Retention in the Program

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Students must fulfill the following conditions to continue in the Educator Preparation Program:

1. Teacher Candidates must maintain an overall institutional GPA of 3.0 and must maintain an institutional GPA of 3.0 in his or her teaching field/academic concentration.
   
   
2. Teacher Candidates must be advised by a College of Education advisor before enrollment each semester. Additional conferences may be required by the advisor.
   
   
3. Personal conduct must be in harmony with university standards and Texas Educator Code of Ethics.
   
   
4. Teacher Candidates must reflect the Knowledge, Skills and Dispositions as identified by the Teacher Certification Committee which are conducive for employment in a teaching position.
   
   
5. A professional disposition must be developed and maintained during the sequence of professional educational courses.
   
   
6. Teacher Candidates are required to take the appropriate Texas Examination of Educator Standards (TExES) to be eligible for recommendation to SBEC for certification. These tests include a pedagogy and professional responsibilities test and a content area test. All of the following must be fulfilled regarding the TExES:
   

   a.	Teacher Candidates must compile TExES study materials from their courses which are related to the test into a notebook which will be monitored by professors.
   b.	Teacher Candidates must enroll in and attend Educator Preparation Seminars, and pass a practice TExES test(s).
   c.	Teacher Candidates will not be approved to take TExES tests until they have scored 85 percent or above on the appropriate practice test given by the University.
   d.	Teacher Candidates are permitted to take only one TExES test per test administration. Secondary students may take their subject area TExES after all course work in that field is completed and they have scored 85 percent or above on the university practice test.
   e.	Teacher Candidates who do not achieve a passing score on the TExES test(s) will be required to attend TExES study sessions before being approved to retake the test(s). Students may also be required to seek help from professors in their teaching field/academic concentration.
   f.	Teacher Candidates must pass both TExES exams before student teaching.

   
   
7. Before student teaching, Teacher Candidates must accumulate and document 200 hours of observation which includes two semesters of field-based course work.  Teacher Candidates who are scheduled to student teach in the spring must complete three days of pre-student teaching observation at the beginning of the public school year in which they are scheduled for student teaching. Teacher Candidates will report to their first supervising teacher.Teacher Candidates will observe and assist in any manner the supervising teacher requests and keep a journal of their experiences.
   
   
8. All Teacher Candidates seeking educator certification must complete the program of study for educator certification in their subject area as approved by the Teacher Certification Committee, the University, and the State Board for Educator Certification.

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