Our undergraduate teacher certification program provides active clinical experiences in the field. View the resources below for more information on different aspects of our program. Questions about this information can be directed to Alleigh Phillips in the Office of Educator Certification and Academic Services.
Undergraduate Teacher Candidate Handbook
Download the undergraduate teacher candidate handbook for details and expectations regarding the educator preparation program at East Texas A&M.
Admission to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program
A student must be admitted to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP) to be approved to enroll in specialization coursework, as indicated on the student's DegreeWorks.
You must meet the following requirements to gain admission to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP):
- Overall GPA must be 2.65
- Have a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for the certification sought, i.e. Core Subjects, ELAR, Social Studies, etc. A minimum of 15 semester credit hours is required for certification sought in Mathematics or Science, i.e. 4-8 Math or Science, and 7-12 Math or Science.
- TSI Complete – demonstrate basic skills in reading, written communication, and mathematics;
- Accept offer of admission to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP) by completing an Acceptance Survey in Tk20, by designated deadline.
Application Process:
The application for admission to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP) is housed in Tk20. A student must purchase Tk20 and obtain an account to access the application. See below:
If you have any problems purchasing or creating your Tk20 account, please contact Jill Woodruff, Tk20 Unit Administrator: [email protected]
Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Application Instructions:
Once your application for admission to the EPP has been reviewed and approved, you will receive an Acceptance Survey in Tk20 to finalize the admission process. You must complete and submit the Acceptance Survey by the designated deadline, to finalize formal admission to the Undergraduate Educator Preparation Program (EPP).
If you have any questions about applying to the Undergraduate EPP or your application status, please email [email protected].
Field Based Experience
For initial teacher certification, the candidate must complete field based experience classroom observation for a minimum of 50 clock hours prior to assignment for clinical teaching.
The field based experience must include classroom observation and actively engaged activities.
All placements for field-based experience must be in a TEA-accredited public school.
Program Requirements for Clinical Teaching
The following must be met to be approved to clinical teach:
- Full admission into the Field-Based Teacher Education program;
- Meet overall GPA requirements – 2.75 GPA required;
- Documented 50 hours of Field-Based Experiences (It is a TEA requirement that all students must have documented 50 FBE hours before they begin clinical teaching);
- The field based experience must include classroom observation and actively engaged activities;
- Receive departmental approval from respective academic department (obtained by teacher certification staff). Note: A department may prevent a student from interviewing or beginning clinical teaching for academic or professional behavioral reasons. In addition, a department may require higher GPA and/or course grade requirements;
- Senior standing (completion of approximately 80 semester hours of college coursework);
- Complete all required coursework, with a grade of “C” or better, and a GPA of 2.75 in all identified teacher education subsections of the Degree Works plan;
- Mandatory participation in partnership district interviews. A successful interview resulting in a placement is required to complete student teaching;
- The clinical student teaching candidate is required to have personal transportation to meet the attendance demands of clinical teaching.
The following must be met to obtain approval to complete semester two of clinical teaching :
- Continue to meet overall GPA requirements – GPA of 2.75 required;
- Completion of all coursework, with a grade of “C” or better, and a GPA of 2.75 in all identified teacher education subsections of the Degree Works plan;
- Pass the Content TExES Exam for your certification area;
- The clinical student teaching candidate is required to have personal transportation to meet the attendance demands of clinical student teaching.
Placement in a student's first district choice is not guaranteed. Placement in any school district is contingent upon the number of applicants requesting a specific district, and the availability of available mentors. Placement in a student's second district choice may be necessary to secure a clinical student teaching placement.
NOTE: An applicant may not be placed on a campus as a clinical teacher in which a family member is employed, i.e., principal, teacher, educational aide, custodian, etc. Placement in such a situation is a conflict of interest and is not permissible.
Clinical Teaching Application Process
Approval to clinical teach must be requested through a formal application during the spring/fall semester before the teacher candidate plans to teach.
The application for clinical teaching is housed in Tk20. Students must have a Tk20 account to apply for clinical teaching. The application process begins on the first day of the semester and is only available during a designated timeframe. Applications must be submitted in Tk20 by the designated due date. Applications may not be processed past this date. Students should contact their major advisor for questions concerning readiness to apply for student teaching.
Clinical Teaching Application Deadlines
| Application Type | Application Opens | Application Closes |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional or Residency Clinical Teaching | First day of class | 20th Class Day |
| Educational Aide Clinical Teaching | First day of class | First Friday in October (fall semester) First Friday in March (spring semester) |
| Music Education Clinical Teaching | First day of class | 20th Class Day |
| Agricultural Education Clinical Teaching (spring placements only; apply in fall) | First day of fall classes | 20th Class Day of the fall semester |
*Please refer to the Academic Calendar for the necessary dates above.
Note: All applications open on the first day of classes. Educational aide applications will not be reviewed until after the application deadline has passed and the application period has closed.
Clinical Teaching Application Instructions
STEP 1: LOGIN TO YOUR TK20 STUDENT ACCOUNT
Candidates purchase Tk20 during the admission application process for their program. If you do not have a TK20, you may purchase one in one of two ways.
