Educator Certification and Academic Services Resources:Updates and Notices
OFFICIAL NOTICE: TExES 291 Exam Phasing Out
Beginning January 1, 2022, the Core Subjects EC-6 TExES 291 exam will no longer be offered. Candidates will need to take and pass the TExES 291 exam prior to 2022 if they wish to use that exam for certification. Waivers for an attempt on the TExES 291 exam that are beyond the first five (5) tries are due to TEA no later than December 1, 2021. No waivers submitted late will be granted test approval for the TExES 291.
The TExES 391 Core Subjects EC-6 exam will be required for testers who have not passed the TExES 291 by January 1, 2022. Individuals have five (5) attempts to pass the 291 and five (5) separate attempts to pass the 391. Passed sections of the TExES 291 will not transfer to the TExES 391. To be certified, an individual will need to pass all sections of the 291 OR all sections of the 391.
Core Subjects EC-6 program completers need to complete all requirements and have their standard teaching certificate issued by the end of December 2022. Individuals who pass the required exams, but fail to be fully certified by the deadline will be required to take the TExES 391 for certification. In addition to passing the TExES 291 or 391 exam, program completers will also need passing scores on the PPR TExES 160, and the Science of Teaching Reading TExES 293 exams in order to be recommended for certification. Please contact the Office of Educator Certification and Academic Services at 903.886.5640 with any questions or concerns about this process or the TEA-established deadlines.
OFFICIAL NOTICE: Science of Teaching Reading Exam
Teacher certification candidates who have completed all educator preparation program requirements are encouraged to apply for their standard certificate before they will be required to take the new Science of Teaching Reading Exam. This exam begins on January 1, 2021. If you are a past graduate and still need to pass your required content exam and/or the PPR Exam, please reach out to our office for information on how to register for your exam. Certificates listed below must be issued before December 31, 2020 in order to avoid this new required exam.
- Core Subjects Early Childhood–Grade 6
- Core Subjects Grades 4–8
- English Language Arts and Reading Grades 4–8
- English Language Arts and Reading/Social Studies Grades 4–8
Learn more about the Science of Teaching Reading Exam.
Beginning Fall 2018
Educator Testing Transition
The Texas Educator Certification Examination Program will transition to a new vendor, Pearson, beginning September 1, 2018, for the following tests: TExES, TExMaT, TASC, and TASC-ASL. ETS will administer the new Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL) when it becomes effective in fall 2019.
Educator Certification Examination Retake Limit Change
Candidates are limited to a total of five attempts to pass a certification examination under Texas Education Code §21.048. A subsection of the law, which currently counts all attempts of the same examination taken before September 1, 2015 as only one attempt, is set to expire. Beginning September 1, 2018, all attempts of the same examination will count toward the 5-attempt testing limit regardless of when the examination was first attempted.
Candidates, educators, and others who took certification examinations before September 1, 2015 and have not yet passed those examinations will find more information in the candidate guidance document. Testers impacted by the change must take their examination(s) by August 31, 2018 if the new test attempt counting method will make them ineligible on September 1, 2018. Candidates who reach the 5-time testing limit must apply for a test-limit waiver to retest.
Note: Individuals who did not test before September 1, 2015 are not affected by the change since all examination attempts have always been included in the attempt count for these testers.