Navigating Educator Certification Requirements in Texas

The path to becoming a certified educator in Texas involves a complex set of requirements established and overseen by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). Understanding these requirements is crucial for aspiring teachers, current educators seeking additional certifications, and out-of-state professionals looking to transfer their credentials.

The Role of the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC)

The State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) plays a central role in maintaining the quality and standards of public school educators in Texas. Created in 1995 by the Texas Legislature, the SBEC is responsible for:

Certification: Granting and regulating teaching certificates.
Continuing Education: Overseeing continuing professional education requirements for certified educators.
Standards of Conduct: Establishing and enforcing ethical standards for educators.

The SBEC comprises 15 members, with 11 voting members appointed by the governor. These voting members include four public members and seven practitioners: four teachers, two administrators, and one counselor. The four nonvoting members represent the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a college of education dean, and a person with experience in an alternative certification program not affiliated with higher education.

Initial Certification Routes

Anyone seeking educator certification in Texas must pass examinations of professional knowledge and subject content approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). In addition to passing the appropriate certification examinations, applicants for a Texas educator certificate must satisfy other requirements by following one of the several routes to educator certification.

Traditional University Programs: These programs are usually delivered as part of a baccalaureate degree program; however, most colleges and universities, also, have programs designed to prepare those who already hold a bachelor’s and want to obtain educator certification.
Alternative Certification Programs (EPPs): Some institutions of higher education, school districts, regional service centers, community colleges, and other entities have been approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to operate alternative programs of preparation for teachers. Many of these programs can be completed in a year, during which time an individual may hold a paid teaching position in a public school classroom. A list of these Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) can be found at www.tea.texas.gov.

Requirements for Teacher Education Program Admission at the University of North Texas (UNT)

Admission to a Teacher Education (TEd) Program typically requires meeting specific academic criteria. At the University of North Texas (UNT), for example, students must:

Complete a minimum of 60 semester hours, including the University Core Curriculum.
Maintain a 2.75 UNT GPA and a 2.75 overall GPA (including transfer courses).
Achieve appropriate scores on the ACT, SAT, or Praxis Core: Academic Skills for Educators exam.
Formally apply and be admitted to Teacher Education through the College of Education Student Advising Office.

Educator Certification Online System (ECOS)

Applicants must apply for certification using the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS) by going to www.tea.texas.gov. Select the ‘Texas Educators’ tab on the top bar, then from the list titled Certification click on ‘Initial Certification’.

Teacher Certification Requirements

Teacher certification is granted by the State Board for Educator Certification. Completion of the bachelor’s degree and the required education courses does not necessarily result in certification by the agency. In order to be recommended for teacher certification through the University of North Texas, students must:

Successfully completed an approved teacher education program for the preparation of early childhood, elementary, middle grades, secondary or all-level teachers;
Successfully completed student teaching, including attendance at appropriate seminars; and
Passed the TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) and all required content tests of the Texas Examinations of Educator Standards (TExES), as applicable.

Certification by Examination

Texas offers a route for certified teachers to gain additional certifications by passing the relevant certification exam. A teacher who holds an appropriate Texas classroom teaching certificate and a bachelor’s degree may add classroom certification areas by successfully completing the appropriate certification examination(s) for the area(s) sought. This option is not available for teachers of students with visual impairments, the EC-3 certificate, or certificates other than the classroom teacher category (e.g., school counselor, learning resources/school librarian, educational diagnostician). Teachers adding certificates via exam can register with the testing company for the applicable certification exam by indicating that they are obtaining certification by examination and will not have to receive a bar code for the exam from an educator preparation program.

Examination Policies

Retake Limits

Retakes of certification exams are limited to four times per exam unless SBEC waives the limitation for good cause. The retake limitation does not apply to candidates seeking a standard Trade and Industrial Workforce Training certificate.

Good-Cause Waivers

Applicants for good-cause waivers must pay a $160 fee and demonstrate successful completion of a specified number of educational activities hours directly related to the relevant certification exam competencies that the candidate failed to pass in the certification exam. The number of required educational activities hours increases the further away a candidate’s score is from meeting the passing standard.

Read also: Guide to Illinois Educator Pay

Candidates are required to wait progressively longer periods of time before applying for a good-cause waiver with each successive unsuccessful exam attempt, up to the limit of five attempts. Good-cause determinations are administratively handled with appeals available to SBEC.

Exam Fee Waivers

New legislation (HB 2) provides that the bilingual and special education certification application fees and exam fees are waived for a candidate’s first test attempt (if first attempt is after Aug. 1, 2025; if first attempt was between June 4 and July 31, 2025, the candidate will be reimbursed).

Out-of-State/Out-of-Country Certification

An applicant who has been issued a standard certificate or credential from another state, territory of the United States, or another country may apply for a Texas certificate. The credentials must be equivalent to a certificate issued by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) and must not have been revoked, suspended, or pending such action. SBEC will evaluate an expired credential provided it was standard at the time of issuance.

New legislation (HB 1178) changes current statutory provisions for out-of-state certified educators seeking Texas certification, to require the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) to establish a temporary certificate for these educators if they have not yet met Texas certification exam requirements. Out-of-state certified educators who hold a valid, non-temporary certificate in another state and a bachelor’s degree from an accredited education institution are eligible to apply for the temporary certificate, which must be issued immediately upon application. A temporary certificate can be rescinded by SBEC if it is determined that the person did not meet eligibility requirements and expires on the earlier of the first anniversary of the date the certificate was issued or the date the person is issued a Texas certificate. Armed Forces member expires on the third anniversary of the date the certificate was issued. Temporary certificates may not be reissued or renewed.

