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Your Route to Becoming a Teacher through
TLU’s Post-baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program 

 
  1. Apply to TLU’s Post-baccalaureate Teacher Certification Program (PBTCP).
    1. Determine the certification you wish to pursue.
                                                               i.      You need to have subject matter expertise in the content area. Refer to the semester-hour requirements for course work in the content area on the Web site at http://www.tlu.edu/pbtcp.
                                                             ii.      See the alternative method of demonstrating your subject matter expertise through coursework and passing the Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) in your area.
    1. TLU accepts applications year-round. You may start the program with any of the four on-campus courses.
    2. Download the application materials from the Web site at http://www.tlu.edu/pbtcp.
    3. If you have questions or want to discuss the program before you submit your application, arrange for a meeting with Dr. Rebecca Oekerman, the program director (roekerman@tlu.edu; 830.372.6557).
    4. Submit a complete application package that represents your best work.
    5. TLU will arrange for an interview with a screening committee composed of faculty from the Department of Education and other disciplines on campus. All of your written material and oral communication are considered in the interview process.
  1. Acceptance into the program
    1. After the interview, you will receive a letter indicating the decision of the screening committee:
                                                               i.      Unconditional acceptance
                                                             ii.      Conditional acceptance
                                                            iii.      Contingency acceptance
                                                           iv.      Denied acceptance
                                                             v.      Deferred acceptance
    1. If you are conditionally accepted, your letter will state what conditions must be met before and/or during your program. Common conditions include the following:
                                                               i.      Submission of any missing components of an application packet
                                                             ii.      Additional content area course work to remedy deficiencies in the subject area
                                                            iii.      Required grades in PBTCP courses
  1. Receive your TLU ID and other information.
    1. You will be assigned a TLU identification number (ID).
    2. You will also be given a TLU email address. Check this email account often!
  2. Enroll in your first course.
    1. You will receive instructions on how to enroll for your course (online for fall and spring; in person for summer).
    2. You need to enroll during the window assigned for PBTCP students.
  3. Decide on a payment plan.
    1. You may pay for your classes in full, or you may pay in three monthly installments.
    2. The 2009-10 tuition is $315 per credit hour ($945 per three-hour course. This is the first tuition increase in three years).
    3. Sources of funding
                                                               i.      Students enrolled in six hours per semester may be eligible for financial aid through the TLU Financial Aid Office in the form of student loans.
                                                             ii.      The program is approved for WIA (Workforce Incentive Act) funding through the Texas Workforce Commission.
                                                            iii.      TLU also coordinates with Troops to Teachers.
                                                           iv.      Students may be eligible for a Wells Fargo Education Connection loan.
    1. Tuition for the previous semester must be paid in full to be able to enroll for the next term.
  1. Prepare for the TExES exam in your content area.
    1. Preparation manuals are available at http://texes.ets.org/texes/prepMaterials/.
    2. Arrange to take the practice exam (call 830.372.6557).
    3. Scoring 80% or better on the practice exam indicates that you are prepared to take the actual exam.
  2. Register to take the TExES exam in your content area.
    1. Test registration is a multi-step process.
                                                               i.      Dr. Rebecca Oekerman will enter your basic information into the SBEC system. This will generate your TEA ID number.
                                                             ii.      Create a login and profile with the State Board of Educator Certification at http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/.
1.       Remember: the name you create this account under must match the ID documents you will present on the day of the test, otherwise you may be prohibited from taking the test or your test scores may be canceled after you take the test.
2.       After establishing SBEC Educator Profile, make sure that you write down your assigned TEA ID number. A TEA ID number is used for identification throughout the certification and test registration process.
3.       Print your SBEC Educator Profile so that it will be handy when you register to test.
                                                            iii.      Obtain approval to take the exam.
1.       Notify Dr. Rebecca Oekerman that you plan to register to take a TExES exam (roekrman@tlu.edu; 830.372.6557).
2.       Dr. Oekerman will enter the approval into the SBEC system.
                                                           iv.      Register with Educational Testing Service at http://texes.ets.org/.
1.       You must create an ETS personal testing account before you can access the ETS online registration system.
2.       Guidelines for establishing an account on the ETS online registration system are found under Your Account at http://texes.ets.org/youraccount/.
3.       You must create a personal account on the ETS online registration system even if you already have a valid user name and password on the SBEC site.
4.       Be sure to write your logins down and keep them in a secure place for future use. Remember that the information entered in the ETS online registration system must match the information in your SBEC Educator Profile.
  1. Complete your field-based experience (FBE).
    1. Students admitted before January 1, 2009, must have completed 20 hours of classroom observations.
    2. Students admitted after January 1, 2009, must complete 30 hours of field-based experience. Complete guidance and the forms that must be submitted to document your FBE are on the program Web site (www.tlu.edu/pbtcp).
  2. Complete the four on-campus PBTCP courses.
    1. The required courses are as follows:
                                                               i.      ED 332 - Learning Processes and Evaluation
                                                             ii.      ED 334A - U.S. Schools
                                                            iii.      ED 431, ED 432, or ED 433 - Instructional Strategies
                                                           iv.      ED 437, ED 438, or ED 471 - Classroom Management
    1. The course descriptions and the schedule of classes are on the Web site at www.tlu.edu/pbtcp.
