Observation Experience Requirement: 

The educator preparation program requires 30 clock-hours of field-based experience to be completed prior to assignment to clinical teaching or internship. Information concerning field-based experience will be provided by the Certification Director upon admission to the EPP.

Clinical Teaching:

The Clinical Teaching course is taken in the final fall or spring semester of the student’s major courses.  Students complete the traditional 14-week clinical teaching assignment by enrolling in Clinical Teaching.  Student placements will be arranged by LETU personnel in the area where the student lives.

Internship:

Students opting to complete an internship rather than clinical teaching will need to gain employment at a TEA approved public, charter, or private school district that will accept them on a probationary certificate.  These students must enroll in an Internship for two semesters. 

Students are required to document and submit 30 hours of observations and reflections prior to being eligible for a probationary certificate.

Professional Communication And Demeanor:

Students must have a record of professional behavior, effective communication and respectful interactions with others that reflect the established community behavior expectations and Christian mission and values of the university. This proficiency must be verified prior to beginning field experience.

STATE CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS

Students enrolled in the Teaching and Learning program are preparing for state TExES examinations in pedagogy throughout their coursework.  Students must pass the PACT (Pre-Admission Practice Test) prior to applying to LeTourneau. Students who pass the PPR and each content exam (including Science of Teaching Reading is applicable) with a score of 75% or above will be issued a test approval that will allow them to take the state TExES certification exams.

TEACHER CERTIFICATION

When the Director of Certification has verified that a student has satisfactorily completed all of the certification requirements, the student will be recommended for state certification.  The Director of Certification is the Certification Officer and the administrator in charge of all procedures for finalizing the certification process. The Director works with the program chairs, faculty, academic advisors, and the student. Students should be aware that the State Board for Educator Certification establishes set fees for each certificate requested. 

CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To obtain Texas Teacher Certification, students must successfully complete the following:

1.   Complete and graduate the required curriculum with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.

2.   Complete all required major courses with a grade of C or higher. (Note: No more than 20% of hours can be C’s.)

3.   Complete an approved field experience.

4.   Pass the appropriate TExES content exam/s.    

5.   Pass the EC-12 TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam.

6.   Payment of all tuition and fees.

7.   Recommendation of the Director of Educator Certification.
 

Majors

• Curriculum and Instruction Specialization, M.Ed. (MCI):Non-Traditional
• Educational Administration Specialization with Curriculum Emphasis, M.Ed. (MEAC):Non-Traditional
• Teacher Leadership Specialization, M.Ed. (MTL):Non-Traditional
• Teaching and Learning Specialization 4-8 Certification, M.Ed. (MTM):Non-Traditional
• Teaching and Learning Specialization 7-12 Certification, M.Ed. (MTS):Non-Traditional
• Teaching and Learning Specialization EC-6 Certification, M.Ed. (MTE):Non-Traditional