Special Education Certification - Program and Testing Fees 2009-10 School Year

Application Deadline: December 8th, 2008

Application Fee

A $45.00 nonrefundable application fee is required to review the transcripts and conduct a reference check.

Application Forms

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these forms. Most computers already have the Acrobat Reader installed. If you cannot view the forms click the Get Acrobat Reader button to install the Free reader.

Pre-Service Training Fee for Special Education

A nonrefundable eight hundred and twenty-five dollar ($825.00) fee is required to participate in the Spring and Summer training. This fee includes a four hundred dollar ($600.00) face-to-face training fee and a one-time, two hundred twenty-five dollar ($225.00) online course fee. The payments may be paid in increments of two hundred twenty-five dollars ($200.00) prior to the first class in January 2008. Two hundred twenty five dollars ($225.00) is due the first of February, $100.00 is due the first of March, $100.00 due first of April, $100.00 due first of May and $100.00 due the first of June. The fees cover the professional development, materials and textbooks. Due to No Child Left Behind federal regulations and the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC), teachers must meet the criteria of “highly qualified.” Applicants pursuing special education certification will be required to take and pass the Special Education TExES exam prior to their internship.

Internship Fee

For applicants who successfully obtain employment for the 2009-2010 school year and complete the summer training, the remaing program cost is $3,600.00. The fee is payroll deducted on a prorated monthly basis during the internship year (September-June).

Fees Paid to Other Agencies

$52.00 for a one-year Texas Probationary Certificate, paid to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) is required for employment as an intern with a school district (July 2009).
$47.00 fingerprinting fee to be paid when applying for the Texas Probationary Certificate (July 2009) There is also a fee of $9.95 for the fingerprinting service.
$120.00 for each licensing examination paid to the ETS. Each participant must take the Special Education TExES exam and the Generalist EC-6 or 4-8 test in the spring of 2009 and a Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam (December 2009). The Generalist and Special Education tests will need to be taken via the Computer Administered.
$77.00 certification fee upon program completion, paid to the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).

Requirements

General Prerequisites Required by All Applicants:

Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education with a 2.5 overall GPA on a 4.0 system including all college coursework taken or a 2.75 on the last 60 hours.
Have the required coursework and semester hours (see requirements) for the desired certification area, with a 2.5 GPA in the block of required courses.
Provide official transcripts from all accredited colleges or universities attended. All foreign transcripts must have official US translation degree and grad equivalency. See http://www.sbec.state.tx.us/SBECOnline/certinfo/forcredevalservice.asp
for a list of credential evaluation services).
Present evidence of basic skills testing in reading, oral and written written communication and mathematics, valid for five years using one of the following assessment instruments:
- The Texas Higher Education Assessment (THEA) with a minimum score of 230 in reading, 230 in mathematics and 220 in writing. To receive THEA registration information call (512) 927-5397, for information regarding computerized testing call (512) 927-5100. http://www.thea.nesinc.com Testing sites: Del Mar College 362-698-1645, Texas A&M-CC 361-825-2334 and Texas A&M-Kingsville 361-593-3303
- The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) with minimum score of 500 on the verbal test and 500 on the mathematics test
- The ACT with a minimum of 19 on the English test and 19 on the mathematics test, or
- The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) with a minimum of 400 on the verbal reasoning test and 400 on the quantitative reasoning test.
A completed application and $45.00 nonrefundable application fee. Click here to download.
3 completed reference forms. Must be received by the Ed Prep office by the application deadline. Click here to download
Successfully participate in a structured, professional interview with at least two members of the ESC2 staff. Interviews are scheduled after a file is completed, evaluated and the applicant is found to meet the state requirements. Interviews are conducted September 2008 through January 2009. Applicants will be notified of a date and time to come to the Education Service Center, Region 2 for an interview.
Own or have daily access to a personal computer, printer and a private internet connection.

The Ed Prep Office at ESC2 must receive admission requirements by December 8, 2008, which is the application deadline. Passing THEA, GRE, SAT or ACT scores must be received by the ESC2, Ed Prep office prior to January 25, 2009

Above entry requirements and fees are subject to change from school year to school year.

Certification Area Requirements

In addition to the overall GPA requirements, applicants must meet the following coursework requirements for the certificate being sought. Coursework will be evaluated based on official college transcripts. Applicants must provide official transcripts for all institutions attended.

Applicants select certificate area desired. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or above on the required block semester hours for the desired certification.

Generic Special Education- 33 semester hours in a combination of English, math, natural science and social studies with a minimum of 6 hours in each area are required.

http://www.texes.ets.org/prepMaterials/

Training Schedule

The training cycle begins January 2009. Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) and two Saturday (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) a month, February through April to prepare applicants for the Special Education content test, which will be administered April/May 2009. An online course will also be required. The online course will prepare applicants to take the Generalist EC-4 or 4-8 TExES test. The Generalist and Special Education TExES tests will be taken as a Computer Administered Test. Two evening classes in May are also required. Summer training, during June and July, is conducted for seven weeks from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. The summer schedule may vary from year to year to accommodate school districts’ calendars.

Training is continued throughout the school and internship year. Sessions are conducted twice a month on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (August 2009– March 2010). A training schedule will be provided to each participant upon acceptance to the program and the first night class in January. All training is conducted at the Education Service Center. Attendance is mandatory.

Previous college courses and other trainings will not be accepted as a substitute for program training.

Thirty hours of classroom observations in the specific delivery system models will need to be completed prior to the beginning of the May classes. These may include content mastery, resource or self-contained.

For additional inquiries, please contact:

Joanne Ferguson - 361-561-8520
Shelby DeReese - 361-561-8663

edprep@esc2.net

Certification Area Requirements

In addition to the overall GPA requirements, applicants must meet the following coursework requirements for the certificate being sought. Coursework will be evaluated based on official college transcripts. Applicants must provide official transcripts for all institutions attended.

Applicants select certificate area desired. Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 or above on the required block semester hours for the desired certification.

Generic Special Education- 33 semester hours in a combination of English, math, natural science and social studies with a minimum of 6 hours in each area are required.

Training Schedule

The training cycle begins January 2008. Classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings (6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.) and every other Saturday (9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.), February through April to prepare applicants for the Special Education content test, which will be administered April/May 2008. An online course will also be required as well as two evening classes in May. The online course will prepare applicants to take the Generalist EC-4 or 4-8 TExES test. The Generalist and Special Education TExES tests will be taken as a Computer Administered Test. Summer training, during June and July, is conducted for seven weeks from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. The summer schedule may vary from year to year to accommodate school districts’ calendars.

Training is continued throughout the school and internship year. Sessions are conducted twice a month on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (August 2008– March 2009). A training schedule will be provided to each participant upon acceptance to the program and the first night class in May. All training is conducted at the Education Service Center. Attendance is mandatory.

Previous college courses and other trainings will not be accepted as a substitute for program training.

Ten hours of classroom observations in the specific delivery system models will need to be completed after acceptance into the program. These may include content mastery, resource or self-contained.

For additional inquiries, please contact:

Joanne Ferguson                     Barbara Proctor                       Debbie Bravenec
361-561-8520                          361-561-8520                          361-561-8507

edprep@esc2.net