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This is an extensive list of FAQs. For answers to our most common questions, please visit our Help Center.
240 Certification is an educator preparation program (EPP) that can be completed in approximately 12-18 months. It typically takes only a few months to complete the first phase of the program, and then candidates can be eligible to begin working as a full-time, paid teacher at a district of their choosing, while completing additional requirements. The program includes online coursework (taken in 3 blocks), 50-hours of field-based experiences, and a capstone field experience. The capstone would include a (student) clinical teaching placement (unpaid, no less than 14-weeks) or a full-year (paid) internship, serving as a teacher of record. Here is a visual to help illustrate our program.
Apply: Your first step is to complete your application! Make sure you send us your official transcripts & complete the Tell Us About You form. Once we have all of those things, your application will be placed in line to be reviewed!
Prepare: Once you have enrolled in the program, you will begin your online coursework and start preparing for your content exam. After completing your first section of coursework and passing your content exam, you will be eligible for your SOE letter to start teaching!
Teach: A paid teaching internship is part of our 240 Certification program requirements. Once you complete step 2 and earn your SOE letter, you will be eligible to be hired to teach on an internship certification! This means you can begin teaching while in the program in just a month or two!
Certify: Once you complete a successful teaching internship year, finish all of your online coursework, and pass all of your required exams, you will receive your Texas standard certification!
240 Certification is an alternative certification program (ACP) that trains and supports effective teachers while simultaneously leading them through the Texas teacher certification process. By the end of the program, candidates will be fully certified to teach in Texas.
Our sister company, 240 Tutoring, is a certification exam preparation company. They have developed over 300 online study guides for certification exams across the country! Any pre-service teachers or current teachers seeking additional certification, can find online study guides and supporting materials to help ensure test readiness. They stand on the promise of success with their money-back 240 Tutoring guarantee! Please see 240tutoring.com for more details.
In essence, 240 Certification is responsible for the certification, and 240 Tutoring is responsible for certification test prep!
You can contact us via phone at 903-471-0957 or email at [email protected].
FREE 240 Tutoring Access! Our proprietary curriculum is high quality on its own. It’s elevated with the free inclusion of 240 Tutoring! 240 Tutoring is seamlessly integrated into every step of your journey. Our program is designed to provide you with the tools and resources you need to succeed, pass exams, and finish certification, all in one place.
Personal Advisors! Here at 240 Certification, we never want you to feel like you’re going through this process by yourself. This is why we have admission and program advisors to help you through your entire journey: from admission all the way to certification! Our admission advisors are available from the moment you send in your application and are there to help answer any questions you have while your application is being reviewed! Once enrolled in the program, you will be matched up with a personal program advisor. Our PAs are experienced teachers who will be with you step-by-step to help you navigate through coursework, content exams, and your teaching experience!
For Teachers By Teachers! 240 Certification is ran by certified educators who know exactly what it takes to be a successful and influential teacher! From our admissions teams to program advisors all the way up to our directors, you will be guided by educators just like you!
Most Affordable! We understand the challenges that educators face, which is why we’re committed to making our program the most affordable in Texas. By choosing our program, our candidates will not only benefit from our expert instruction and personalized support, but they will also save money on tuition.
Please send us an email at [email protected]. One of our Team Members will reach out to you to visit or schedule an appointment. We typically respond in 1-2 business days.
No. Currently, 240 Certification only serves candidates pursuing a Texas certification.
Yes! Refer to our sister company, 240 Tutoring, for study guides, flash cards, quizzes, and practice tests for a small subscription fee.
Absolutely! Did you know that all 240 Certification candidates will have access to 240 Tutoring for FREE?! That’s 250 study guides and over 14 test series all at your disposal so you can pass your content exam. While others have to pay a subscription fee, you won’t. Just another fun perk you get here at 240 Certification!
It is the candidate’s responsibility to actively look for jobs and apply. But something we do offer, that other programs do not, is a personal Program Advisor while you’re enrolled in the program! Your PA will be there to help you with your Statement of Eligibility letter and make sure you have the support you need to land the job!
