texas teacher assignment

February 23, 2022: Texas Educator Preparation Programs Newsletter

New: edTPA Pilot Webpage     We are thrilled to inform you that the Texas edTPA Pilot webpage has launched! Please find the edTPA pilot webpage here , which includes information about the edTPA pilot in Texas for stakeholder groups (EPPs, P-12 partners, and candidates) and will feature regular updates. If you would like to offer suggestions to enhance the edTPA pilot webpage, please feel free to do so via this survey . If you have any questions regarding the edTPA pilot, please contact DeMarco Pitre at [email protected] .   

New Postings to the Program Provider Resources page   The following documents are now available on the Program Provider Resources page :  

• Certificate Correction, Deactivation, and Reactivation webinar and FAQ document  
• Found under the EPP Training Events and Materials section  
• Request for Correction Form and Request to Correct the Finisher Record List Process document  
• Found under the Forms and Documents section  

EPPs now have access to the Request for Correction (RFC) Form which is used to submit a request to correct a candidate’s program status on the Finisher Record List from a previous reporting year.    

Educator Standards and Testing

Updates related to Educator Standards and Certification Testing    

ETS Seeking Scorers for PASL   ETS invites school leaders and preparation faculty to participate in the online scoring of the ETS® Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). This is an excellent opportunity for school leaders and preparation program faculty to become more familiar with this certification exam. Professionals who meet the criteria listed on PASL Scoring Job Opportunities are eligible to be scoring professionals (raters) for the assessment.      

Approved Exam Framework Posted – Deafblind EC-12 #185   The development of certification exams is based on the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) approved certification standards for each field. Recently approved exam frameworks are posted on the New Educator Standards and Test Frameworks website .   

DID YOU KNOW ?     Representative Examinations are available for purchase on the Pearson website.    

• Core Subjects EC-6 (391)  
• English Language Arts & Reading 4-8 (217) – Available September 2022  

Information about Representative Examinations is available on the program website at http://www.tx.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_AssessingCandidatesReadiness.html . To order a Representative Examination, authorized representatives from SBEC-approved educator preparation programs (EPPs) can send a request for an order form to [email protected] .  

Educator Certification 

Updates related to Educator Certification    

New: Updated Teacher Assignment Chart   The TAC Chapter 231 Teacher Assignment Chart document is available on the TEA website . EPPs can find the updated assignment chart in the Assignment Information section of the Certification page found under the Texas Educators tab on the TEA website.  

Updates about SBEC, Rules, and Legislation

Updates related to actions by the State Board for Educator Certification, the State Board of Education, and the Legislature.     

The February SBEC meeting was held Friday, February 11 th .  More information about the SBEC meeting, including the meeting agenda and access to view the meeting recording, can be found on the SBEC webpage .  

Program Spotlight

When possible, we present updates and shared practices from EPPs around Texas. If you have information you would like to share in this space, please reach out to your education specialist.

New : Program Spotlight Nomination Form TEA has created a new process to gather information about the wonderful practices, partnerships, and initiatives conducted by EPPs. If you would like to nominate your EPP or another EPP you’ve worked with, please complete and submit the Program Spotlight Nomination Form . Our goal is to ce lebrate the great work from EPPs around Texas. If you have any questions, please reach out yo ur E ducation S pecialist.

Every newsletter we take this space to highlight questions that we have heard from EPPs .    

Q: Can the TEA define what digital literacy is?   A:   Digital literacy is the ability to analyze, evaluate, and navigate digital platforms and media, including the internet and social media. This includes the ability to use technology safely and appropriately.    

Q: Can Education Service Center Alternative Certification Programs (ACPs) create a teacher residency program? If so, what is that process?       A: Residency transformation is just as important and possible for ACPs. TEA’s Teacher Residency team will soon be providing some strategies to support further residency transformation across Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs). All programs will have the option to apply for the vetted teacher residency program when the application launches again soon. See the section ‘ Educator Preparation Program Support ’ in this week’s newsletter for more information regarding the application timeline. TEA will be sharing more information for teacher and principal residencies in a future newsletter(s).  

For More Information...

Information regarding educator certification testing can be accessed at the Texas Educator Certification Exam website .    

Information regarding the Science of Teaching Reading Exam can be accessed at tea.texas.gov/str .    

Information regarding Spring 2022 edTPA Virtual Workshops and Webinars .    

Information and updates regarding the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) can be accessed at the Important Updates link.    

Updated information related to the COVID-19 response can be accessed here .    

To view previous editions of the weekly newsletter, please see the Texas Educator Preparation Program Weekly Newsletter webpage.   

