Alternative Certification: Program Application Steps

Welcome to the Office of Post Baccalaureate Initial Certification

Cindy Tillery
Post Baccalaureate Coordinator/Certification Officer
cindytillery@sfasu.edu
Phone 936-468-2901 or 936-468-1740

Alternative Certification Information

Admission requirements:

(Special Education MAY require the GRE. See Dr. Paige Mask in Special Education for more details.)

There are three components to getting certified to teach:

Two tests – Preadmission Content Test (PACT) taken before you enter the program and Professional Responsibilities and Pedagogy TExES taken at the end of the program. Link to testing… www.texes.ets.org
Coursework (15 hours in secondary education/18-22 hours in elementary education); and
Field Experience – either 13 weeks of student teaching or a one year internship as the teacher of record in a classroom with probationary teaching certificate.
After you are admitted with PACT completed you will receive a letter from Dr. Mize stating you are highly qualified under the terms of No Child Left Behind. With this letter you may proceed to apply a job.
State requirements prior to teaching (or concurrent with teaching to be completed in your first 90 days if you qualify as a “late hire”) include 30 observation hours and 80 hours of course work. This means you will take two online classes prior to being in a classroom (or concurrently if you are a late hire). In addition if you are completing the internship you will take an online internship class, and will be supervised and mentored for the year.

Links

Preadmission Content Test (PACT) http://www.texes.ets.org/
Apply to the Graduate School http://www2.sfasu.edu/graduate/ProspStudents/apply_cert.html
Testing preparation http://www.sfasu.edu/education/departments/educatorcertification/credentials/prepmanualsreview.asp
State approved test preparation website for students taking EC-12 PPR or pursuing science and math certification: http://pact.tarleton.edu/tcert/
Tuition Calculator (make sure you choose graduate school) http://www.sfasu.edu/controller/businessoffice/students/tuition_calc.asp

In addition to tuition there will be supervision and mentoring fees of $1500 that we pay directly to your supervisor and mentor from fees you pay SFASU.

Advising

Advisor for elementary education is Dr. Vikki Boatman. Her email is vboatman@sfasu.edu and her phone number is 936-468-2904.
Advisor for special education is Dr. Paige Mask. Her email is maskp@sfasu.edu and her phone number is 936-468-1076.
Advisor for secondary education is Dr. Heather Olson Beal. Her email is olsonbehk@sfasu.edu and her phone number is 936-468-2908.
Advisor for the certification piece of the secondary education masters is Cindy Tillery. Her email is cindytillery@sfasu.edu and her phone number is 936-468-1740.