From start to finish, the entire certification process usually takes 12-18 months, with the majority of that time being your teaching experience that counts towards our 240 Certification program. Candidates technically have two years from the program admission date to complete the program.
Most candidates can become eligible to begin their teaching internship in just a few months. 240 Cert. requires their candidates to complete some online coursework, pass their content exam, and obtain their observation hours first. Then you can begin the job hunt! And, yes, you will receive a Statement of Eligibility letter to help you land that teaching position!
Not at all. It doesn’t matter if you went to school to be a teacher or you are wanting to make a career change; If you have a desire to help and teach students in the classroom, we will prepare you to be the best educator you can be!
Yes! Because our coursework is online and self-paced, there are never any deadlines on when you can apply and enroll. We accept applications all year ’round!
Feel free to reach out to your Admissions Advisor or email the admin email account at [email protected]. You can also text/call the main line at 903-471-0957 and we will be happy to email you your Applicant Checklist to check on the status of your application instantly!
240’s basic admissions are as follows:
Texas requires that all teachers have a Bachelor degree, minimally, in order to become certified. The soonest someone can apply and be accepted into the program is in their final semester of college while they are working towards their bachelor’s degree. Please apply once you are within your final semester of your degree.
There are no application fees. It is free to submit our online application.
If you meet our admission criteria and are invited into the program, payment is due at enrollment. We currently do not offer the option to defer your payment until you begin your teaching internship.
Once we have received your initial online application, all required Official transcripts and your Tell Us About You form, it takes approximately 1-3 business days for our Admissions team to process your application. We will communicate the next steps with you via email once your application review is completed.
It is helpful and most time efficient for an applicant to submit ALL of your official transcripts. Any program that you are applying to is required to conduct an analysis on the transcripts and need access to the official transcript showing the degree confirmation (bachelors and master’s) and any coursework that matches the certification desired. It is much easier to support the candidate’s request when we can review all of the transcripts.
We realize this is a reality and makes things very difficult. When universities have closed down, they typically have a company handle things for them, like transcript requests. If this is not an available option, you can contact the college or university’s accreditation agency (this can typically be found online) to see if they know of any plan that the university had in place for transcript requests.
Texas Administrative Code, or TAC (the laws guiding our program) do require that an official transcript be a part of the application process. If you have a second degree (such as a master’s degree), we can see what we can do to work off of that official transcript. However, if we do not receive an official transcript noting the date of the conferred degree, we will be unable to continue the application process.
There are two ways that official transcripts can be submitted: electronic (preferred) or through the mail. Sometimes universities can only mail them and that is fine. Please send them to:
Electronic (preferred):
240 Certification
ATTN: Ashley Damron, Program Coordinator
[email protected]
Learn more about submitting transcripts in our “How to Order Transcripts” guide.
Mail:
240 Certification
ATTN Dr. Lara Cavin
3122 Nealy Way, Ste. 211-B
Longview, TX 75605
In order to be considered an official document per TEA and program requirements, transcripts must be sent directly from your college/university or foreign evaluation service. Personal attachments, photo copies, or photos of transcripts are considered unofficial documents and cannot be accepted, per TEA.
In order to be considered an official document per TEA and program requirements, transcripts must be sent directly from your college/university or foreign evaluation service. Personal attachments, photo copies, or photos of transcripts are considered unofficial documents and cannot be accepted, per TEA.
Even if the copy you possess is sealed, we have found that the transcript inside can say “Issued to: Student”. In order to be an official transcript, the transcript would need to state “Issued to: 240 Certification.” We would hate for you to send us a transcript, we open the sealed transcript, only to find that it isn’t issued to us. To save you time and money, it’s simpler to request a new transcript and have it sent to 240 Certification.
We will request more transcripts when we notice a significant amount of total credits coming from another institution listed but the individual courses are not listed for us to provide you with the most accurate transcript analysis to determine your certification area. We only wish to provide every applicant with the most accurate and comprehensive analysis possible so you receive credit for as many courses as possible.
