Certification Requirements in Texas

To be teacher-certified in the state of Texas, you need:

• An undergraduate degree;
• Create TEAL Account.
• To pass both required exams Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) and Content (4-8 Mathematics, 4- 8 Science, Composite Science, Life Science, 7-12 Mathematics, etc.)
  • (entrance to exams only allowed for students that have completed CI and UTeach Dallas application requirements)
  • OR pass the Content Exam and complete edTPA process as required for your certification year. edTPA is on pause by the state right now
• To complete an approved teacher certification program; and
• Complete a Criminal Background Check*
• Complete the required fingerprinting process. Some students may have already completed this process. Check with your Apprentice Teacher seminar instructor if you have questions.
• For the most up-to-date details see the TEA site: https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/initial-certification/becoming-a-classroom-teacher-in-texas

Need help with your TEAL account? This is the one you set up with TEA.

The UTeach Dallas program provides documentation to the SBEC liaison in the Teacher Development Center verifying that you have completed the UTeach Dallas program. This process takes place AFTER grades are posted.

Documentation is NOT sent if:

• You are registered for courses after your student teaching semester.
• You are missing degree requirements.
• You have not applied to graduate.

Documentation for degree holders is sent as soon as grades post. Documentation for all others is sent as soon as possible after grades post and well before degrees become official.

Once UTeach Dallas sends documentation about program completion, the Certification Officer checks to see the list above and recommends students for certification if ALL of the requirements are met.

Important: Limit on the Number of Retakes for TExES Exams

As of September 1, 2015, candidates are limited to four retakes on a certification test, in accordance with HB 2205, 84th Texas Legislature, 2015.

In January 2016 the ETS Eligibility web service was changed to not send test approvals for a specific test when the educator has reached or exceeded the exam limit of 5 attempts for that test. Please note that the exam registration system does not prevent a person from registering for more than one test on their fifth attempt. If a person registers for more than one Core Subjects subtest (800 series test), and if the person passes on a sixth attempt, that person will need to request a waiver for the attempt to count for certification.

Details about educator testing is available on the TEA website. There’s also an FAQ about limits on the number of test attempts.

Where Is My Teacher Certification? 

If you have not received your teacher certification, the following issues might be the reason:

• Did you apply to SBEC yet?
• Is your degree official yet? The University of Texas at Dallas puts all degrees through a rigorous vetting process that ensures the integrity of your degree. Degrees “post,” or become official, only after this process is completed. Usually, degrees will post in January (for Fall semester graduates), June (Spring semester), and September (summer session). Local school districts often begin classes before degrees post. There is no way to shorten the process, so be sure to talk to Human Resources at the district you are working with. Let them know you expect to be recommended for certification soon.
• Did you finish course work in the semester (fall, spring, or summer) AFTER you did your Apprentice Teaching? If so, you’ll need to let the UTeach Dallas program know that you’ve finished. If you took courses somewhere besides UTD (like DC, CC) those classes have to be official, either showing up on your UTD transcript or with an official transcript here in the UTeach Dallas office. Contact your AT supervisor so we can send documentation to the SBEC liaison.
• Did you finish your degree after you completed Apprentice Teaching? If so, you’ll need to let us know you’re all done. Contact your AT supervisor.
• Questions? We’re here to help! Contact your AT supervisor and we’ll see what we can get figured out.

How do I renew my certificate?

Please follow the instructions outlined on the TEA website.

*Criminal Background Check

A criminal background check will be required to complete your field hours and clinical teaching to receive a certificate.  A full background check with fingerprinting will be required before clinical teaching. If you cannot successfully complete a criminal background check, you will not be able to certify or to gain a job as a teacher in the state of Texas.  You have the right to review the results of this check. Conviction of an offense can make you ineligible for the issuance of a certificate on completion of the certification program.  
For more detailed information, see Texas Education Code (TEC), §227.1