Acceptance

Certification Process, Routes, and Program Fees

Minimum Requirements Common to all Certification Areas and Levels:
The following evaluated through official transcripts (unofficial transcripts can be used temporarily):

Step 1 - Initial Program Screening

· Transcript evaluation for suggested certification areas

· a 4 year degree from an accredited institution. The degree must be verifiable through an official transcript stating date degree conferred

· a minimum cumulative grade point average (gpa) of 2.5 on a 4 point system, or 2.75 on the last 60 hours

· Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (a minimum score is required with only one retake allowed)

· Certification exam options explained prior to acceptance into the program

Step 2 - Complete Content Exam(s) Required for Certification*

· Complete required steps to take certification exams via the Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) route

· Candidate may elect to pay a $100 test preparation fee to take available practice certification tests

· Pass the content test at the earliest opportunity

· Submit passing score report and application form to act rgv office

· Once the content exam score report(s), application, and application fee are submitted, applicants will receive an " Approved Applicant Letter"

* The PACT option is not available for non-degreed individuals.

Step 3 - Field-Experience Hours

· Complete 30 clock-hours of field-experience (observations in an accredited K-12 Texas school)

· Of the 30 hours, 15 must be interactive with students under a certified teacher’s supervision

· Observations will be recorded on the act rgv observation form and submitted to the act rgv office

· School districts will require a TB test and a background check prior to entry into a classroom

Step 4 - Complete the Summer 1, Summer 2, or Spring Institude (Training)

· Calendars for Training sessions are available on the act rgv website

· All sessions must be completed

Step 5 – Prepare to take the Pedagogy and Professional Resposibilities (PPR) Exam

· Make an appointment and take the representative form of the PPR (Practice Exam)

· Attend a scheduled six-hour review for the PPR

Step 6 - Begin A One-Year Internship as a Certified Teacher-Of-Record (see Note) or Begin Twelve-Week Clinical Teacher Placement

Note: To be recommended for a state-issued Probationary Certificate, candidates

      1. Must submit an official transcript with a "degree conferred" notation,
      2. Must submit proof of Field-Experience Hours,
      3. Must have completed all institute (Training) Hours
      4. Must have passed the content exam related to the teaching assignment, and
      5. Must have verification of appropriate employment by the hiring district ( Eligibility Form)

Program Fees Disclosure (no hidden costs):
Application Fee (non-refundable)	$100
Preparation Fee	$550
Internship Fee	** $3500
Clinical Teaching	** $3000
Fees Paid to the State (TEA and ETS)
TExES Exams	$120 per test
Probationary Certificate	$52
Standard Certificate	$77
National Criminal Background Check	$39.25

** Includes on-site support through Field Supervisors, Mentor Teacher, PPR test preparation and tutorials, Internship materials, professional development sessions, and additional program support

If your degree was conferred from a foreign university, please:

• Have your transcript evaluated according to U.S. university standards. The evaluation should include a U.S. degree equivalency, lower and upper division coursework noted with credits and grades earned for each course. To view a list of evaluation services recognized by TEA, please click here.

• Complete a recognized college-readiness exam such as the THEA, the SAT, or ACT. The GRE is also acceptable.

• Complete the TOEFL exam. The exam must include a speaking component.

Transfers From Other Programs

Since entrance to the ACT - Rio Grande Valley program is contingent upon passing all content and content-related exams prior to acceptance into the program, transfer candidates will be considered only when:

* All content or content-related exams have been passed in the previous program. ACT-RGV will NOT grant test approval for additional content or content-related exams.

* Participants from another program who have been designated "finishers" in the previous program are not eligible for the ACT-RGV program.

* Any transfers accepted into the ACT-RGV program must complete all components of our program in order to be recommended for certification. There will be no exceptions to this stipulation.

Certification Process, Routes, and Program Fees

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