The soonest that anyone can be ACCEPTED in a program is the FINAL semester of working on a bachelor’s degree. If you already have a conferred bachelor’s degree, you can apply at any time!
The soonest someone can be ACCEPTED into a program is that final semester, and the candidate cannot begin any coursework, testing or any field-based requirements prior to being accepted into a program. (Exceptions: Transferring from another program or serving as a long-term sub…these exceptions are very rare.)
If the applicant is enrolled in that final semester, (s)he can be offered a contingency invitation. If someone has already completed the bachelor’s degree (and it has been conferred by the university, then (s)he would receive a full formal invitation.
Please feel free to send us all transcripts for all your conferred degrees! We will credit you the highest GPA of all of your awarded degree. For example, if your Bachelor degree GPA is 2.5 but your Master degree GPA is 3.5, we will count the 3.5 GPA for your admission.
However, we do ask that, minimally you have your Bachelor degree transcript sent to us. This is because we use core subjects (math, English, social studies, and science) to determine which certification areas you are approved for. Most core subjects are found on Bachelor degrees.
You certainly do not have to add another degree! All you need is a bachelor’s degree to get started, but a master’s degree will certainly help you as you transition into the field. Going the alternative certification route would likely be the faster and more affordable option.
Don’t get us wrong…there are many WONDERFUL post-bac programs out there that provide exceptional service. Candidates would likely have more time, coursework and professional experiences prior to certification than through the alternative route. Of course, that comes with the additional costs and time in the program associated with the additional degree. It really comes down to personal preferences.
Prior to closing, your school is required to make accommodations for you to access your academic records indefinitely. Your school must communicate information about your academic transcripts once the location has been determined.
Yes! If your bachelor’s degree is under a 2.5 GPA and your master’s degree is above a 2.5 GPA, then you should meet the GPA requirements for admission. Be sure to still send 240 Certification all transcripts, even if one does not meet or support the GPA requirement. The information contained in each transcript is still an important part of the application process.
Texas Administrative Code has some very specific GPA requirements for admission. First, it is important to check the following:
For 240 Certification, we require an overall GPA or a last 60 hour GPA of 2.5. If your GPA does not meet this requirement, your GPA would need to improve in order to be accepted into 240 Certification. You can do this by taking some additional classes and allowing higher grades to bring your GPA up to our admission requirements.
Another option is to seek another program that would be willing to accept an alternative, such as a passing PACT exam. We do not do this here at 240 Cert. However, other programs might. You would need to contact other programs and see if they allow this. We do not have a list of programs that offer this option.
How 240 Certification calculates last 60 hours GPA:
Please note: 240 Certification does not accept PACT as a substitute for our GPA requirements. Overall GPA or last 60 hours GPA requirements must be met to be considered for admission, per our program policy. If the GPA status changes in the future and does meet our program requirements, you are welcome to resend transcripts for a new evaluation.
The TX PACT exam is short for the Texas Pre-Admission Content Test, and it is used for admission into an educator preparation program (EPP). EPPs are required to ask for a TX PACT exam if the applicant has below a 2.5 GPA (both overall and in the last 60 hours) or if the applicant is desiring a certification field that does not meet the 12/15 hour coursework requirement.
Individual EPPs can make it a requirement for program entrance if they desire; however, 240 Certification only requires that it be taken for the reasons required in Texas Administrative Code (laws guiding our program). If you are unsure as to whether you would be required to take the TX PACT exam for admission requirements, please feel free to reach out to 240 Certification at [email protected] or call us at (903) 471-0957. You can access some additional basic information about the TX PACT exam here.
How do I figure out if I have to take the TX PACT exam?
TX PACT Exam is required if the applicant does not meet the admission requirements outlined in Texas Administrative Code. These laws require 12 hours of university coursework (15 hours for mathematics or science above Grade 7) to demonstrate content knowledge. We also have a program requirement of a specific GPA of 2.5 for that subject area.
