Necessary Terms

Approval to Challenge TExES:  The TEACH Director issues the TExES content  area approval after candidate pays Phase I tuition and fees, and meets TEACH core course requirements. Approval for TExES PPR  is issued  when the candidate  meets the TEACH TExES practice test  standard.

Benchmarks: Either a standard for what students should understand or be able to do at a specific level or point in their career.

Brain-based Research: Teaching methods established before the turn of the    20^th century, when the majority of the population was headed to factory jobs, are stunningly outdated in the information age.  Rather, what are required today are  problem-solving skills, knowing how to master a body of knowledge and critical-thinking skills, learning  how to acquire and process new information rapidly.  The goal for education, today,  states Bransford, et al. (2001), is better conceived as helping    students develop intellectual tools and learning strategies needed to acquire  knowledge that allows people to think productively. 

The growing body of brain-based research (Alkon, Gage, Gazzangia, Greenough,  Kosslyn, LeDoux, Crick, Rose, Damasio, Calvin, Herbert, Pert, Sacks, Edelman)  claims that parts of today’s educational methods are negatively impacting children.  Returning  to the basics or teaching to the test forces students into the lowest form of human learning with the largest built-in disincentive (rote memorization) and deprives students of the real mental challenges and demands for authentic mental growth for which  their survival-based brains were built.  It is this challenge that drives the interdisciplinary,  brain-based research focus of the TEACH curriculum.   

Framed on the brain-based research, TEACH connects candidates to    what Katz and Rubin (1999) coined as Neurobics, the new science of    brain exercise. The authors present a deliberate allusion to physical exercise.  Neurobics, however, refers to exercising different  brain         areas rather than different muscle groups.  Generally, schools tend to    favor left-brain modes of thinking while downplaying the right-brain ones. TEACH proposes to shift the learning paradigm, guiding candidates     through techniques using both sides of the brain, a more                    “whole-brained” orientation. 

While the modules may serve different purposes, form formative and/or summative in nature, electronic/or print, the framework proposes       modules that are more than merely collected/delivered information.      Rather, the TEACH curriculum investigates what Johnson (1998) calls     an electrical and chemical machine, millions of little computers all working together to increase the candidate’s teaching capacity.  Building on a diagnostic format to assist participants in mapping their teaching effectiveness progress, and weaving best   practices and        brain-based techniques, candidates will display, perform, demonstrate    their teaching capacity earlier in ways that traditional training does not.

CPE: Continuing Professional Education activities (courses or     workshops) required  for certificate renewal every five years.

ePath Learning: An Internet-based learning platform that allows students to interact, asynchronously (at your desired time), online          with instructors and other students in their class.  ePath Learning       delivers the courses developed by TEACH professors and master     teachers.

ExCET: An acronym for Examination for the Certification of Educators and the predecessor of TExES was launched in 1986. 

Fingerprinting: SBEC sends a fingerprinting packet to the candidate at the time s/he applies for an initial certificate or Probationary Certificate.

iTECH: An enrichment TEACH technology program that will provide integrating instruction, free software, and ready-made materials for the classroom. Materials distributed at workshops. 

Lassi Survey: An acronym for Learning and Study Strategies Inventory designed to gather information about learning and study practices and attitudes. We believe that when individuals are aware of their learning styles, they are able to make more efficient and effective decisions regarding their learning.

National Evaluation System: Delivers the TExES and THEA examinations.     Toll fee number, 1-800-523-7088.

No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB): The recent federal law that clarifies the definition of highly qualified teacher.  The United States Department of Education clarified the definition for teachers new to the classroom in Title I schools.  Title I schools are those schools  that receive federal funds based on the number of socio-economically disadvantaged students served. 

SBEC determined that the EC-4 Generalist TExES examination meets the NCLB criteria.  As such, TEACH's curriculum is designed to meet the requirements of the EC-4 Generalist.  All our candidates are required to challenge the EC-4 Generalist TExES as well as their specific area certificate(s).

Portfolio: An alternative form of assessment that evaluates a candidates performance on the basis of a body of work completed throughout the course of study.  Candidates will maintain an electronic and hard copy portfolio. 

TEKS: An acronym for Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum required by the state. Districts are required to provide instruction in the essential knowledge and skills of the appropriate grade levels in the foundation curriculum. 

TAKS: An acronym for Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills tests designed to measure the statewide curriculum, TEKS. 

SBEC: An acronym for State Board for Educator Certification that serves as a  monitoring agent for certifying teachers.  www.sbec.state.tx.us toll fee number, 1.888.863.6880

Standards: Benchmarks against which, candidates,  students and schools measure their progress.  Educators generally discuss three types of standards:content,  performance, and opportunity-to-learn. 

Teaching Capacity: Many beginning teachers enter the classroom with limited teaching capacity (Darling-Hamond, 2002).  As teachers acquire knowledge and skills to teach children well, they build capacity guiding students to higher academic achievement (Lopez, 1995; Darling-Hammond, 2002).  According to data (Loepz, Darling-Hammond), teacher classroom experience is the most important source of teacher capacity in a student’s learning process. The studies indicate that, on average, teachers require six to seven years of classroom experience to fully develop the knowledge and skills necessary to produce higher student academic gains.

However, the Center for Teaching (1999) research studies show that a well-prepared teacher is more likely to acquire capacity earlier, producing higher student academic gains immediately.  In actuality, teacher effectiveness improves with teaching experiences which bridge theory and practice.  Hence, a teacher’s preservice experience is key to reducing the time necessary to build teacher capacity. TEACH's curriculum extents a candidates capacity.

TExES Content Area: An acronym for Texas Examinations of Educator Standards designed t measure a candidates content area knowledge in relation to a standard set of criteria rather than performance of other candidates. www.texas.ets.org

TExES PPR: An acronym for Texas Examinations of Educator Standards, Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities designed to measure a candidates educational teaching and learning  knowledge in relation to a standard set of criteria rather than performance of other candidates.  www.texas.ets.org

TEACH TExES, Practice Test Standard: A program standard requiring a candidate post a score of 85% on a practice test before barcode is issued.

THEA Basic Skills Test: An acronym for Texas Higher Education Assessment designed to provide information about the reading, mathematics, and writing skills of students entering public colleges, universities, and educator preparation programs in public and private institutions.  TEACH candidates must score a minimum of 230 in mathematics and writing, and 250 in reading.  www.thea.nes.com

TOPT: An acronym for Texas Oral Proficiency Test required for candidates who plan to teach Spanish/French or in a bilingual setting. Bilingual education candidates  are required to challenge the TOPT as well as the EC-4 Generalist, and the bilingual education content area examinations.

What Components Should an Alternative Certification Program Include?

●Component 1: Preparing teacher candidates to successfully pass the TExES exams. Preparation should include at least 60 hours of tutoring & provide practice exams. ●Component 2: Ongoing Supervisor Support which includes a Supervisor who observes teacher teaching at least 4 times per semester. ●Component 3: Ongoing Pedagogical Training throughout Internship including courses &/or workshops.  ●Component 4: Selecting process which identifies quality teachers for the Texas classroom.

TEACH Delivers All Four Components Plus Four Additional Components!

●Component 5: Teaching tools necessary to produce high-performing students. Students who perform on or above average on the district/state assessment tools. ●Component 6: Teaching tools which support high-level thinking in Texas Classrooms. ●Component 7: Supporting courses which enrich teacher's pedagogical knowledge & skills. ●Component 8: Testing pedagogical skills through a laboratory setting--a virtual classroom.