The test to become a certified teacher could dramatically change

FILE – In this July 14, 2020, file photo, amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, Aiden Trabucco, right, wears a mask as he raises his hand to answer …

FILE – In this July 14, 2020, file photo, amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, Aiden Trabucco, right, wears a mask as he raises his hand to answer a question behind Anthony Gonzales during a summer STEM camp at Wylie High School in Wylie, Texas. School districts that plan to reopen classrooms in the fall are wrestling with whether to require teachers and students to wear face masks — an issue that has divided urban and rural schools and yielded widely varying guidance. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

The current test, the PPR exam, is a 100-question multiple choice exam that has been in effect since 2002.

by: Luis Barrio

Posted: Apr 29, 2022 / 04:29 PM MDT

Updated: Apr 29, 2022 / 05:23 PM MDT

AUSTIN, TX (KTSM) – On Friday, April 29, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) voted 8-1 in favor of replacing the teacher certification exam from the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) exam, to the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), according to the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

TEA said the proposed timeline for implementation of edTPA is a three-year, phased-in implementation, with edTPA optional in 2022-23, required as a pass/fail exam in 2023-24, and fully implemented with a passing standard in 2024-25.

As long as the State Board of Education (SBOE) takes no action in June, edTPA will be adopted as the replacement to the current, multiple choice Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) certification exam, following the three-year implementation timeline in the proposed rule.
Texas Education Agency

TEA believes they can have better prepared teachers and retain them for a longer time through a more rigorous and authentic certification exam.

There are more teacher across Texas in their first year of teaching than any other experience-level.

The agency noted that 1/3 of current teachers in Texas are within the first five years experience, citing that there are more, newer teachers, and less, longer-tenured teachers in 2021.

The edTPA requires aspiring teachers to demonstrate readiness to teach through lesson plans designed to support their students’ strengths and needs; engage real students in ambitious learning; analyze whether their students are learning, and adjust their instruction to become more effective.

The two largest districts, The Socorro Independent School District (SISD), currently has 93 job openings posted for a certified teacher; the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) shows 117 job openings, both as of April 28.

In March, Gov. Greg Abbott instructed the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to create a Teacher Vacancy Task Force to work on the issues of teacher retention and how to better support educators.

The National Education Association said in February that there are 567,000 fewer educators in public schools.

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