If you do not meet the coursework hours or subject-specific GPA requirement for the subject area you wish to pursue, you will need to take and pass the PACT exam for that content in order to move forward pursuing that certification area.
For 240 Certification, a passing PACT exam is not a substitute for a less than 2.5 GPA (overall or last 60 hours).
If the exam has not changed, it can still be used in one of two ways: as the content exam (after admission to a program) and used toward initial certification requirements OR added as an additional certification following completion of a program (after the Standard certification has been issued.)
Even if an applicant used this as a pre-admissions test prior to 2020, it no longer can be used as a pre-admissions exam. If a pre-admissions content exam is required (240 Certification does not require this for all applicants), then a current TX PACT exam (test number will be in the 700s) will be needed.
240 Certification is approved to offer the following certificate categories:
Supplemental certifications, which can be tied to the levels/subject areas of certification include:
We currently do not offer the EC-3 certification area. However, these grade levels are covered with the EC-6 Core Subjects certification. This is the route we encourage our applicants to pursue when they are wishing to pursue the EC-3 cert area.
We currently do not offer that certification area. Here at 240 Cert, we currently offer certifications in all the core subjects. This allows our candidates to be the most marketable teaching candidate for school districts to hire, since core subjects are in such high demand. We recommend obtaining a certification in a core subject first. Then, after you complete the program and hold your Standard Teaching Certificate, you can add other certifications, like PE, by examination only.
While we need your Bachelor degree or higher transcript to determine overall GPA, that is not the only thing we evaluate transcripts for. We also do a course-by-course analysis of your entire body of coursework across all of the institutions you have attended, not just your final institution. This course-by-course analysis is when we check your transcript for all coursework that will count towards the certification areas we offer. It is how we are able to determine which certification areas you qualify for per TEA’s mastery criteria!
Texas Administrative Code requires 12 hours of university coursework (15 hours for mathematics or science above Grade 7) to demonstrate content knowledge in a certification area. 240 Cert. also requires a subject-specific GPA of 2.5. The applicant must meet the coursework hours and the subject-specific GPA requirement to be approved by 240 Cert for that certification area. If the applicant wishes to pursue a content area they are not approved for, they will need to successfully pass TX PACT exam for the subject(s) desired.
*Content knowledge for Social Studies 7-12 certification must include a minimum of 9 out of the required 12 hours from coursework from the following: history; government/political science, economics, and/or geography with a 2.5 subject-specific GPA. The remaining hours may be from psychology and/or sociology coursework.
**AP credit and/or CLEP examinations can be used in the aggregation of content hours
We do our best to match our applicants up with the certification area of their choice. However, there are also requirements that must be met in order to qualify for content areas. Texas Administrative Code requires 12 hours of university coursework (15 hours for mathematics or science above Grade 7) to demonstrate content knowledge in a certification area. 240 Cert. also requires a subject-specific GPA of 2.5.
The applicant must meet the coursework hours and the subject-specific GPA requirement to be approved by 240 Cert for that certification area. If the applicant wishes to pursue a content area they are not approved for, they will need to successfully pass TX PACT exam for the subject(s) desired.
*Content knowledge for Social Studies 7-12 certification must include a minimum of 9 out of the required 12 hours from coursework from the following: history; government/political science, economics, and/or geography with a 2.5 subject-specific GPA. The remaining hours may be from psychology and/or sociology coursework.
**AP credit and/or CLEP examinations can be used in the aggregation of content hours
Every year TEA submits a list of teacher shortage areas by subject matter and a list of designated low-income schools to the U.S. Department of Education. Teachers with certain types of student loans may qualify for partial loan forgiveness, deferment, or cancellation benefits.
Eligibility for these benefits depends on the type of loan the teacher has, the date of his or her first loan, and whether the teacher serves in a designated low-income school or subject matter teacher shortage area.
You will need to contact your loan holder directly regarding the amount of loan forgiveness you will be eligible to receive. Here is a link to the TEA website with more detailed information
IMPORTANT: Teacher Shortage Areas are announced annually by the U.S. Department of Education and those for this year can be found here. It is important to understand which certifications may be eligible for loan forgiveness and which ones would not.