- Contact the University Bookstore (students qualifying for Financial Aid may opt to purchase through the Bookstore)
- Log in to TK20 and set up your student account by clicking on “Click here to register your student account,”– Located on the left-hand side at the bottom.
STEP 2: CREATE AN APPLICATION
- Go to the “Applications” tab located in the left side menu.
- Click on the green “Create New Application” button.
- Select the appropriate application from the dropdown menu and then hit the green “Next” button.
- Complete the application as directed. Any fields with an asterisk (*) must be filled in before the system will let you submit.
- Once you have started an application, you have 3 options:
- Save: You can click this at any time and return at a later time to finish the application.
- Submit: This will submit your application for final review. Edit before submitting!
- Cancel: Use this to exit the application without saving any changes.
- Once you have submitted an application, it may not be recalled. Please check for correct spelling, accuracy, and district selection(s) while completing the application for student teaching.
Note: If you do NOT see the name of the application you need to complete, you may be attempting to complete it AFTER its due date has passed.
STEP 3: TO CHECK STATUS OF A SUBMITTED APPLICATION
- Click on the submitted application’s hyperlink in “My Applications.”
- Click on the “Review” tab. This will show your application status.
If you are unsure which application you need to fill out, please contact [email protected].
Interview Dates and Placement Procedures
Reminders of the scheduled interview(s) in a school district will not be sent by teacher certification staff. You will be notified by the Center Coordinator regarding the scheduled interview(s).
Note: Please check your email regularly for information regarding the scheduled interview(s).
Attendance at an interview is mandatory for placement within a school district. Please attend your first district choice interview only. If you are not placed in your first district choice, you will be notified.
When will I know if I've been placed?
You will receive your tentative placement via phone or e-mail.
Partnership Districts
An essential part of the application process is a successful interview with a partnership school district. The following districts are partners in the field-based program. Unless otherwise indicated, they interview all certification levels and accept interns in both the fall and spring semesters. All placements are tentative until prerequisites have been met.
District Partners
- Alba Golden ISD
- Allen ISD
- Atlanta ISD *
- Boles ISD *
- Bonham ISD *
- Caddo Mills ISD *
- Campbell ISD *
- Cityscape Charter *
- Commerce ISD
- Community ISD *
- Cooper ISD *
- Corsicana ISD
- Cumby Collegiate ISD *
- Duncanville ISD
- Ennis ISD
- Fannindel ISD *
- Farmersville ISD *
- Garland ISD *
- Gilmer ISD
- Greenville ISD *
- Lovejoy ISD *
- McKinney ISD *
- Melissa ISD
- Mesquite ISD *
- Mexia ISD
- Mount Pleasant ISD *
- Mount Vernon ISD *
- Paris ISD
- Prosper ISD
- Quitman ISD *
- Rains ISD *
- Red Oak ISD *
- Richardson ISD *
- Rockwall ISD *
- Royse City ISD
- Saltillo ISD
- Sulphur Bluff ISD
- Sulphur Springs ISD *
- Teague ISD
- Terrell ISD *
- Texarkana ISD *
- Waxahachie ISD
- Wolfe City ISD *
- Wylie ISD *
- Yantis ISD *
*Paid Clinical Teaching Opportunities Available
Applying for Standard Certification
The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has established a totally paperless, online process for applying for educator certification in Texas.
If you have questions or difficulty with regard to the SBEC web page, you may contact the certification office for assistance.
Please read all requirements and procedures below prior to accessing the online standard certification application.
After completion of ALL degree and certification requirements, students must apply for the teaching certificate online through their TEAL account.
Requirements that must be met prior to applying for certification:
- Continued admission and retention in the Teacher Education Program.
- Successful completion of all requirements listed on the degree or deficiency plan, including required GPA's and appropriate TExES exams.
Note: Degree must be conferred by the university.
Educator Certificate Application Instructions
- Log in to TEAL (if you have taken a TExES exam, you will have an account).
- Click on “View My Educator Certification Account” under the Educator Certification Online System for Educators.
- Click on “Applications.”
- Click on “Standard Certificate Texas Program.”
- Click “Apply for Certification.”
- Fill in all sections of the application.
- On the field that says “I request to be recommended by this Entity,” select “East Texas A&M University (University Based).”
- Note: If you select the incorrect university, East Texas A&M University will not have access to see your application. If you do not select the “university based” option you will have to submit another application, and there will be a delay in university processing.
- When all information has been entered, click on “Apply.”
- Pay appropriate fees, including the application fee and fingerprinting fee.
- Complete the fingerprinting process.
- Use the tab labeled “Application/Fee Status” to make sure that your payment was processed. You can also use this tab to check your application status at a future date.
*You will receive an email confirmation from SBEC after the university has completed its recommendation. Once all activities have been successfully completed, SBEC will issue the certificate. The certificate will be issued and placed on the TEAL website under the “View Certificates” tab. Paper certificates are no longer issued by the SBEC. Your official certificate is online, and you can print a copy.
Questions regarding the processing of applications for standard certification can be directed to [email protected]
Note: Applications that are not fully processed within 6 months due to incomplete requirements (lack of required TExES exam, lack of conferred degree, etc.) will be deleted. If deleted, you will be required to apply again through SBEC.