How to Obtain Texas Teaching Certification

Texas is the second most populous state in the US and has one of the largest job markets for elementary, junior high, and high school teachers. In order to become a K-12 teacher in Texas, one must hold a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university and pass the Texas teaching certification process. Texas has many reciprocity agreements with other states. This means that once you earn teaching credentials in Texas, you can easily teach out-of-state, and vice versa. The steps below will show you how to become a certified teacher in Texas.

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Earning Teacher Certification

First, you must earn a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in the US or Canada, and you must earn a major in an academic subject--English, math, languages, social sciences, and hard sciences. A major in education is not sufficient. However, if you plan to teach welding, wood shop, computer aided drafting, or other industrial technology courses, you are exempt from the academic degree requirement.

While you are in college, or after soon after graduating, you must also complete several courses in pedagogy as part of a teacher training program. The teacher training program can be completed at the same university where you earn your degree, or they can be completed at another accredited institution.

For Texas teacher certification, it doesn't matter where or when you take these education courses, just so long as you complete the entire curriculum according to the grade level and subjects you plan to teach. The curriculum must also include student teaching experience.

Once you have completed the necessary coursework, the next step is to pass one or more standardized tests for certification. There are a myriad of tests that teachers can take to meet Texas certification requirements. In Texas, candidates must pass some of the TExES, ExCET, and/or TExMAT series exams. For out-of-state teachers, the PRAXIS series tests are acceptable replacements for the TExES series.

To find out more information about which specific tests you need to take, visit the websites of the Texas Education Agency, the Texas State Board for Educator Certification, and TExES official website.

Once you have figured out which tests to take (according to what you plan to teach), get a study guide and start practicing. Texas certification tests are offered in both computer and paper based format, they include multiple choice questions, and they take several hours to complete. Like any standardized test, each exam draws from a pool of known questions and covers a pre-set range of concepts. The more you study, the easier it will be to pass.

After studying, register for the tests, and take them at the assigned testing center. If you don't get a passing score the first time, you will have to re-register and take them again. Depending on the test, there may be waiting periods between re-takes.

Once you have passed the tests, browse listings of open teaching positions in Texas. The website of SBEC Texas has a complete listing of openings for teachers in the state of Texas.

Fill out the applications for each opening that interests you. You will have to submit to criminal and background checks, plus finger printing. Once you have passed the checks, you can be considered for teaching positions.

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