Changing your mind is not as uncommon as you may think…it happens all the time! What is important is that you fully understand what you COULD be eligible for and when you need to have your mind made up. It is easier to change the certification area early on…the earlier, the better! We want to make sure that each candidate is able to find a job that is tied to the certificate of choice (for an internship). Additionally, we have to make certain that the candidate has the prerequisite coursework and takes our coursework training in that content area in order to make the change.
Admission requirements outlined in Texas Administrative Code (laws guiding our program) require the 12 hours of university coursework (15 hours for mathematics or science above Grade 7) to demonstrate content knowledge in a certification area. If an applicant is seeking admission in an area that (s)he does not have the coursework hours for, (s)he will need to successfully take a TX PACT exam for the subject(s) desired. Please see this link for additional information about the TX PACT exam.
*Content knowledge for Social Studies 7-12 certification must include a minimum of 9 out of the required 12 hours from coursework from the following: history; government/political science, economics, and/or geography with a 2.5 subject-specific GPA. The remaining hours may be from psychology and/or sociology coursework.
**AP credit and/or CLEP examinations can be used in the aggregation of content hours
240 Certification is actually one of the MOST AFFORDABLE EPPs in the STATE! The application is free. Upon enrollment, the candidate will be able to choose a payment option:
If financing through 240, the candidate will begin tuition payments ($250) for 13 months (totaling $3,250.00) There is an additional field experience fee of $600 per semester (1 semester for clinical teaching and 2 semesters for an internship.)
Total Program Costs:
$3,850.00 for those seeking a clinical teaching capstone.
$4,450.00 for those seeking the internship capstone.
Additional fees will be required for certification exams, $35 TEA technology fee, criminal background checks (fingerprinting), testing fees, etc. Please see our website or the EPP Handbook for Applicants for additional information on program pricing.
We currently offer 3 payment options:
If a candidate is the recipient of a scholarship or grant funding through his/her employing school district, we typically allow the candidate to communicate this process with the district directly. The candidate is typically reimbursed once funding is received by the district. If an employment school district would like to develop an alternative plan for payments directly with us, please have a district representative contact our Director of Commercial Operations, Jonathan Schneider, at [email protected] or call the main line at (903) 471-0957.
Typically financial aid and student loan deferments take place in institutions of higher education. It would be very common for a transitional post-bac (master’s degree) program to accept financial aid and defer student loans. It is less common, if at all, through ACPs.
ACPs are typically set up at a much lower cost as compared to a college or university, and they are almost always paid in full by the time of certification completion!
Unfortunately, the VA has re-categorized all alternative certification programs as non-institutes of higher learning since we are not a college or university. Therefore, they are no longer allowing the Post 911-GI Bill benefits to be used towards our program.
There are some student loan forgiveness options for teachers. Some are available in the nationwide teacher shortage areas and there are other loan forgiveness options for teachers and all other school staff. TEA has information on their website that can describe what may be available to help you.
No. The candidate is responsible for the additional costs of certification exams, certification fees, and any required fingerprinting when they arrive at those portions of the program. These fees are not paid to 240 Certification but to the separate entity for each fee.
Unfortunately, 240 Certification does not offer the deferment until your internship payment option at this time. What we offer instead is one of the lowest tuition costs in Texas, saving you hundreds to thousands of dollars compared to other program’s deferred payment options!
In lieu of foreign transcripts, a course-by-course international credential evaluation with GPA is required for applicants educated in a country outside of the United States, regardless of the language of instruction.
The credential evaluation will translate the student’s academic credentials into English and convert their grades and GPA into the traditional United States grading scale. In order to be eligible for admission, your foreign degree must be the equivalent of a four-year U.S. bachelor’s degree or higher from a college or university of recognized standing.
An original course-by-course evaluation from a recognized foreign evaluation service must be submitted, and it must include the month, day, and year that the degree was conferred. It is strongly recommended that applicants have the evaluation agency send us the completed evaluation reports to [email protected].
