SECTION 227.10. Admission Criteria

(a) The educator preparation program (EPP) delivering educator preparation shall require the following minimum criteria of all applicants seeking initial certification in any class of certificate, unless specified otherwise, prior to admission to the program.

(1) For an undergraduate university program, an applicant shall be enrolled in an accredited institution of higher education (IHE).

(2) For an alternative certification program or post-baccalaureate program, an applicant shall have, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree earned from and conferred by an accredited IHE.

(3) For an undergraduate university program, alternative certification program, or post-baccalaureate program, to be eligible for admission into an EPP, an applicant shall have a grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.5 before admission.

(A) The GPA shall be calculated from an official transcript as follows:

(i) 2.5 on all coursework previously attempted by the person at an accredited IHE:

(I) at which the applicant is currently enrolled (undergraduate university program formal admission, alternative certification program contingency admission, or post-baccalaureate program contingency admission); or

(II) from which the most recent bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited IHE was conferred (alternative certification program formal admission or post-baccalaureate program formal admission); or

(ii) 2.5 in the last 60 semester credit hours on all coursework previously attempted by the person at an accredited IHE:

(I) at which the applicant is currently enrolled (undergraduate university program formal admission, alternative certification program contingency admission, or post-baccalaureate program contingency admission). If an applicant has less than 60 semester credit hours on the official transcript from the accredited IHE at which the applicant is currently enrolled, the EPP shall use grades from all coursework previously attempted by a person at the most recent accredited institution(s) of higher education, starting with the most recent coursework from the official transcript(s), to calculate a GPA for the last 60 semester credit hours; or

(II) from which the most recent bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited IHE was conferred. If an applicant has hours beyond the most recent degree, an EPP may use grades from the most recent 60 hours of coursework from an accredited IHE (alternative certification program formal admission or post-baccalaureate program formal admission).

(B) In accordance with the Texas Education Code, (TEC), §21.0441(b), an exception to the minimum GPA requirement may be granted by the program director only in extraordinary circumstances and may not be used by a program to admit more than 10% of any incoming class of candidates. An applicant is eligible for this exception if:

(i) documentation and certification from the program director that an applicant's work, business, or career experience demonstrates achievement equivalent to the academic achievement represented by the GPA requirement; and

(ii) in accordance with the TEC, §21.0441(a)(2)(B), an applicant must pass an appropriate content certification examination as specified in paragraph (4)(C) of this subsection for each subject in which the applicant seeks certification prior to admission. In accordance with the TEC, §21.0441(b), applicants who do not meet the minimum GPA requirement and have previously been admitted into an EPP may request permission to register for an appropriate content certification examination if the applicant is not seeking admission to the same EPP that previously granted test approval for a certification examination in the same certification class.

(C) An applicant who is seeking a career and technical education (CTE) certificate that does not require a degree from an accredited IHE is exempt from the minimum GPA requirement.

(D) An applicant who does not meet the minimum GPA requirement and is seeking certification in a class other than classroom teacher must perform at or above a score equivalent to a 2.5 GPA on the Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, and Analytic Writing sections of the GRE® (Graduate Record Examinations) revised General Test. The State Board for Educator Certification will use equivalency scores established by the Educational Testing Service, and the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will publish those equivalency scores annually on the TEA website.

(4) For an applicant who will be seeking an initial certificate in the classroom teacher class of certificate, the applicant shall have successfully completed, prior to admission, at least:

(A) a minimum of 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for the certification sought, unless certification sought is for mathematics or science at or above Grade 7; or

(B) 15 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for the certification sought if the certification sought is for mathematics or science at or above Grade 7; or

(C) a passing score on the appropriate content certification examination as specified in the figure provided in this subparagraph.

Attached Graphic

(5) For an applicant who will be seeking an initial certificate in a class other than classroom teacher, the applicant shall meet the minimum requirements for admission described in Chapter 239 of this title (relating to Student Services Certificates); Chapter 241 of this title (relating to Certification as Principal); and Chapter 242 of this title (relating to Superintendent Certificate). If an applicant has not met the minimum certification, degree, and/or experience requirement(s) for issuance of a standard certificate prior to admission, the EPP shall inform the applicant in writing of any deficiency prior to admission.

(6) An applicant must demonstrate basic skills in reading, written communication, and mathematics by meeting the requirements of the Texas Success Initiative under the rules established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in Part 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter C, of this title (relating to Texas Success Initiative), including one of the requirements established by §4.54 of this title (relating to Exemptions, Exceptions, and Waivers).

