UTSA College of
Education &
Human
Development
Undergraduate Teacher
Certification Program
Agenda
• Fitness to Teach
• Program Admission
Requirements
• Live Text
• Field Experiences
• Restricted Courses
• TExES Exams
• Student Teaching
• Scholarships
• Contact Information
Fitness to Teach
• Must be read prior to applying to the Teacher
Certification Program
• Fitness to Teach Policy addresses:
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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, ACCUPLACER,
Asset, Compass, 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
• Complete ALPS test
Admission Requirements:
ALPS
• Take the ALPS exam
– Offered to help students determine their Spanish
Language skills
– Assesses and identifies how much Spanish
development a student needs before going on to
BBL approaches coursework
• Contact BBL Department for more information
http://education.utsa.edu/bicultural-bilingual_studies
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:
o Reading courses: 20 hours
o Curriculum and Instruction courses:
25-30 hours
o Early Childhood Education courses:
10-20 hours
o Other 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
and be obtained online by following the
instructions found at
http://education.utsa.edu/Students/Advising/docu
ments/OnlineInstructionstoRestrictedCourses.pdf
Restricted Courses Contd.
• EC-6 will be required to take “Blocked
Courses”
• Require concurrent enrollment
• Designed to allow students to spend
extended periods of time in one school
setting
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
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.
• 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%20ADDEND
UM%201(1).pdf
TExES Certification Exams
• 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.
Student Teaching
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 Contd.
• Student teaching is a fulltime 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 Scholarship 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
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Degree/Program Questions:
458-4424 (1604) or 458-2550 (DT)
http://coehd.utsa.edu
Field Placement Questions:
Gina Davis
458-6128
gina.davis@utsa.edu
Student Services/Scholarships:
Francesca Bronder
458-4021
francesca.bronder@utsa.edu
TExES Exam Questions:
Cherie Weiss
458-5849
cherie.weiss@utsa.edu
Student Teaching Questions:
Janet Scott
458-5420
janet.scott@utsa.edu
Congratulations!!!
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If you would like a printout of this tutorial,
please visit
http://education.utsa.edu/certification_program/adm
ission_to_teacher_certification/
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Close this window and return to ASAP
Take the brief quiz
Apply to the Teacher Certification program