An applicant who holds a standard credential issued by a jurisdiction outside Texas and who meets specified requirements as determined by the review of credentials completed by SBEC may be issued a One-Year Certificate in one or more subject areas. During the validity of this temporary, nonrenewable certificate, the applicant must satisfactorily complete all appropriate examinations for each certification area for which continued certification is desired. Individuals who have completed an examination administered under the authority of a jurisdiction outside Texas that is determined to be comparable to a Texas test may request an exemption of the Texas test. Information on comparable out-of-state tests can be found at www.tea.texas.gov.

The commissioner’s rules require that applicants requesting an exemption from most Texas educator certification exam requirements meet the following requirements:

(A) obtain a bachelor’s degree from an institution of higher education that, at the time it conferred the degree, was accredited or otherwise approved by an accrediting organization recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board;

(B) complete a state-approved educator preparation program, including student teaching or a teaching practicum, in the state where the standard certificate was issued;

(C) pass the examinations required by the state department of education or country of licensure for issuance of the standard certificate or have three or more years of verifiable, full-time experience in the certificate class for which the applicant is applying;

(D) hold a standard certificate issued by the state department of education or country of licensure that is equivalent to a Texas standard classroom or professional class certificate and that has not been revoked, suspended, or sanctioned for misconduct and is not pending disciplinary or adverse action;

(E) for an applicant for standard teacher certification, have at least one academic year of verifiable, full time experience in the certification class for which the applicant is seeking certification; and

(F) for an applicant for professional class certification, at least two academic years of verifiable, full-time experience in the certification class for which the applicant is seeking certification.

Note: Additional requirements apply for those seeking exemption from the science of teaching reading exam.

Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Requirements

Teacher certificates issued after Aug. 31, 1999, are subject to a five-year renewal period, with a 150-hour continuing professional education requirement that must be met through an SBEC-approved provider. Counselor, librarian, educational diagnostician, and master teacher certificates issued after Aug. 31, 1999, have a 200-hour CPE requirement for every renewal cycle. Educators who add another class of certificate during a renewal cycle can prorate the additional CPE hours required by the new certificate for the remainder of the renewal cycle. Certificates issued before Sept. 1, 1999, are exempt from these rules. Educators adding new certificate areas should be aware that while their current certificates retain the “lifetime” designation, any certificates added after Aug. 31, 1999, are renewable and subject to the continuing education requirements.

Extensions and Exemptions

Certification renewal deadlines can be extended in hardship situations involving catastrophic illness or injury of an educator or immediate family member. Military service members receive two additional years to complete all renewal requirements. A local school district may apply for a hardship exemption on behalf of an educator who has an invalid certificate due to not earning the required continuing professional education (CPE) hours. The hardship exemption is valid for the academic year of the application and may be renewed up to one additional academic year, provided that the superintendent or designee of the local school district requests the extension.

Employment of Uncertified Teachers

While many Districts of Innovation have sought exemptions from certain teacher certification requirements, recent legislation (House Bill 2) introduces limitations. Beginning with the 2026-27 school year, districts are generally prohibited from employing uncertified or inappropriately certified teachers of record in foundation courses. However, districts with local innovation plans may employ such teachers in foundation courses other than reading language arts or math in grades above five for the 2026-27 school year only. Districts can also seek an exception by submitting a plan to the commissioner for approval, outlining a reasonable timeline and strategy to comply by the 2029-30 school year.

Additional Certification Requirements

Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) Teachers

Disciplinary alternative education program teachers are required to be fully certified.

Applied STEM Teachers

Persons seeking certification to teach applied STEM courses must pass the certification test administered by the recognized group that created the curriculum on which the STEM course is based.

Emergency Permits and Out-of-Field Assignments

SBEC rules require that a certified teacher assigned out of field must consent to the activation of an emergency permit and be advised of the conditions of the emergency permit. A teacher who refuses may not be terminated or nonrenewed or otherwise retaliated against because of the teacher’s refusal to consent to the activation of the emergency permit. However, a teacher’s refusal does not impair a school district’s right to implement a necessary reduction in force or other personnel actions in accordance with local school district policy.

Maximum Length of Service Without Standard Certification

Without obtaining initial, standard certification, an individual may not serve for more than three school years in the same assignment while holding an intern, probationary, emergency, or one-year certificate.

Criminal Background Checks and Fingerprinting

All applicants for certification who have not previously held a certificate issued by SBEC are required to undergo fingerprinting and a national criminal history background check prior to becoming certified. Additionally, any individual enrolled/planning to enroll in an educator preparation program for teacher certification or planning to take a certification exam, who has reason to believe that they may be ineligible for certification due to a conviction or deferred adjudication for a felony or misdemeanor offense, can ask TEA to issue a criminal history evaluation letter regarding the person’s eligibility for a teaching certificate. The fee for such a request is $50.

Virtual Certificates

Anyone holding a valid Texas public school educator certificate can view his/her certificate through the secure Certificate Lookup. The virtual certificate is the official record of an educator’s certification status, eliminating the need for school districts and individuals to keep paper copies on file. The virtual certificate satisfies the requirement of the Texas Education Code to present a certificate prior to employment with a school district. Virtual certificates are posted immediately upon approval, and a printable version is available.

The virtual certificate is considered to be the official record of educator certification in Texas that satisfies the Texas Education Code, §21.053(a). All current, expired and inactive certificates will be displayed. View official certification records for Texas educators using the link below. First and last names must be entered to locate an educator's certificate. The name must match what is in the TEA database. Current certificates, and any certificate history if applicable, is available by clicking the link at the top of the certificate.

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