help us build
the best prepared, best qualified

and most ethical educator workforce in the nation

About

Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §230.5(b) requires every person seeking educator certification in Texas to perform satisfactorily on comprehensive examinations. The purpose of these examinations is to ensure that each educator has the prerequisite content and professional knowledge necessary for an entry-level position in Texas public schools. The Texas Educator Certification Examination Program has been developed and implemented for this purpose.

The Texas Examinations of Educator Standards™ (TExES™), Texas Examinations for Master Teachers™ (TExMaT™), Texas Assessment of Sign Communication™ (TASC™), and the Texas Assessment of Sign Communication-American Sign Language™ (TASC-ASL™) are aligned with Texas standards for educator preparation, which are informed by the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) as well as national standards.

The Texas Educator Certification Examination Program consists of criterion-referenced, competency-based examinations designed to measure a candidate's knowledge and skills in relation to an established standard rather than in relation to the performance of other candidates.

The involvement of public school teachers and educator preparation faculty is critical to the success of the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program. Please help us maintain high-quality education in Texas public schools. Get involved now!

Participants will:

  • help to shape the future of education;
  • have the opportunity for professional growth and work in collaboration with educators in their field;
  • receive substitute reimbursement for their school (public school educators only);
  • have the opportunity to apply for Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits;
  • be reimbursed for their travel and meal expenses; and
  • be provided with hotel accommodations, if necessary.

Development

The development process may include the following activities:

Framework Development

Develop and review draft exam frameworks in your field.

Learn about framework development

Item Development and Review

Develop and review draft exam items in your field.

Learn about item development

Marker Response Meeting

Identify a set of sample responses to constructed-response assignments.

Learn about marker response selection activities

Standard Setting Committee

Participate in a process to recommend a passing score.

Learn about standard setting

Fairness Advisory Panel

Review draft exam materials for fairness and appropriateness.

Learn about Fairness Advisory Panel activities

Exam Areas Under Development

Review the list of exam areas currently being developed. If you are currently certified and practicing in one or more of these exam areas, or preparing educator candidates in one of more of these exam areas, then we encourage your participation!

Reimbursement


General Information

These guidelines apply to individuals who attend the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Pearson exam development conferences/meetings for the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program.

Additional reimbursement instructions will be made available before each conference/meeting.

Completed forms should be submitted to Pearson as soon as possible after the conference to ensure reimbursement in four to six weeks.

Please send all correspondence regarding these policies to EvaluationSystemsCRG@pearson.com.

Please note: The Internal Revenue Service requires Evaluation Systems to have a social security number for all conference participants receiving expense reimbursements.

Substitute Teacher

During the school year (contract days), TEA will reimburse a public school educator's school district for the cost of a substitute teacher.

Substitute reimbursement forms with additional instructions are distributed at each meeting.

Please note that payment will be sent directly to the committee member's designated school/district office.

Lodging

Hotel accommodations are available for those residing 50 or more miles from the meeting location, for those who are unable to travel due to adverse weather conditions, or as otherwise approved by Pearson. Hotel accommodations will be directly billed to Pearson. Although committee members will not be charged for their rooms, they will need to leave a deposit or credit card number at check-in to cover incidental expenses.

Travel

Pearson will reimburse personal automobile use at the federal mileage rate, roundtrip ground transportation, or airfare. Pearson requires prior approval for car rental and airfare expenses. Parking and toll expenses will also be reimbursed.

Meals

Depending on the conference agenda, a continental breakfast and lunch may be provided on the day of the conference. For meals that are not provided as a part of the meeting, a per diem reimbursement of $25 will be provided.

Your Reimbursement

Your expense reimbursement will be sent within approximately four to six weeks upon receipt of your correctly completed expense statement(s) and if you have submitted the following:

  • W–9 form

Please note that a new W–9 form should be completed and returned for each exam development conference that you attend. This policy is in place to ensure that there is no delay in processing your reimbursement check.

FAQs

We would like to invite the highest-performing practitioners to apply with a focus on the following:
  1. Current role in the classroom or recency in the classroom
  2. Knowledge and demonstration of best practices in classroom instruction as evidenced by student achievement or growth
  3. Variety of experiences based on student population served
  4. Variety of experiences based on geographic location and school contexts

Participation in development activities provides educators with an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from across the state and to contribute to the quality of public education.

All educators are welcome to apply, but those educators who are selected to participate in exam development activities should be aware that they will not be eligible to take the Texas Educator Certification exams for three years from the date of the conference.

The first step is to complete and submit an application. Once an application is received, it will be sent to the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for review. Depending upon available committee spaces, TEA will then send out an invitation to selected educators.

Most meetings will take place at a centrally located conference facility in the Austin area.

You will receive your substitute reimbursement forms and information about completing them at each meeting.

All interested participants need to submit an application, which will be considered by TEA. Please ask your colleague(s) to submit an application from this website. You may also nominate colleague(s) by completing a nomination form available on this website.

Yes, you could be involved in the following types of exam development activities:

  • Content Validation/Job Analysis Survey. As a public school educator or as a higher education faculty member you may be selected to participate in a survey to verify that the exam competencies are related to the job.
  • Pilot Testing. If you are a faculty member in an educator preparation program, you may be asked to assist in pilot testing the draft exam items for your field by encouraging your students to participate. Participating in the pilot test will allow students to preview the types of items that may be on the actual Texas Educator Certification exams.

Pearson will reserve a hotel room for you, if needed. The cost of the room and tax will be directly billed to Pearson. You will be asked to provide a credit card number for incidentals. Should you need to cancel your attendance at the meeting, or cancel or modify your overnight accommodations reservation, please contact Pearson as soon as possible. (Pearson incurs charges for no-shows and for sleeping room cancellations that occur later than 3:00 p.m. the day before check-in.) If you need to cancel your accommodations after 5 p.m., please contact the hotel directly.

As a courtesy to other attendees and facilitators, please refrain from the use of cell phones or tablets during the meeting. We ask that you kindly turn off your phone/tablet or set it to vibrate and not take calls during the meeting.

Pearson selects menus that we hope everyone will enjoy. We realize that some individuals have special dietary requests. Attendees who notify us about special dietary requests are provided with a meal based as closely as possible on their specific dietary needs. Due to the large number of attendees and the ability of the conference facility to accommodate, substitutions to the standard conference meal may not be possible. Please make alternative meal arrangements if you have very specific dietary restrictions, as our food and beverage options may not meet your needs.

Business attire is appropriate for all conference activities. We recommend that you dress in layers and bring a sweater or jacket to the meeting in case the room temperature is not comfortable for you.

Pearson strives to hold meetings that are accessible to all. If you require special assistance, auxiliary aids, or other reasonable accommodations to participate fully in the meeting, please let us know. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential.

Apply

Please complete an online application form to be considered for Texas Educator Certification Examination Program opportunities. Upon receipt, your application will be reviewed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and Pearson. If your qualifications match an opening, you will be sent an e-mail invitation. If all committees are full, we will keep your application on file for future use.

Nominate

Nominate your colleagues for consideration in serving on a Content Advisory Committee or the Fairness Advisory Panel.

Spread the Word

Share with school administrators. Share this information with district-level human resource personnel, school principals, administrators, subject-area coordinators, and supervisors who may be able to nominate exemplary educators to participate in exam development activities.

Share with educator preparation personnel. Share this information with Educator Preparation Program deans, educator preparation personnel, faculty in arts and sciences, and others who may be able to nominate exemplary educators to participate in exam development activities.

Apply Nominate
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliate(s).
All rights reserved. Pearson, 300 Venture Way, Hadley, MA 01035
Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Trademarks