Katy ISD TEA+CH ACP Candidate

KATY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                           Katy ISD TEA CH ACP Candidate

General Admissions Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree conferred by an institution of higher education that is recognized by one of the regional accrediting agencies in the THECB
• An overall GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4.0 scale on bachelor’s degree transcripts OR a GPA of 2.75 or higher in the last 60 hours of coursework on the most recent bachelor’s degree or higher
• Online application including 3 professional references and 2 written essays
• Resume submitted as attachment to the online application
• Official transcripts showing bachelor’s degree conferred
• Successful applicant in-person interview
• Background check prior to admission to the program
• Complete fingerprinting prior to internship teaching
• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must be able to attend coursework training sessions on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and some Saturdays, as well as full day sessions for three weeks in June

 Transcript Requirements:

• Must provide all undergraduate transcripts from all universities attended as part of the bachelor’s degree
• All foreign transcripts must be evaluated for US equivalency by an accredited transcript evaluation company from the approved list of evaluation companies on the Katy ISD TEA CH ACP website and must include a course list and overall GPA
• Must meet the following minimum semester credit hours:
  • Core Subjects EC-6 with Science of Teaching Reading – 12 hours – combination of RLA, Math, Science, and Social Studies
  • Core Subjects 4-8 with Science of Teaching Reading – 12 hours – combination of RLA, Math, Science, and Social Studies
• If you do not meet the requirement for undergraduate semester hours in the certification area you are seeking, you must take and pass the TX-PACT test in that subject area for program admission 

Contingency Admission:

Applicants may be admitted to the Katy ISD TEA CH ACP on a contingency basis if they are in the last semester of coursework prior to graduating with a bachelor's degree.  In order to be considered for acceptance into the program on a contingency basis, applicants must provide the following documents:

• Most recent official transcripts
• Letter of intent from the Registrar’s Office confirming the degree and major pending. This letter should describe the degree, the hours remaining for completion, the expected date of completion, and the current GPA.  This letter must be on official university letterhead, signed by the appointed designee, and must be sent to Katy ISD TEA CH ACP directly from the university.

All other admissions requirements must be met to be eligible for contingency admission.

Upon completion of the bachelor’s degree, the candidate will be required to submit official transcripts showing the degree conferred.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

An applicant for teacher certification in Texas must be able to communicate, listen, read, write, and comprehend the English language sufficiently to use it easily and readily in daily communication and teaching.  English language proficiency must be evidenced by one of the following:

• If your bachelor’s degree is from Puerto Rico or a college/university outside of the United States, you must take and pass all four sections of the TOEFL-iBT test. Passing scores are a minimum score of 24 on the speaking portion, 22 on the listening portion, 22 on the reading portion, and 21 on the writing portion. 
• Please note that the TOEFL-iBT test results are only valid for two (2) years.
• Applicants with a conferred undergraduate or graduate degree at an accredited institution of higher education in the United States, not including US Territories, do not need to take the TOEFL-iBT.
• Applicants with an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution of higher education from the certain countries in which English is the official language may be exempted from the TOEFL-iBT test for English language proficiency. 

Background Check Requirements

Pursuant to the Texas Education Code (TEC) §22.083, candidates must undergo a criminal history background check prior to employment as an educator.  A candidate may be ineligible for issuance of a certificate on completion of the ACP if an individual has been convicted of an offense.

As part of the ACP, candidates are required to pass background checks to be eligible for field-based experiences, internship, and applying for their certificate.  An initial background check will occur upon the candidate’s acceptance and enrollment in the Katy ISD TEA CH Alternative Certification Program. 

Upon hire by Katy ISD to begin the teaching internship, all candidates will be required to be fingerprinted for the Texas and FBI criminal background check.

Technology Requirements

Candidates in the program must have access to a computer, tablet, or mobile device with a WiFi connection and internet access in order to complete coursework and assignments.   Candidates will additionally need access to a word processing software to complete assignments.

Minimum technical skills required will include the following:

• Reading and writing emails (including use of attachments)
• Download, save, and open files from a local and/or cloud-based environment
• Creation and manipulation of commonly used computer products (word processor, spreadsheets, presentation software, etc.)
• Searching and deciphering information on the Internet
• Ability to login to web-based programs to complete tasks
• Ability to download and view video clips