The Most Frequent Questions
Is Alternative Certification Right for Me?
Alternative certification is best for you if you have your college degree with a 2.5 GPA, and you do not want to go back to college to earn your teacher certification.
With alternative certification you can become a certified teacher in as little as 12-18 months with 240 Certification. In fact, you can even be hired as a teacher while working towards your certification during that time.
240 Certification is an alternative certification program. Alternative certification is simply a way to earn your teaching certification without going back to college- and half of all new teachers in Texas use alternative certification to earn their teaching certificate.
How Does 240 Certification Work?
240 Certification is a fully online, self-paced program. Ultimately, you go at the pace that is most comfortable for you.
Once you officially start 240 Certification, you will work through our first three courses, complete 30 hours classroom observation – that is where you watch a veteran teacher in the classroom – and pass your content test.
(Your content test is a test of the content you will be certified to teach. So elementary teachers take the elementary content test, high school math teachers take the high school math content test, you get the idea….)
Now the content test is probably the hardest part of the certification process, so you really need to study and prepare for that test.
Once you complete those three requirements:
- The first three courses
- The 30 hours of classroom observation
- Pass your content test
Then you should be eligible to be hired at a school district.
After Being Hired
Once you are hired, or even before, you can finish your coursework.
While you are hired, we will send a super-amazing veteran teacher to observe you in the classroom. This veteran superstar will give you coaching and really amazing feedback to make you the best teacher you can be.
(Our 240 Certification teachers are the best.)
Once you finish that first year of teaching, pass all your exams, and get the “sign off” from our veteran teacher – you can become a fully certified teacher in Texas.
How Long Does the Program Take?
The entire program is designed to be completed in 12 – 18 months.
Why the variation? Well, it depends on when you enroll in the program, how long it takes you to complete the program requirements, and how quickly you can find a job.
BUT! Most future teachers who ask this question are really asking – how quickly can I be hired as a teacher?
So to be very quick – it normally takes 2-3 weeks to get started and enrolled in the program. The faster we can your transcripts, the faster this part will take.
It normally takes 2-3 months to get complete the three requirements to be hired (more on that in a minute).
And typically 10 months to complete your Field Experience- that is when you are in the classroom teacher. Why 10 months? Because that is about how many months the school year is 😉
During your Field Experience – while your teaching – you will finish all program requirements that you have not already completed prior to being hired. And if that is confusing – you do not have to complete all the coursework and all the requirements prior to be hired. Just three big ones!
Program Cost
How Much Does it Cost to Start?
The total cost for 240 Certification is [$3,850] for candidates who want to be the full-time teacher earning a salary in the classroom.
This is the most affordable option of any ACP in Texas.
For our candidates that would like to do a single-semester student teaching, the cost is $600 less.
The reason the full-time, salaried teaching option is more expensive is because we are required by the state to “observe you” for two full semesters, instead of just one for the student teaching. So because we send a Field Supervisor for both semesters, there is an additional $600 cost to cover the Field Supervisor’s compensation.
How Much to Start
240 Certification is $0 to get started.
Once you are formally enrolled in the program, your payment of $3,850 can be financed through a 240 partner Teacher Credit Union with payments as low as $78. We also have another payment option that allows you to pay $250/month for 12 months for your tuition plus $600 for each of your two Field Experience payments.
What You Get
With our tuition, you get:
- A dedicated Program Advisor who is YOUR program advisor…so if you have a question, you know exactly who to email, text, or even call. We our here to support YOU.
- 240 Tutoring – free test prep from our Texas-Famous test prep. This helps ensure you will pass the most difficult part of the certification journey.
- Engaging, useful coursework that helps you prepare for the classroom from the day one.
How to Get Started
How Do I Get Started?
The best time to get started is today!
Now, to get started you need to already have your college degree – or be in the last semester of your degree.
Our two main program requirements is a 2.5 GPA and someone comfortable with an online, self-paced program. If you have a 2.5 GPA or higher (either overall or the last 60 hours) and are comfortable with an online, self-paced program – then 240 Certification is likely a good fit for you!
To get started, simply click any one of the “Start Today” buttons on our website. This will bring up a comprehensive form that we have to capture for state regulation purposes.
Once we have your information, the next step is to send us your college transcripts. You can send the transcripts to the mailing address on the footer of our website, or if you college is able, send them by secure email.
When we evaluate your transcripts, we are looking for two major things.
First, we are looking for your overall GPA or your GPA in the last 60 hours. We love to see a GPA of 2.5 or higher.
Second, we are looking to qualify for a certification area – we want to look at what the state will allow you to teach during your first year.
When Can I Get Hired?
There are three big requirements every new teacher must complete prior to being hired by a school district.
Once enrolled in a Certification Program, the teacher must:
- Complete 150 hours of initial coursework
- Complete 30 hours of classroom observations
- Pass your content test(s)
Once you complete those three big requirements, you are able to be hired by a school district as the full-time teacher of record.
These requirements can be completed in as little as 30 days, but to do that requires A LOT of work, dedication, and doing pretty much nothing else during those 30 days.
Most candidates complete these three requirements within their 2 or 3 months of being enrolled in the program.
Late Hires
One big exception to note is the “Late Hire” provision. A “Late Hire” is someone who enrolls in a certification program close to the start of the school year. Late Hires still must complete all the requirements, but they only have to pass their content test(s) before being hired.
So Late Hire can complete their initial 150 hours of coursework and 30 hours of observation after being hired by a school district.
However, that is A LOT to do while you are hired, so the sooner you can complete the three requirements, the better.