(7) An applicant must demonstrate the English language proficiency skills as specified in §230.11 of this title (relating to General Requirements).

(A) An applicant for CTE certification that does not require a bachelor's degree from an accredited IHE may satisfy the English language proficiency requirement with an associate's degree or high school diploma or the equivalent that was earned at an accredited IHE or an accredited high school in the United States.

(B) An applicant to a university undergraduate program that leads to a bachelor's degree may satisfy the English language proficiency requirement by meeting the English language proficiency requirement of the accredited IHE at which the applicant is enrolled.

(8) An applicant must submit an application and participate in either an interview or other screening instrument to determine if the EPP applicant's knowledge, experience, skills, and aptitude are appropriate for the certification sought.

(9) An applicant must fulfill any other academic criteria for admission that are published and applied consistently to all EPP applicants.

(b) An EPP may adopt admission requirements in addition to and not in conflict with those required in this section.

(c) An EPP may not admit an applicant who:

(1) has been reported as completing all EPP requirements by another EPP in the same certification category or class, unless the applicant only needs certification examination approval; or

(2) has been employed for three years in a public school under a permit, intern, or probationary certificate as specified in Chapter 230, Subchapter D, of this title (relating to Types and Classes of Certificates Issued), unless the applicant is seeking clinical teaching that may lead to the issuance of an initial standard certificate.

(d) An EPP may admit an applicant for CTE certification who has met the experience and preparation requirements specified in Chapter 230 of this title (relating to Professional Educator Preparation and Certification) and Chapter 233 of this title (relating to Categories of Classroom Teaching Certificates).

(e) An EPP may admit an applicant for the Trade and Industrial Workforce Training: Grades 6-12 certification who has met the following requirements:

(1) has been issued a high school diploma or a postsecondary credential, certificate, or degree;

(2) has seven years of full-time wage-earning experience within the preceding 10 years in an approved occupation for which instruction is offered;

(3) holds with respect to that occupation a current license, certificate, or registration, as applicable, issued by a nationally recognized accrediting agency based on a recognized test or measurement; and

(4) within the period described by paragraph (2) of this subsection, has not been the subject of a complaint filed with a licensing entity or other agency that regulates the occupation of the person, other than a complaint that was determined baseless or unfounded by that entity or agency.

(f) An EPP may admit an applicant who has met the minimum academic criteria through credentials from outside the United States that are determined to be equivalent to those required by this section using the procedures and standards specified in Chapter 245 of this title (relating to Certification of Educators from Other Countries). An EPP at an entity that is accredited by an accrediting organization recognized by the THECB may use its own foreign credential evaluation service to meet the requirement described in §245.10(a)(2) of this title (relating to Application Procedures), if the entity is in good standing with its accrediting organization.

(g) An applicant is eligible to enroll in an EPP for the purpose of completing the course of instruction, defined in §228.35(i)(2) of this title (relating to Preparation Program Coursework and/or Training), that is required for the issuance of an Early Childhood: Prekindergarten-Grade 3 certificate if the individual holds a valid standard, provisional, or one-year certificate specified in §230.31 of this title (relating to Types of Certificates) in one of the following certificate categories:

(1) Bilingual Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 4;

(2) Bilingual Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 6;

(3) Core Subjects: Early Childhood-Grade 6;

(4) Early Childhood Education;

(5) Elementary--General;

(6) Elementary--General (Grades 1-6);

(7) Elementary--General (Grades 1-8);

(8) Elementary Early Childhood Education (Prekindergarten-Grade 6);

(9) Elementary Self-Contained (Grades 1-8);

(10) English as a Second Language Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 4;

(11) English as a Second Language Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 6;

(12) Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 4;

(13) Generalist: Early Childhood-Grade 6;

(14) Kindergarten;

(15) Prekindergarten-Grade 5--General;

(16) Prekindergarten-Grade 6--General; or

(17) Teacher of Young Children--General.

Source Note: The provisions of this §227.10 adopted to be effective July 11, 1999, 24 TexReg 5011; amended to be effective December 14, 2008, 33 TexReg 10011; amended to be effective February 28, 2016, 41 TexReg 1238; amended to be effective October 18, 2016, 41 TexReg 8198; amended to be effective June 3, 2018, 43 TexReg 3355; amended to be effective December 22, 2019, 44 TexReg 7683; amended to be effective October 15, 2020, 45 TexReg 7249