1. (a) Coursework and/or training for candidates seeking initial certification in any certification class.

   1. (1) An educator preparation program (EPP) shall provide coursework and/or training to adequately prepare candidates for educator certification and ensure the educator is effective in the classroom.
   2. (2) Coursework and/or training shall be sustained, rigorous, intensive, interactive, candidate-focused, and performance-based.
   3. (3) All coursework and/or training shall be completed prior to EPP completion and standard certification.
   4. (4) With appropriate documentation such as certificate of attendance, sign-in sheet, or other written school district verification, 50 clock-hours of training may be provided by a school district and/or campus that is an approved TEA continuing professional education provider to a candidate who is considered a late hire. The training provided by the school district and/or campus must meet the criteria described in the Texas Education Code (TEC), §21.451 (Staff Development Requirements) and must be directly related to the certificate being sought.

   5. (5) Each EPP must develop and implement specific criteria and procedures that allow:

      1. (A) military service member or military veteran candidates to credit verified military service, training, or education toward the training, education, work experience, or related requirements (other than certification examinations) for educator certification requirements, provided that the military service, training, or education is directly related to the certificate being sought; and
      2. (B) candidates who are not military service members or military veterans to substitute prior or ongoing service, training, or education, provided that the experience, education, or training is not also counted as a part of the internship, clinical teaching, or practicum requirements, was provided by an approved EPP or an accredited institution of higher education within the past five years, and is directly related to the certificate being sought.

   6. (6) Coursework and training that is offered online must meet, or the EPP must be making progress toward meeting, criteria set for accreditation, quality assurance, and/or compliance with one or more of the following:

      1. (A) Accreditation by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission;
      2. (B) Program Design and Teaching Support Certification by Quality Matters;
      3. (C) Chapter 4, Subchapter P, of this title (relating to Approval of Distance Education Courses and Programs for Public Institutions); or
      4. (D) Chapter 7 of this title (relating to Degree Granting Colleges and Universities Other than Texas Public Institutions).

2. (b) Coursework and/or training for candidates seeking initial certification in the classroom teacher certification class. An EPP shall provide each candidate with a minimum of 300 clock-hours of coursework and/or training. Unless a candidate qualifies as a late hire, a candidate shall complete the following prior to any clinical teaching or internship:

   1. (1) a minimum of 30 clock-hours of field-based experience. Up to 15 clock-hours of this field-based experience may be provided by use of electronic transmission or other video or technology-based method; and

   2. (2) 150 clock-hours of coursework and/or training that allows candidates to demonstrate proficiency in:

      1. (A) designing clear, well-organized, sequential, engaging, and flexible lessons that reflect best practice, align with standards and related content, are appropriate for diverse learners and encourage higher-order thinking, persistence, and achievement;
      2. (B) formally and informally collecting, analyzing, and using student progress data to inform instruction and make needed lesson adjustments;
      3. (C) ensuring high levels of learning, social-emotional development, and achievement for all students through knowledge of students, proven practices, and differentiated instruction;
      4. (D) clearly and accurately communicating to support persistence, deeper learning, and effective effort;
      5. (E) organizing a safe, accessible, and efficient classroom;
      6. (F) establishing, communicating, and maintaining clear expectations for student behavior;
      7. (G) leading a mutually respectful and collaborative class of actively engaged learners;
      8. (H) meeting expectations for attendance, professional appearance, decorum, procedural, ethical, legal, and statutory responsibilities;
      9. (I) reflect on his or her practice; and
      10. (J) effectively communicating with students, families, colleagues, and community members.
3. (c) Coursework and/or training for candidates seeking initial certification in a certification class other than classroom teacher. An EPP shall provide coursework and/or training to ensure that the educator is effective in the assignment. An EPP shall provide a candidate with a minimum of 200 clock-hours of coursework and/or training that is directly aligned to the educator standards for the applicable certification class.
4. (d) Late hire provisions. A late hire for a school district teaching position may begin employment under an intern or probationary certificate before completing the pre-internship requirements of subsection (b) of this section, but shall complete these requirements within 90 school days of assignment.

5. (e) Educator preparation program delivery. An EPP shall provide evidence of ongoing and relevant field-based experiences throughout the EPP in a variety of educational settings with diverse student populations, including observation, modeling, and demonstration of effective practices to improve student learning.

