Texas Teachers Certification – Certification for Teachers from Other States and Countries

You are a certified teacher coming from a different state or country and want to obtain Texas teachers certification in order to be able to work as an educator in this particular state. This is perfectly possible. Use this guide to find out how you can obtain the necessary certificate to teach in Texas.

Present your certification credentials for review to the State Board to for Educator Certification (SBEC). This is the first step towards obtaining Texas teacher’s certification. This can be done via an online application. The form is available on the SBEC website. The certificate you present must not be evoked or suspended or pending to be evoked or suspended. It must be equivalent to the certificate issued by SBEC.

Expired certificates which were standard at the time of issuance will also be accepted for review. The same applies to statements issued by other US state departments of education specifying that the person is eligible for obtaining certification. Usually, such statements will specify the specific educational credentials the person has got as well as any examinations that he/she has passed.

Complete successfully examinations for obtaining Texas teacher’s certification. If you are approved by SBEC after making an application, you will be issued a temporary one-year certificate allowing you to work as an educator in any public school in the state during this period. Within this time, you must take and pass the content exams in the different subject areas that you plan to teach in. In general, your temporary Texas teacher’s certification will be valid for one or a number of academic subject areas, so you will have to pass exams in them.

Get exemption from taking the Texas teacher’s certification examinations, if you have completed successfully exams similar to and at least as rigorous as the Texas ones. SBEC reviews examinations out of its jurisdiction to determine whether applicants who have passed them can obtain a Texas certificate without having to sit the SBEC test. You will find a complete list of the exams approved by SBEC on their website. If you have passed successfully any of these tests and you plan to teach in the same academic areas, you can readily apply for exemption.

Meet all additional requirements to obtain the Standard Certificate that will allow you to become an educator in this state. In general, the requirements for obtaining this certificate include successful completion of one or a number of academic subject tests, successful completion of the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility (PPT) test and work experience as a teacher in Texas for one academic year (two semesters). You have to check which of these requirements you need to complete additionally. If you work for a year with a temporary certificate and pass the exams successfully, you should be able to obtain a Standard Certificate.

Now you know how to obtain Texas teacher’s certification as a certified teacher coming from another state or country. Just keep in mind that you are not automatically given a temporary certificate and Standard Certificate. You will have to apply for each one, after having met all eligibility criteria.