Foreign evaluation service organizations must be members of either the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The following organizations are members of one of these associations:
Additionally, all applicants are required to submit documentation of the English language proficiency, which will include one of the following:
Additional Details for International Applicants:
All applicants are required to submit documentation of the English language proficiency, which will include one of the following:
No. Demonstrating English Proficiency is a requirement of the Texas Education Agency. According to 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C), “The countries listed below have been approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to satisfy the English language proficiency requirement specified in 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(C). To be exempted from the Test of English as a Foreign Language internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) testing requirement specified in 19 TAC §230.11(b)(5)(B), a certification candidate must have earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution of higher education on the SBEC-approved list of countries.” Here is the link to the approved list of countries.
Yes. Anyone who is using a conferred degree outside of the United States, is required to have an evaluation of foreign credentials.
An original course-by-course evaluation from a recognized foreign evaluation service must be submitted, and it must include the month, day, and year that the degree was conferred. It is strongly recommended that applicants have the evaluation agency send us the completed evaluation reports to [email protected].
Foreign evaluation service organizations must be members of either the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The following organizations are members of one of these associations:
Although a Social Security number is not required to apply for the program or take certification exams, it IS required for fingerprinting. Fingerprinting is required before being eligible to hold an Intern, Probationary, or Standard certificate. Additionally, the fingerprint is required prior to the Texas public school employment.
If you do not hold a United States social security number, but would like to have a temporary file number issued, please submit your request to the TEA Help Desk. Your request must include a copy of your current passport (please attach), your full name, date of birth, current email, and telephone number.
When a number has been assigned, you will need to use the “P” number to establish TEAL and ECOS accounts at tea.texas.gov. As you set up an account as an educator, you will also receive a TEA ID number. This number is primarily issued for testing purposes, but can be used for identification in our system. These numbers are used for educator certification purposes only. A social security number will still be required in order to hold an Intern, Probationary or Standard certificate.
240 Certification does not offer supports, resources, or pathways for visa sponsorship.
Considerations for transfer approval to 240 Certification must meet all of the following criteria:
Any additional requests for transfers outside of this policy will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
240 Certification values the quality of the traditional pathway to teacher certification. We are unable to consider transfer applications who are seeking the alternative pathway to deviate from university requirements for preparation and certification.
Applicants to the program from other EPPs will not be considered for 240 Certification without the completed TEA Candidate Transfer Form with the signature of that EPP’s legal authority or representative. 240 Certification will initiate the transfer form with the applicant toward the end of the application process.
It depends on several factors. Due to the design of the instruction and coursework, any substitutions we can make will be rare.
Course substitutions will be discussed in the Initial Advising Meeting (IAM) and final results will be communicated by the Director of Curriculum or designee. In meeting our EPP policies for course substitutions, with approved documentation, course substitutions may include:
**Additional considerations meeting and/or exceeding TAC/EPP requirements may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Final determination will be communicated to the candidate by the Director of Curriculum or designee.
**Any coursework credited will not affect tuition.
Testing attempts will be taken into consideration and the applicant could be required to take the PACT exam prior to admission.
Individuals who hold a standard certificate to teach in another state or territory, seeking certification in Texas must first apply for a review of credentials. Do this before applying for an Alternative Certification Program…you may not need to go this route! See the TEA website for detailed instructions if you are fully certified to teach in another state or territory.
If you hold a standard educator certificate or credential from a country outside of the United States and its territories, you must apply for a review of your out-of-country credentials. Do this before applying for an Alternative Certification Program…you may not need to go this route! See the TEA website for detailed instructions if you are fully certified to teach in another state or territory.
Candidates who are transferring from a closed EPP to 240 cannot get a transfer form signed because the closed EPP no longer exists. TEA assists educators in the Help Desk and by phone at (512) 936-8400 [Option 5] by providing them with the name of the EPP that they were previously enrolled in and removes any test approvals that were not removed by the closed EPP so that they are clear to be admitted to another EPP. TEA also advises educators about any certificates previously held and their last enrollment status as a Finisher or Other Enrolled.