   1. (1) For initial certification in the classroom teacher certification class, each EPP shall provide field-based experiences, as defined in §228.2 of this title (relating to Definitions), for a minimum of 30 clock-hours. The field-based experiences must be completed prior to assignment in an internship or clinical teaching.

      1. (A) Field-based experiences must include 15 clock-hours in which the candidate, under the direction of the EPP, is actively engaged in instructional or educational activities that include:

         1. (i) authentic school settings in a public school accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or other school approved by the TEA for this purpose;
         2. (ii) instruction by content certified teachers;
         3. (iii) actual students in classrooms/instructional settings with identity-proof provisions;
         4. (iv) content or grade-level specific classrooms/instructional settings; and
         5. (v) written reflection of the observation.

      2. (B) Up to 15 clock-hours of field-based experience may be provided by use of electronic transmission or other video or technology-based method. Field-based experience provided by use of electronic transmission or other video or technology-based method must include:

         1. (i) direction of the EPP;
         2. (ii) authentic school settings in an accredited public or private school;
         3. (iii) instruction by content certified teachers;
         4. (iv) actual students in classrooms/instructional settings with identity-proof provisions;
         5. (v) content or grade-level specific classrooms/instructional settings; and
         6. (vi) written reflection of the observation.

   2. (2) For initial certification in the classroom teacher certification class, each EPP shall also provide at least one of the following:

      1. (A) clinical teaching for a minimum of 14 weeks (no less than 65 full days), with a full day being 100% of the school day; or
      2. (B) clinical teaching for a minimum of 28 weeks (no less than 130 half days, with a half day being 50% of the school day; or

      3. (C) internship for a minimum of one full school year for the classroom teacher assignment or assignments that match the certification category or categories for which the candidate is prepared by the EPP.

         1. (i) An EPP may permit an internship of up to 30 school days less than the minimum if due to maternity leave, military leave, illness, or late hire date.
         2. (ii) The beginning date for an internship is the first day of instruction with students in the school or district in which the internship takes place.

         3. (iii) An internship assignment shall not be less than an average of four hours each day in the subject area and grade level of certification sought. An EPP may permit an additional internship assignment of less than an average of four hours each day if:

            1. (I) the primary assignment is not less than an average of four hours each day in the subject area and grade level of certification sought;
            2. (II) the EPP is approved to offer preparation in the certification category required for the additional assignment;
            3. (III) the EPP provides ongoing support for each assignment as prescribed in subsection (g) of this section;
            4. (IV) the EPP provides coursework and training for each assignment to adequately prepare the candidate to be effective in the classroom; and
            5. (V) the employing school or district notifies the candidate and the EPP in writing that an assignment of less than four hours will be required.
         4. (iv) A candidate must hold an intern or probationary certificate while participating in an internship. A candidate must meet the requirements and conditions, including the subject matter knowledge requirement, prescribed in §230.36 of this title (relating to Intern Certificates) and §230.37 of this title (relating to Probationary Certificates) to be eligible for an intern or probationary certificate.

         5. (v) An EPP may recommend an additional internship if:

            1. (I) the EPP certifies that the first internship was not successful, the EPP has developed a plan to address any deficiencies identified by the candidate and the candidate's field supervisor, and the EPP implements the plan during the additional internship; or
            2. (II) the EPP certifies that the first internship was successful and that the candidate is making satisfactory progress toward completing the EPP before the end of the additional internship.

         6. (vi) An EPP must provide ongoing support to a candidate as described in subsection (g) of this section for the full term of the initial and any additional internship, unless, prior to the expiration of that term:

            1. (I) a standard certificate is issued to the candidate during any additional internship under a probationary certificate;
            2. (II) the candidate resigns, is non-renewed, or is terminated by the school or district. A candidate must provide the EPP the official notice of resignation or termination within one business day after receipt of the notice from the employing school or district. Within one business day after receipt of the official notice of resignation or termination, an EPP must notify a candidate in writing that the EPP will provide TEA with notice about the resignation or termination and that the intern certificate will be inactivated by the TEA 30 calendar days from the effective date of the resignation or termination. Within one business day after providing the notice to a candidate, an EPP must email the TEA a copy of the notice to the candidate and a copy of the official notice of the resignation or termination;
            3. (III) the candidate is discharged or is released from the EPP. An EPP must notify a candidate in writing that the candidate is being discharged or released, that the EPP will provide the employing school or district with notice of the discharge or release, that the EPP will provide TEA with notice about the resignation or termination, and that the intern certificate will be inactivated by the TEA 30 calendar days from the effective date of the discharge or release. Within one business day after providing a candidate with notice of discharge or release, an EPP must provide written notification to the employing school or district of the withdrawal, discharge, or release. Within one business day of providing notice to the employing school or district, an EPP must email the TEA a copy of the notice of discharge or release and a copy of the notice to the employing school or district; or
            4. (IV) the candidate withdraws from the EPP. A candidate must notify the EPP in writing that the candidate is withdrawing from the EPP. Within one business day after receipt of the withdrawal notice, an EPP must notify a candidate in writing that the EPP will provide the employing school or district with notice of the withdrawal, that the EPP will provide TEA with notice about the withdrawal, and that the intern certificate will be inactivated by the TEA 30 calendar days from the effective date of the withdrawal. Within one business day after providing a candidate with notice of discharge or release, an EPP must provide written notification to the employing school or district of the withdrawal, discharge, or release. Within one business day of providing notice to the employing school or district, an EPP must email the TEA a copy of the notice of withdrawal and a copy of the notice to the employing school or district.

      4. (D) An EPP may request an exception to the clinical teaching option described in this subsection. An exception must include an alternate requirement that will adequately prepare candidates for educator certification and ensure the educator is effective in the classroom. The request for an exception must be submitted in a form developed by the TEA staff which shall include:

         1. (i) the rationale and support for the alternate clinical teaching option;
         2. (ii) a full description and methodology of the alternate clinical teaching option;
         3. (iii) a description of the controls to maintain the delivery of equivalent, quality education; and
         4. (iv) a description of the ongoing monitoring and evaluation process to ensure that EPP objectives are met.
      5. (E) Exception requests will be reviewed by TEA staff, and the TEA staff shall recommend to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) whether the exception should be approved.
      6. (F) Candidates need to experience a full range of professional responsibilities that shall include the start of the school year. The start of the school year is defined as the first 15 instructional days of the school year. If these experiences cannot be provided through clinical teaching, they must be provided through field-based experiences.

   3. (3) An internship or clinical teaching experience for certificates that include early childhood may be completed at a Head Start Program with the following stipulations:

      1. (A) a certified teacher is available as a trained mentor;
      2. (B) the Head Start program is affiliated with the federal Head Start program and approved by the TEA;
      3. (C) the Head Start program teaches three- and four-year-old students; and
      4. (D) the state's prekindergarten curriculum guidelines are being implemented.
   4. (4) An internship or clinical teaching experience must take place in an actual school setting rather than a distance learning lab or virtual school setting.

   5. (5) An internship or clinical teaching experience shall not take place in a setting where the candidate:

      1. (A) has an administrative role over the mentor or cooperating teacher; or
      2. (B) is related to the field supervisor, mentor, or cooperating teacher by blood (consanguinity) within the third degree or by marriage (affinity) within the second degree.

   6. (6) For certification in a class other than classroom teacher, each EPP shall provide a practicum for a minimum of 160 clock-hours whereby a candidate must demonstrate proficiency in each of the educator standards for the certificate class being sought.

      1. (A) A practicum experience must take place in an actual school setting rather than a distance learning lab or virtual school setting.

      2. (B) A practicum shall not take place in a setting where the candidate:

         1. (i) has an administrative role over the site supervisor; or
         2. (ii) is related to the field supervisor or site supervisor by blood (consanguinity) within the third degree or by marriage (affinity) within the second degree.

      3. (C) An intern or probationary certificate may be issued to a candidate for a certification class other than classroom teacher who meets the requirements and conditions, including the subject matter knowledge requirement, prescribed in §230.37 of this title.

         1. (i) A candidate for an intern or probationary certificate in a certification class other than classroom teacher must meet all requirements established by the recommending EPP, which shall be based on the qualifications and requirements for the class of certification sought and the duties to be performed by the holder of a probationary certificate in that class.

         2. (ii) An EPP may recommend an additional practicum under a probationary certificate if:

            1. (I) the EPP certifies that the first practicum was not successful, the EPP has developed a plan to address any deficiencies identified by the candidate and the candidate's field supervisor, and the EPP implements the plan during the additional practicum; or
            2. (II) the EPP certifies that the first practicum was successful and that the candidate is making satisfactory progress toward completing the EPP before the end of the additional practicum.
      4. (D) A practicum is successful when the field supervisor and the site supervisor recommend to the EPP that the candidate should be recommended for a standard certificate.

