UTSACollege of Education

& Human

Development

Undergraduate Teacher Certification Program

• Fitness to Teach • Program Admission

Requirements• Live Text• Field Experiences• Restricted Courses• TExES Exams• Student Teaching• Scholarships• Contact Information

Agenda

Fitness to Teach• Must be read prior to applying to the Teacher

Certification Program• Fitness to Teach Policy addresses:

– Academic Requirements– Personal and Professional Requirements– Cultural and Social Attitudes and Behaviors– Physical Skills– Emotional and Mental Abilities

• Policy can be found at http://education.utsa.edu/certification_program/fitness_to_teach_policy/

Admission Requirements• Cumulative GPA must

be a 2.5 or better• Have Junior Standing

with at least 9 hours completed at UTSA

• Core Complete• Purchase Live Text

(please bring copy of receipt and key code to COEHD Advising Center)

Admission Requirements• Passing scores on THEA, ASSET,

Compass, ACCUPLACER, SAT or ACT

Asset Compass Accuplacer THEA

Reading 41 81 78 230

Math 38 39 63 230

Writing 40 59 85 220

Essay 6 6 6

Admission Requirements• Earn a C or better in WRC 1023• Earn a C or better in a public speaking

course (WRC 1013, COM 1043, COM 1053, COM 2113, or COM 2123)

• Complete a Teacher Certification Program Application in ASAP

• Submit authorization for a Texas Dept. of Public Safety Criminal Background Report

Live Text• An electronic assessment and portfolio system

required for teacher candidates. • Provides user-friendly web-based tools for assessing,

and measuring teacher candidates’ professional development throughout their program.

• Also offers students a digital workspace to create assignments, journals, lessons, and e-portfolios that can be shared with future employers.

Live Text Continued• Cost of LiveText for $98 • Account is good for 5 years• Students will be required to attend LiveText

Orientation • Students can go to

http://education.utsa.edu/certification_program/livetext_support/ for LiveText support, orientation dates and FAQs.

Field Experience• Field Experience (field work) is time

spent in an educational setting, usually a public school, in addition to regular class hours

• Field Experiences allow students to:–Develop teaching skills in the context of

a school setting–Develop an understanding of the needs

of diverse learners

Field Experience:What does it require?

• Each student is required to complete a minimum number of hours of observation or participation per class, per semester

• For Example:oReading courses: 20 hoursoCurriculum and Instruction courses:

25-30 hoursoEarly Childhood Education courses:

10-20 hoursoOther courses: refer to course description

for details• Criminal background checks required

Restricted Courses• Must have all prerequisites completed AND be admitted to

the teacher certification program• Restricted courses require advisor clearance. Follow this

link for instructions: http://education.utsa.edu/Students/Advising/documents/OnlineInstructionstoRestrictedCourses.pdf

Restricted Courses Contd.

• EC-6 and Special Education will be required to take “Blocked Courses”

• Require concurrent enrollment

• Designed to allow students to spend extended periods of time in one school setting

Advising Tips: Field Experiences and Restricted

Courses• Plan carefully to make sure all

prerequisites are met• Check course descriptions in the current

catalog to determine course prerequisites• Build in travel time before and after

field-based courses

Criminal History Background Check

process

• Every student is required to fill out a criminal background check at the time of course registration.

• Please visit http://education.utsa.edu/field_experiences/background_checks/ to get the form and for more information about criminal background checks.

• If you have ever been arrested, it is very likely that the arrest(s) will appear when your background check is run. To learn more about how arrest(s) on your record can impact your ability to become a certified teacher, please visit http://education.utsa.edu/images/uploads/UTSA%20ADDENDUM%201(1).pdf

COEHD courses that involve field experience require that a criminal history check be conducted before students are allowed to participate in or obtain class credit for field-based assignments.

• Students are encouraged to complete all practice tests, reviews, and TExES exams the semester before student teaching

• Information for practice exams, review sessions and state exam registration procedures can be found at http://education.utsa.edu/texes

• For more information, contact the TExES Testing Office at 210-458-5849.

TExES Certification Exams

1. A placement for student teaching requires attendance at a mandatory meeting ONE long semester in advance

2. Requirements and guidelines for student teaching and application information will be discussed and disseminated at meeting

3. Deadlines: Spring Semester – October 1 Fall Semester – February 15

4. All coursework should be completed before student teaching

Student Teaching

Student Teaching Contd.• Student teaching is a full-time

commitment and working while student teaching is highly discouraged

• Student will be assigned to a school and cooperating teacher Monday-Friday for the entire semester

• If you anticipate the need for financial assistance, contact COEHD Student Services at least 2 semesters before you student teach

COEHD Scholarships and Services

• Visit COEHD Student Services webpage for assistance

• http://education.utsa.edu/current_students/scholarships • Services offered:

– Guidance in finding and applying for scholarships – A ‘Scholarship Alert’ E-mail – Essay writing assistance

• Be aware of application deadlines

Contact Information• Degree/Program Questions:

458-4424 (1604) or 458-2550 (DT) http://coehd.utsa.edu

• Field Placement Questions: Gina Davis458-6128gina.davis@utsa.edu

• Student Services/Scholarships: Francesca Bronder458-4021francesca.bronder@utsa.edu

• TExES Exam Questions: Cherie Weiss 458-5849cherie.weiss@utsa.edu

• Student Teaching Questions: Janet Scott 458-5420janet.scott@utsa.edu

Congratulations!!!• If you would like a printout of this tutorial,

please visit http://education.utsa.edu/certification_program/admission_to_teacher_certification/

• Close this window and return to ASAP• Take the quiz• Apply to the Teacher Certification program