If you do not know which program you may be tied to, email the TEA Help Desk or call the number in the prior paragraph and ask them what program you were in.
DIRECTIONS: Once you have the name of your prior program and are ASSURED that they are no longer in operation, send an email with this information to [email protected]. A 240 Team Member will contact TEA in your behalf to see about having you formally removed from prior program (in lieu of transfer form). Please allow additional time for processing.
It typically takes only a few months to complete the first phase of the program, and then candidates can be eligible to begin working as a full-time, full-paid teacher at a district of their choosing. Additional program requirements are completed while you teach. The entire program usually takes 12-18 months to complete, from start to finish; however, candidates have two years from program admission date to complete the program.
Most candidates can become eligible to begin their teaching internship in just a few months. 240 Certification requires their candidates to complete some online coursework, pass their content exam, and obtain their observation hours first. This is how our candidates earn their Statement of Eligibility.
If you are considered a Late Hire, then you will only need to pass your content exam prior to being hired. You will then have 90 days from your first day of classroom instruction to complete your Block 1 of coursework and 50 hours of observation.
Your teaching internship or clinical teaching experience can take place at any TEA-approved Texas school. This includes public, private and TEA-recognized charter schools. To see if your campus is a TEA-approved public or charter school, check this site. If you would like to see if your preferred private school is TEA-approved, check this website.
A late hire is someone who newly enrolls with 240 AND is hired after a school district’s late hire date, which is 45 days prior to their first day of school. BOTH the enrollment AND the hiring must happen after the school district’s late hire date. If one is done prior to the district’s late hire date, then the candidate cannot be considered a late hire.
Clinical teaching, formally known as student teaching, is when a candidate teaches in a classroom with an experienced teacher for a minimum of 70 days (14-15 weeks) and follows a progressive teaching schedule. The candidate will gradually pick up teaching and all other responsibilities and complete two full weeks of teaching/related duties before handing responsibilities back to the classroom teacher. This is the shorter capstone option, and it is an unpaid teaching assignment.
The internship is a full-year paid teacher of record, receiving similar pay/benefits as any other teacher with the same years of experience in that district. The candidate is responsible for securing employment (helpful resources are available to assist with the process). This teaching assignment is responsible for all teaching and related duties assigned to the position.
Approved internships must take place at a TEA accredited for recognized school, or a private school approved by TEPSAC. You can look up approved schools on AskTed. Any school found on this site is one that would be able to fulfill the requirements for a TEA approved or recognized school.
Texas Administrative Code requires that candidates be admitted before beginning any coursework, testing, or field-based requirements. TAC does allow for someone who had a long-term substitute position (teaching 30+ days in the same teaching position) within the prior two years of admission to use this for up to 25 of the 50 required hours. The candidate would have to provide written documentation (on school district letterhead) from the district for verification purposes.
If someone is working as a paraprofessional or as a substitute that is not in a long-term capacity prior to program admission, it is very valuable experience; however, TAC will not allow that time to count toward the 50-hour requirement.
However, AFTER program admission, a paraprofessional who is working in a teacher’s classroom, CAN count those hours, assuming that the placement meets all requirements outlined in Texas Administrative Code. To clarify: Being a paraprofessional itself would not be able to count toward the hours; it is observing a teacher in the same classroom (meeting all of the TAC requirements), which would be able to be used toward the observation experience.
If a candidate is transferring from another EPP, 240 Certification can consider any coursework or field-experiences that were successfully completed in the last 5 years. Please reach out to someone at 240 Certification to discuss your specific situation at [email protected].
Yes, 240 Certification can provide a deficiency plan to an ENROLLED candidate. This request can be made to the candidate’s personal Program Advisor. However, deficiency plans can only be provided to enrolled candidates. This is not available during the admissions or invitation process.
Statement of Eligibility letters are only issued to ENROLLED candidates after they complete certain requirements. SOE letters cannot be issued to applicants.