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Teacher Certification: Part 4—Temporary Classroom Assignment Permit

April 26, 2021 • Cheryl Hoover

Part four of the teacher certification series focuses on the temporary classroom assignment permit (TCAP) used at the secondary level for a certified teacher assigned to teach one to four classes outside of their certification.

A TCAP can be activated for a secondary assignment in Grades 7–12 (Title 19  Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §230.77 ). To be eligible for this permit, the teacher must be certified at the secondary level, hold an all-level certificate, or have an elementary/4–8 certificate for middle/junior high school assignment in Grades 7–8.

Additionally, 12 semester hours must be completed in the specific subject area(s) to be taught. For science or mathematics, the individual must have completed 15 semester hours. The teacher also must register for the next available content examination.

Activating a TCAP

A permit form must be completed and signed by the individual and the superintendent or authorized representative. Districts are not required to file the TCAP form with the Texas Education Agency (TEA), but documentation must be maintained in the employee’s personnel file. No fee is required.

The permit is valid for only one school year and is not renewable unless it’s issued for fewer than 90 calendar days before the last day of instruction. This permit can’t be used for special education, bilingual education, or English as a second language assignments.

For an individual not meeting TCAP semester hour requirements, or assignments exceeding four class periods, the district may request a hardship approval by sending a letter to TEA. TEA will not grant approval if a teacher has six or fewer hours in the subject area.

Flexibility

The TCAP provides district flexibility by assigning a current certified teacher to one or more class periods outside of their current certification. It is a cost-effective approach because it does not require a fee to activate and can be processed locally unless a hardship exists. Additional information may be found in the TEA resources District Permit Reminders and Which Permit Should I Choose .

Cheryl Hoover is an HR consultant at TASB HR Services. Send Cheryl an email at [email protected] .

Stay up to date with all the latest HR news and trends by joining the HRX mailing list!

Tagged: Certification, Employment, Hiring, "Teacher certification"

Special Ed Teacher Fired for Assigning Triggering Worksheet With Racial Slur & Insults

A Texas teacher no longer has a job after giving a group of seventh graders an assignment laden with insults and racial slurs . The worksheet was intended to be a word scramble for students to solve. The problem wasn't with the work itself. Instead, it was the words the teacher included that caused outrage .

The teacher, whose name has not been released, worked in a special education classroom at Rancier Middle School in the Killeen Independent School District. Superintendent John Craft addressed the media at a news conference Friday, confirming that the district was made aware of the assignment on Wednesday and noted, "The assignment does not reflect our core values." Even so, concerned parents and community members want to be sure it never happens again.

The district promptly contacted parents.

After being notified Wednesday evening, the district began its investigation early Thursday morning. Craft explained during the news conference that parents of students in the classroom received a personal phone call regarding the situation, and all school parents received a letter.

"We are terribly upset and sorry this occurred. This has no place in any classroom, I think I can safely say, across the United States, particularly here in Killeen ISD, Craft said, according to KCEN. "We will not condone this kind of behavior, activity, and much less lesson planning and instructional activities."

The details of the assignment are disturbing.

Barbara Foglesong shared photos of the assignment sheets on Facebook on January 18, and it is clear why parents would be upset. Words such as "stupid," "idiot," "fat," and other slurs appeared on the papers. The "trigger word scramble" seemed to be an activity to help children identify colors and match words with definitions.

"This was given to a student in KISD as class work. Shellbie happened to see what she was working on and took it to her parent who works for Boys and Girls Club," Foglesong wrote. "I told her I’d be at the school door first thing tomorrow morning, then I’d be at the district😡😳 ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPTABLE KISD."

The district contends this was not part of its curriculum.

The superintendent emphasized during the press conference that district personnel were unaware of the assignment and never would have approved it.

Craft confirmed the teacher "is no longer an employee with the district," adding that it was the teacher's first year employed by the district. The assignment did not receive prior approval from administrators — nor would it have, according to him.

The school district is made up primarily of minority students.

The fact that the assignment includes a racial slur is particularly shocking because most students within the district identify as minorities. According to the Texas Department of Education among Rancier's 785 students, 90% are minorities, with a majority classified as Black or Hispanic. Additionally, 71% of students are "economically disadvantaged" and at risk of dropping out.

This isn't the first time a teacher has made such an egregious error.

This assignment is not the first misstep by an educator including inappropriate content in an assignment. A controversy brewed last year in Westchester County, New York, at Somers High School when a teacher taught a lesson in an English class that some say called out students as being "racist."

A Spanish teacher in Williamsville, New York, passed out a worksheet to students that read, "You are Mexican and ugly."

These types of assignments are insensitive and unacceptable, and districts are not standing for them. Regarding the most recent incident, when asked why the teacher assigned the work, Craft said, "I just can't understand and begin to fathom how one would think that this would be appropriate in any shape or form."

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