Texas Teacher Certification Exam May 13, 2018

Texas Teacher Certification Test – How to Pass

How many times can you take a Texas Teacher Certification Test?

Answer: 5

Did you know that you are limited in the number of times you can take a Texas Teacher Certification Test (the TExES exam)? Many people think they can take it as many times as they want.

Having a cap on the exam should not increase anxiety or pressure, but certainly should inform your study decisions and timing of when to register.

The first step is to determine how well you are currently prepared for the exam. How much do you really need to study?

There are two great resources to determine this:

Educational Testing Service (ETS) has free study guides with practice questions that you can download right now for free. You can find a complete list here: http://cms.texes-ets.org/texes/prepmaterials/texes-preparation-manuals/
iteachTEXAS Diagnostic Tools. Though not comprehensive study guides, iteachTEXAS provides practice questions for you to determine your current level of understanding. Once you determine where you stand in regard to being prepared you either need to purchase a study guide or begin registering for your exam.

If you need additional preparation help, 240Tutoring.com has great, interactive study guides and come with a money back guarantee that you will pass your exam.

If you feel prepared to take the exam, you need to then register for your exam. Though some programs allow for enrollment without a TExES exam passed, this is to your detriment going forward. It is a better position to take your exam and then enroll in a certification program.

Why?

If you enroll in a certification program and then take your exam, the program will only be able to provide you 2 test attempts. Even though the state (TEA) provides 5 attempts, programs will hold you accountable at 2 attempts.

Why give a program your money if you don’t know you will be successful on the exam? Programs like iteachTEXAS want you to know that you will be successful prior to enrolling. iteachTEXAS does not want you to pay out of pocket without the assurance you are qualified for a job.

If taking the exam prior to enrollment, you will need to choose the “PACT” registration option which stands for Pre-Admission Content Test.

Here are the basic four steps to register:

From the ETS http://cms.texes-ets.org/registration/
Choose New User.
Choose No TEA ID.
Select the PACT option, which will generate a TEA profile and ID. If you already have TEA ID, you can simply contact TEA at (512) 936-8400, Option 2 to have PACT approval added to your existing record.

Alternative Texas Teacher Certification Programs

iteachTEXAS
ECAP
Region IV

Top Texas Teacher Certification Study Guides

240 Tutoring
Certify Teacher
ETS TExES Prep

Become a Texas Teacher May 1, 2018

How to be a Texas Teacher

How to be Texas Teacher is easier than you are currently thinking.

All too often certification programs make the process is overly complicated, convoluted and confusing. Is becoming a Texas Teacher hard?

It is not.

Let me simplify the process:

TEST — TRAIN — TEACH

Three simple words, three simply steps.

First step in becoming a Texas teacher is to pass your TExES certification test (read more about in on our blog post).

Once you have the test passed, you can enroll in a certification program and begin training. Today most programs offer this training online. For example, iteachTEXAS has been offering online training since 2003.

To be eligible to teach you need to complete the state required number of instructional hours. Upon completion of this, you will receive documentation to interview and be hired by a school.

Now, a good certification program will detail out each step further, but don’t allow yourself to be confused about the overall picture to earn your Texas teacher certification.

Texas Teachers April 15, 2018

Teaching in Texas – What to Expect

Whether you are changing careers, just entering the workforce or relocating to Texas to teacher; teaching in Texas is unique. Here’s what you can expect:

Pay

The average teacher in Texas makes $51,000 annually. This is actually about 10% lower than the national average, sadly. But do not be discouraged.

First, it is cheaper to live in Texas than many other states. In fact, Bestplaces.net says that the cost of living in Texas is 10% less than the national average (Source).

Even more, since Texas is just a huge state the flunctuations in cost of living can be drastic. Take a look at this interactive map to see where places are cheaper or more expensive to live: Intertactive Map

Schedule

One of the most popular attractions to the teaching professions is summers off. While you will receive an extended time over the summer months, you need to know that your break will not be

as restful as you remember from your high school days. You will have a couple of days after the last day of school to wrap up the year and you will report back to school 1-2 weeks before the students arrive back.

Also, you do get a great break at Christmas but you will have several “in service” days scattered throughout the school year. Your kids might get that three day weekend, but you will not.

Environment

The environment in which you will be teaching in Texas will vary greatly and something you will want to research with great diligence to best understand the teaching environment and if it fits your personality and character. Often times, schools with notoriously tougher conditions (often found in urban locations) will pay a premium to recruit you. If you are strong-willed, confident person then this might be a perfect situation for you: you can greatly impact your students learning and be compensated more than some other teachers.

Note, the “better” the environment the tougher the competition for a job. Think back to ECON 101. If a school district is known to have a great teaching environment, the demand will be very high for individuals wanting to there. Likewise, teachers who already have jobs will have a lower tendency to leave and the supply will be low. Thus, the demand is far greater than the supply and the interview process will be cut-throat. You can get that job, just be willing to fight for it!!

If you are interesting is learning what it takes to be a teacher, check out this blog post.

Become a Texas Teacher April 1, 2018

Texas Teachers Observation Hours – What to Know

Texas Teachers Observation Hours – What are they? How do I complete them? How many hours do I need?

What are they?

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires all new teachers to observe classroom activities prior to earning a teaching position in a classroom of their own. The intent of the Texas teachers observations hours is to provide new teachers the opportunity to learn more about the teaching profession by watching quality teaching.

This is a good thing. Think about it…

Can you imagine walking into your own classroom, that you have been hired to teach, and never once seen the first day of school or what a tenured teacher does? Though this requirement might seem like a chore, it is a great aid to help you frame your expectations for your own class. It’s really quite helpful to make you a better teacher and effective day one.

How do I complete them?

Ideally, the way you complete these hours is by going to a school, sitting in an actual classroom, and observing an effective teacher. If you can schedule time to be in an actual school, do it. It is worth the effort and time to make it to an actual school. You can talk to the teacher afterwards. You can meet the administrator (an added bonus if you want a job in that job) and you can see students’ response to the teacher.

That being said, it simply might not be possible to complete all 30 hours in a classroom, and that is okay. There are other ways in which you can obtain these hours. Programs like iteachTEXAS have a partnership with The Teaching Channel to provide curated videos of highly effective teachers that can count towards your required Texas Teachers observation hours.

How many observation hours do I need?

The Texas teacher observation hours requirement is 30 hours. The TEA requires all new teachers acquire 30 hours of observation hours prior to earning your Intern license. Currently, these hours are self-reported. Your certification program, once enrolled, can provide you an observational log to complete.

If you are interest in becoming a Texas teachers, see our previous post here: “How To Be a Texas Teacher”

Are you looking for a reputable program for more info? iteachTEXAS provides a great walkthrough of the steps needed to earn certification here.

ACP Reviews March 15, 2018

Teaching in Texas – ACP Reviews

Texas ACP Reviews

This page is not meant to be comprehensive but rather provide high level Texas alternative certification programs reviews or Texas ACP reviews.

For another source of Texas ACP Reviews, check out 240 Tutoring’s reviews of Texas alternative certification programs here: 7 Best Alternative Certification Programs in Texas

Becoming A Texas Teacher