   7. (7) Subject to all the requirements of this section, the TEA may approve a school that is not a public school accredited by the TEA as a site for field-based experience, internship, clinical teaching, and/or practicum.

      1. (A) All Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, wherever located, and all schools accredited by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission (TEPSAC) are approved by the TEA for purposes of field-based experience, internship, clinical teaching, and/or practicum.
      2. (B) An EPP may file an application with the TEA for approval, subject to periodic review, of a public school, a private school, or a school system located within any state or territory of the United States, as a site for field-based experience. The application shall be in a form developed by the TEA staff and shall include, at a minimum, evidence showing that the instructional standards of the school or school system align with those of the applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and SBEC certification standards.

      3. (C) An EPP may file an application with the TEA for approval, subject to periodic review, of a public or private school located within any state or territory of the United States, as a site for an internship, clinical teaching, and/or practicum required by this chapter. The application shall be in a form developed by the TEA staff and shall include, at a minimum:

         1. (i) the accreditation(s) held by the school;
         2. (ii) a crosswalk comparison of the alignment of the instructional standards of the school with those of the applicable TEKS and SBEC certification standards;
         3. (iii) the certification, credentials, and training of the field supervisor(s) who will supervise candidates in the school; and
         4. (iv) the measures that will be taken by the EPP to ensure that the candidate's experience will be equivalent to that of a candidate in a Texas public school accredited by the TEA.
      4. (D) An EPP may file an application with the TEA for approval, subject to periodic review, of a public or private school located outside the United States, as a site for clinical teaching, internship, or practicum required by this chapter. The application shall be in a form developed by the TEA staff and shall include, at a minimum, the same elements required in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph for schools located within any state or territory of the United States, with the addition of a description of the on-site program personnel and program support that will be provided and a description of the school's recognition by the U.S. State Department Office of Overseas Schools.
6. (f) Mentors, cooperating teachers, and site supervisors. In order to support a new educator and to increase educator retention, an EPP shall collaborate with the campus or district administrator to assign each candidate a mentor during the candidate's internship, assign a cooperating teacher during the candidate's clinical teaching experience, or assign a site supervisor during the candidate's practicum. If an individual who meets the certification category and/or experience criteria for a cooperating teacher, mentor, or site supervisor is not available, the EPP and campus or district administrator shall assign an individual who most closely meets the criteria and document the reason for selecting an individual that does not meet the criteria. The EPP is responsible for providing mentor, cooperating teacher, and/or site supervisor training that relies on scientifically-based research, but the program may allow the training to be provided by a school, district, or regional education service center if properly documented.

7. (g) Ongoing educator preparation program support for initial certification of teachers. Supervision of each candidate shall be conducted with the structured guidance and regular ongoing support of an experienced educator who has been trained as a field supervisor. Supervision provided on or after September 1, 2017, must be provided by a field supervisor who has completed TEA-approved observation training. The initial contact, which may be made by telephone, email, or other electronic communication, with the assigned candidate must occur within the first three weeks of assignment. For each formal observation, the field supervisor shall participate in an individualized pre-observation conference with the candidate, document educational practices observed; provide written feedback through an individualized, synchronous, and interactive post-observation conference with the candidate; and provide a copy of the written feedback to the candidate's cooperating teacher or mentor. Neither the pre-observation conference nor the post-observation conference need to be onsite. For candidates participating in an internship, the field supervisor shall provide a copy of the written feedback to the candidate's supervising campus administrator. Formal observations by the field supervisor conducted through collaboration with school or district personnel can be used to meet the requirements of this subsection. Informal observations and coaching shall be provided by the field supervisor as appropriate. In a clinical teaching experience, the field supervisor shall collaborate with the candidate and cooperating teacher throughout the clinical teaching experience. For an internship, the field supervisor shall collaborate with the candidate, mentor, and supervising campus administrator throughout the internship.