  1. Students admitted after January 1, 2009, must also complete six hours of certification test preparation to be offered twice a year at TLU. Students admitted before January 1, 2009, will also benefit from taking this non-credit course.
  2. Students admitted after January 1, 2009, must also take two online courses on reading instruction.
    1. Students may select from the following ed2go courses offered by TLU. Complete information is at http://www.ed2go.com/tlu/ (Courses for Teaching Professionals).
                                                               i.      Guided Reading and Writing: Strategies for Maximum Student Achievement
                                                             ii.      Guided Reading: Strategies for the Differentiated Classroom
                                                            iii.      Response to Intervention: Reading Strategies That Work
                                                           iv.      Set, Ready, Read
    1. These are continuing professional education courses – not for academic credit on your TLU transcript.
    2. PBTCP students will pay a reduced tuition for these courses - $75 instead of $99 - $102. These payments should be made at the Center for Professional Development after you have enrolled online to take the course
    3. You may take these courses at any time during your program. All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. Students admitted before January 1, 2009, will also benefit from taking these courses.
    4. Students admitted before January 1, 2009, will also benefit from taking these courses.
  1. Obtain an internship/ first-year teaching position.
    1. If you entered the PBTCP after January 1, 2009, to be eligible for an internship, you must have
                                                               i.      Passed two of the four classroom-based PBTCP courses
                                                             ii.      Completed 30 hours of field-based experience
                                                            iii.      Passed the TExES exam in your content area
    1. You should pursue several avenues to find a teaching position.
                                                               i.      Look at job announcements on the Web sites of the districts in your geographic area.
                                                             ii.      Look at the posting at http://www.tasanet.org/applications/CareerCenter/, the Web site of the Texas Association of School administrators.
                                                            iii.      Look in the classified ads in local newspapers.
                                                           iv.      Contact district human resources offices.
                                                             v.      Network with educators (administrators and teachers) at schools in your geographic area.
                                                           vi.      Attend job fairs that are held in April and May, including at TLU.
                                                          vii.      Be vigilant in June and July since the majority of the hiring for alternative candidates occurs in July and August.
                                                        viii.      Continue to look throughout the year because it is possible to be hired after the school year has begun.
    1. Generally, school districts will recruit first for fully certified teachers, then for non-certified teachers who have passed the content area TExES. Do not be discouraged that a teacher with standard certification is hired before you or that there are many applying for a particular position.
    2. You need to be employed full-time at an independent school district or TEA-accredited private school for 180 school days.
  1. After being offered a position, do the following immediately.
    1. Submit the PBTCP Internship Application form.
    2. TLU will send an agreement to the district stipulating each party’s roles and responsibilities.
    3. Dr. Oekerman will also complete the Statement of Eligibility that verifies that you are enrolled in post-baccalaureate teacher certification program and lists the content areas in which you can be hired on a Probationary Certificate. The statement of eligibility, signed by your district administrator, must be returned to the Center for Professional Development.
    4. Go to the SBEC Web site and apply for probationary certification and pay the required fee (currently $82).
    5. Complete the fingerprinting process (complete instructions are on the SBEC Web site).
    6. Notify Dr. Rebecca Oekerman (830.372.6557; roekerman@tlu.edu), TLU’s certification officer, that you have applied for probationary certification. Dr. Oekerman will go to the SBEC site and approve your application.
  2. Complete your internship.
    1. Each semester of internship is also a three-semester hour TLU course for academic credit. You will have specific assignments to complete for this course. Tuition starting fall 2009 is $945 for each semester of internship.
    2. The internship is designed to prepare you to earn your standard (full) certificate.
    3. You can begin teaching full time earning a teacher’s salary with benefits while you complete your program requirements.
    4. You will complete the first year of teaching with the support of a TLU internship supervisor.
    5. You must teach in the content area of the certification you are pursuing.
    6. The district is required to assign a mentor for you as well.
    7. Complete guidelines, requirements, etc. are in the TLU Internship Handbook.
  3. If you have trouble finding a first-year teaching assignment or wish to complete this requirement in another way, you may do one semester of student teaching to complete program requirements. Contact Dr. Leroy Davis, the TLU student teacher coordinator, who will secure a placement in a local school district.
  4. Complete any other conditions of a conditional acceptance.
  5. Take the TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam for your area of certification.
    1. Study the preparation manual available at http://texes.ets.org/texes/prepMaterials/.
    2. Arrange to take the practice exam (call 830.372.6557).
    3. Scoring 80% or better on the practice exam indicates that you are prepared to take the actual exam.
    4. Follow the procedures for registering to take a TExES exam outlined above.
  6. Upon meeting all requirements, including passing the PPR, apply for your standard teacher certification.
    1. Go to the SBEC Web site to apply for standard certification.
    2. Pay the required fee (currently $77).
    3. Notify Dr. Rebecca Oekerman (830.372.6557; roekerman@tlu.edu), TLU’s certification officer, that you have applied for standard certification. Dr. Oekerman will go to the SBEC site and approve your application.
  7. Congratulations! You are now a fully certified teacher in the state of Texas.
    1. This will enhance your employment options.
    2. Once you have standard certification in one area, you may apply for certification in other areas without going through a teacher education program. You may prepare for and take the TExES exam in other areas.
    3. Texas has reciprocity with most other states.
 
If you have any questions about the above, please contact Dr. Rebecca Oekerman (roekerman@tlu.edu; 830.372.6557).

 

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