For typical teacher hires, candidates must complete their first block of coursework, pass their content exam, and complete their 50 hours of observation. All 3 requirements must be completed in order to receive your SOE letter. Questions about SOE letters can be discussed with your Program Advisor AFTER you have officially enrolled into the program.
For late hires (see “what is a late hire?”), candidates need to only pass their content exam prior to being hired. Late hires will have 90 days from their first day of classroom instruction to complete their block 1 of coursework and 50 hours of observation.
SOE letters are not given prior to enrollment or prior to these requirements being completed.
Yes! We allow for half of your observation hours (up to 15 hours) to be completed virtually. Once you enroll, you will have access to our online library of videos that will count towards observation hours. We do recommend that you choose videos that pertain to your content area.
Everyone seeking Texas teaching certification will have to take the appropriate content exam(s) assigned to the subject area, along with the PPR exam. For example, if someone is wanting to teach high school social studies, (s)he would have to take the Social Studies 7-12 content exam. If someone is wanting to teach elementary school, then the candidate would likely need to take the Core Subjects EC-6 exam in addition to the Science of Teaching Reading (STR) exam. The content exams make sure the teacher knows the content before (s)he begins teaching in the classroom.
The Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam assesses a candidate’s understanding of educational theory and pedagogy. This exam is the same for all teaching candidates and assesses in such areas such as: classroom management; working with English learners; working with students who have disabilities; human growth and development; instruction; assessment; and instructional technology.
Supplemental exams are ones IN ADDITION to the content exams, and would include: special education; bilingual; and/or English as a Second Language (ESL). 240 Certification currently offers the bilingual and ESL supplemental exams. These certifications complement the content certification and can make a teacher more marketable in the field. In fact, many districts in Texas are requiring the ESL Supplemental certification, especially in the areas of Core Subjects with STR EC-6/4-8 and ELAR 4-8.
There are several elements to consider when it comes to program application, including:
All of this information is important for the EPP to understand in the application process. The applicant’s specific information will help the EPP decide how to best guide the applicant, or if additional application requirements may be necessary. We certainly would want all interested applicants to begin the application process, regardless of prior testing attempts. If you would like to discuss your specific circumstances with a 240 Team Member, please feel free to email us at [email protected]. Someone from our team will reach out to you ASAP (we typically respond in 1-2 business days).
The edTPA is a performance-based electronic, standards-based, portfolio system that had once been approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) as a pilot test that can be used to measure teacher performance in lieu of the PPR exam for certification purposes. There are a number of EPPs in Texas that have opted into the pilot. At the time of answering this response (March 2023), 240 Certification is not a part of the edTPA pilot program.
The TX PACT exam is short for the Texas Pre-Admission Content Test, and it is used for admission into an educator preparation program (EPP). EPPs are required to ask for a TX PACT exam if the applicant has below a 2.5 GPA (both overall and in the last 60 hours) or if the applicant is desiring a certification field that does not meet the 12/15 hour coursework requirement.
Individual EPPs can make it a requirement for program entrance if they desire.
240 Certification does require the TX PACT exam if:
If you are unsure as to whether you would be required to take the TX PACT exam for admission requirements, please feel free to reach out to 240 Certification Team Member at [email protected] .. You can access some additional basic information about the TX PACT exam here.
TXPACT Exam is required if the applicant does not meet the admission requirements outlined in Texas Administrative Code. These laws require 12 hours of university coursework (15 hours for mathematics or science above Grade 7) to demonstrate content knowledge. We also have a program requirement of a specific GPA of 2.5 for that subject area. If you do not meet the coursework hours or subject-specific GPA requirement for the subject area you wish to pursue, you will need to take and pass the PACT exam for that content in order to move forward pursuing that certification area.
This is a very important question that is worthy of an answer early in the application process. If an applicant or candidate has a question about anything in his or her criminal history, TEA has a process to review the information from the applicant/candidate called the Preliminary Criminal History Evaluation. Please review the FAQ document from TEA’s website. They clearly outline the steps and processes one would take to request this evaluation.
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