   1. (1) Each formal observation must be at least 45 minutes in duration, must be conducted by the field supervisor, and must be on the candidate's site in a face-to-face setting.
   2. (2) An EPP must provide the first formal observation within the first third of all clinical teaching assignments and the first six weeks of all internship assignments.
   3. (3) For an internship under an intern certificate or an additional internship described in subsection (e)(2)(C)(v)(I) of this section, an EPP must provide a minimum of three formal observations during the first half of the internship and a minimum of two formal observations during the last half of the internship.
   4. (4) For a first-year internship under a probationary certificate or an additional internship described in subsection (e)(2)(C)(v)(II) of this section, an EPP must provide a minimum of one formal observation during the first third of the assignment, a minimum of one formal observation during the second third of the assignment, and a minimum of one formal observation during the last third of the assignment.
   5. (5) If an internship under an intern certificate or an additional internship described in subsection (e)(2)(C)(v)(I) of this section involves certification in more than one certification category that cannot be taught concurrently during the same period of the school day, an EPP must provide a minimum of three observations in each assignment. For each assignment, the EPP must provide at least two formal observations during the first half of the internship and one formal observation during the second half of the internship.
   6. (6) For a first-year internship under a probationary certificate or an additional internship described in subsection (e)(2)(C)(v)(II) of this section that involves certification in more than one certification category that cannot be taught concurrently during the same period of the school day, an EPP must provide a minimum of one formal observation in each of the assignments during the first half of the assignment and a minimum of one formal observation in each assignment during the second half of the assignment.
   7. (7) For a 14-week, full-day clinical teaching assignment, an EPP must provide a minimum of one formal observation during the first third of the assignment, a minimum of one formal observation during the second third of the assignment, and a minimum of one formal observation during the last third of the assignment. For an all-level clinical teaching assignment in more than one location, a minimum of two formal observations must be provided during the first half of the assignment and a minimum of one formal observation must be provided during the second half of the assignment.
   8. (8) For a 28-week, half-day clinical teaching assignment, an EPP must provide a minimum of two formal observations during the first half of the assignment and a minimum of two formal observations during the last half of the assignment.

8. (h) Ongoing educator preparation program support for certification in a certification class other than classroom teacher. Supervision of each candidate shall be conducted with the structured guidance and regular ongoing support of an experienced educator who has been trained as a field supervisor. Supervision provided on or after September 1, 2017, must be provided by a field supervisor who has completed TEA-approved observation training. The initial contact, which may be made by telephone, email, or other electronic communication, with the assigned candidate must occur within the first quarter of the assignment. For each formal observation, the field supervisor shall participate in an individualized pre-observation conference with the candidate; document educational practices observed; provide written feedback through an individualized, synchronous, and interactive post-observation conference with the candidate; and provide a copy of the written feedback to the candidate's site supervisor. Neither the pre-observation conference nor the post-observation conference need to be onsite. Formal observations conducted through collaboration with school or district personnel can be used to meet the requirements of this subsection. Informal observations and coaching shall be provided by the field supervisor as appropriate. The field supervisor shall collaborate with the candidate and site supervisor throughout the practicum experience.

   1. (1) Formal observations must be at least 135 minutes in duration in total throughout the practicum and must be conducted by the field supervisor.
   2. (2) At least one of the formal observations must be on the candidate's site in a face-to-face setting.
   3. (3) If a formal observation is not conducted on the candidate's site in a face-to-face setting, the formal observation may be provided by use of electronic transmission or other video or technology-based method. A formal observation that is not conducted on the candidates' site in a face-to-face setting must include a pre- and post-conference.
   4. (4) An EPP must provide a minimum of one formal observation within the first third of the practicum, one formal observation within the second third of the practicum, and one formal observation within the final third of the practicum.

9. (i) Exemptions.

   1. (1) Under the TEC, §21.050(c), a candidate who receives a bachelor's degree required for a teaching certificate on the basis of higher education coursework completed while receiving an exemption from tuition and fees under the TEC, §54.363, is exempt from the requirements of this chapter relating to field-based experience, internship, or clinical teaching.
   2. (2) Under the TEC, §21.0487(c)(2)(B), a candidate's employment by a school or district as a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps instructor before the person was enrolled in an EPP or while the person is enrolled in an EPP is exempt from any clinical teaching, internship, or field-based experience program requirement.

Source Note:The provisions of this §228.35 adopted to be effective December 14, 2008, 33 TexReg 10016; amended to be effective December 26, 2010, 35 TexReg 11239; amended to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5747; amended to be effective October 27, 2014, 39 TexReg 8388; amended to be effective December 27, 2016, 41 TexReg 10280.