The Texas Administrative Code (19 TAC §228.2) defines alternative certification programs as “[a]n approved educator preparation program, specifically designed as an alternative to a traditional undergraduate certification program, for individuals already holding at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution of higher education.”

According to 19 TAC §228.2, an intern certificate is, “[a] paid supervised classroom teacher assignment for one full school year at a public school accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or other school approved by the TEA for this purpose that may lead to completion of a standard certificate” whereas clinical teaching experience, also commonly referred to as a student teaching, is defined as, “[a] supervised educator assignment through an educator preparation program at a public school accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) or other school approved by the TEA for this purpose that may lead to completion of a standard certificate; also referred to as student teaching.”

 19 TAC §228.2 differentiates these three types of certificates as follows…

• Intern Certificate – “A type of certificate as specified in §230.36 of this title (relating to Intern Certificates) that is issued to a candidate who has passed all required content pedagogy certification examinations and is completing initial requirements for certification through an approved educator preparation program.”
• Probationary Certificate – “A type of certificate as specified in §230.37 of this title (relating to Probationary Certificates) that is issued to a candidate who has passed all required certification examinations and is completing requirements for certification through an approved educator preparation program.”
• Standard Certificate – certificate issued by the state after all EPP and state requirements have been fulfilled “…for a given subject area or class of certification” (§230.31).

Yes, applicants who do not have the minimum 2.75 GPA and/or minimum college credit hours for the certification they are seeking can still be considered within ResponsiveEd 180 EPP.  Applicants will need to demonstrate proficiency in the chosen content area by earning a passing score on the appropriate Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) examination as specified in the figure provided in the linked Figure19 TAC §227.10(a)(4)(C) for the calendar year during which you are seeking admission. More information regarding the PACT exams and how to register can be accessed on the “Pre-Admission Content Test” page of the TEA website.