Precondition 5.1

Narrative Explanations

• Candidate Performance
• Curriculum Review
• Unit Assessment

Candidate Performance

Candidates are evaluated throughout their tenure in the Educator Preparation Program. Data collection occurs at the following points:

1. Admission to the Educator Preparation Program
2. Admission to Student Teaching Program
3. Exit from Student Teaching Portfolio Evaluation and Teacher Work Sample Analysis
4. Graduation
5. Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES) and Accountability System for Educator Preparation (ASEP), and Title II
6. Recommendation for Texas Teaching Certificate
   

I. Admission to the Educator Preparation Program

All candidates must meet the following requirements in order to be admitted to the Educator Preparation Program:

At 60 SCH, the candidate must meet the following requirements to be admitted:

A. Have a C or better in the following courses in order to meet the requirements of the Texas State Board for Educator Certification:

1. Writing Requirement:

a) English 1301 – English Composition
b) English 1302 – Writing Across the Curriculum

2. Mathematics Requirement:

a) Math 1302 – College Algebra or
b) A mathematics course greater than Math 1302

3. Communication Requirement

a) Communication 2301 – Public Speaking OR Communication 2331 – Oral Interpretation

4. Reading Requirement

a) History 1301 – History of the United States to 1865  and History 1302 – History of the United States 1865 to Present

    OR

b) Political Science 2301 – Federal and State Government and   Political Science 2302 – Federal and State Government

B. Grade Point Requirement

1. A cumulative 2.5 GPA on all work completed.
2. A cumulative 2.5 GPA in the content field.

C. Must complete a criminal background check.

D. The candidate will apply online.

E.  This data is collected to show that each candidate has met the state’s requirements with regard to writing, mathematics, speaking, and reading competencies at the college level as well as overall intellectual adequateness with a GPA of at least 2.5 out of a 4.0 system. Each candidate is contacted and advised of the impediments to admission to educator preparation program. Advising is required every semester for teacher preparation candidates. If the candidates have been convicted of a criminal act, the individuals are counseled with regard to certification statutes.

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II. Admission to Student Teaching Program

A. Admission to Educator Preparation Program requirements must continue to be met.

B. 2.5 GPA in content field with no grade lower than a C.

    2.5 GPA in pedagogy courses with no grade lower than a C.

    2.5 GPA overall.

C. If pursuing the Interdisciplinary Child Development and Learning major (ICDL), all courses in the major must be completed.

D. Must have completed a minimum of 95 SCH.

E. Must have completed the minimum hours in the content area as stated in the University Catalog

F. Philosophy of Education Essay

G. This data is analyzed to determine readiness for student teaching. Content and pedagogy competency is assessed through a grade of C or better in theses areas. Overall GPA of 2.5 is seen as the minimum threshold for adequate overall preparation. An essay on the individuals Philosophy of Education is submitted and must meet minimum competency standards and can be redone till satisfactory. Candidates are required to attend a pre-application meeting where requirements are explained. Individuals are informed from time of application to time of placement with regard to their status. Candidates who are denied admission to student teaching may appeal the decision to the Teacher Education Council Appeals Subcommittee. Candidates who do not meet requirements are advised as to how to remediate their unique situation.

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III. Exit from Student Teaching

1. Candidates are evaluated through benchmark sessions throughout student teaching. All work is submitted for peer, content faculty review, and supervisors review through an online system for evaluation (TaskStream). At each benchmark, the candidate presents a developmental portfolio of artifacts related to specific Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles principles. This presentation is to the university supervisor and cooperating teacher. Basic proficiency is required to continue in the program. In problem areas a growth plan is developed for the candidate. Follow-up is provided prior to the next benchmark conference.
   
2. Candidates must present a showcase portfolio at the end of student teaching that is based on the INSTASC principles. The evaluation in each of the ten areas must be at least “Basic” in order to receive a passing grade.
   
3. Candidates must meet the INTASC standards through a system of rubric evaluation presented in Evaluation of Student Teachers - Guidebook and Student Teacher's Portfolio Handbook by Phi Delta Kappa International and Ball State University.

IV. Graduation

All candidates must maintain the admission to student teaching standards in order to graduate.

V. TExES, ASEP, and Title II

In order to be recommended for Texas Teacher Certification, each candidate must pass a minimum of two tests: Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities, and the appropriate content test. The candidates’ results on the TExES are provided to the appropriate preparation entity within the University. The ASEP is the Texas measure of accreditation of programs used by the Texas Education Agency/State Board for Educator Preparation (TEA/SBEC). This system is also used by TEA/SBEC for Title II purposes. Title II data are generated by TEA/SBEC. Each institution verifies that an individual is a completer at their institution. The data are calculated in Austin, TX and submitted to Title II.

VI. Recommendation for Certification

To be recommended for Texas Teacher Certification, the candidates must

1. Hold a Baccalaureate Degree.

2. Have successfully completed all institutional certification requirements.

3. Have successfully passed the appropriate TExES.

4. Have applied via the online Texas Education Agency (TEA) application system.

5. Have been recommended by the institution.

6. Have completed the fingerprinting process and criminal background check.

Certification information is used to determine the number of completers who have been recommended for certification.

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Curriculum Review

1. All degrees that lead toward certification must be approved for content by the Texas Higher Education Board that governs all universities.

2. All certification programs must be approved by TEA/SBEC.

3. Each certification program and it course work are aligned with state standards which prescribe what a teacher should know and be able to do.

4. The results of the TExES are used to review the content taught.

5. Each program is reviewed by the area responsible for the content test.

6. All new programs and substantive program changes must be approved by the Teacher Education Council, College Curriculum Committee, University Curriculum Committee, Board of Regents of the Texas Tech University System, The Texas Higher Education Board, and the TEA/SBEC.

7. There is an annual program review based upon ASEP results.

Unit Assessment

Faculty Evaluation: Faculty is evaluated annually in the areas of teaching, service, and scholarly activity. Candidate evaluations are part of the process using the IDEA system. Faculty is asked to set development goals for the year in each area and then evaluate progress. Specific requirements are addressed in the Faculty-Staff Handbook for years 1 to 6 expectations of faculty, tenure, and promotion.

Administrative Evaluation: Administrators are evaluated with the appropriate IDEA administrative evaluation.

Budget Process: Annual budget requests are submitted. Increases in budget areas are tied to several strategic planning documents.

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