Steps to Becoming a Certified High School Math or Science Teacher

Requirements to become a math or science teacher in grades 7-12.
To become a Math or Science Teacher in grades 7-12 you must: Be admitted to the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Pass four exams Two Practice (Qualifying) exams Content (eg. Math 7-12 or Science 7-12 or Physics/Math 7-12) PPR EC-12 (Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities) Two TExES Certification exams Content (eg. Math 7-12, Physics/Math 7-12 or Science 7-12) PPR EC-12 (Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities) Complete a semester of Student Teaching Graduate from UTEP with a major in the College of Science and a Minor in Secondary Education Apply for Teacher Certification with TEA Pass a background check (requires a social security number)

STEP 1: APPLY TO THE EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM

Requirements for admission to the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) are:

Complete courses within the Communication, Mathematics, and Component Area Option portion of the Core Curriculum with a grade of “C” or better. As of 1/1/21 you must complete all core curriculum courses.
Complete at least 60 semester credit hours and 15 hours in your content area.
Have a minimum cumulative UTEP GPA of 2.75.
Updated degree plan signed by the Director of Secondary Education - Dr. Katherine Meraz

Take the free 50 question Diagnostic (practice) test for your content area on 240tutoring.com. You do NOT have to subscribe and pay to take this free practice test. You can access the free test by searching for and selecting your preparation handbook or use these links:

Mathematics 7-12: Mathematics 7-12 (150 minutes)
Science 7-12: Science 7-12 (108 minutes)
Physics/Math 7-12: Physical Science 6-12 (150 minutes) AND Mathematics 7-12 (150 minutes)

Attend the College of Education Test Prep Session to learn how to interpret your results and create a study plan. At the session you will use your Diagnostic exam results to create a study plan. You must upload the plan as part of your on-line EPP application. Register for the testing session here.

Submit your application to the EPP!

EPP Admission Tip
Time tip: have your essay ready BEFORE you take the Diagnostic Exam!

Complete the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) essay. Use the rubric to assess and improve your writing. Include examples.
RECOMMENDED: Submit your essay to the Writing Center for review. Attach the slip or email from them to your essay. Online help at https://www.utep.edu/uwc/index.html
Complete the EPP on-line application
Email Dr. Katherine Meraz at kameraz@utep.edu to request your updated degree plan.
Your College of Education advisor (see advisor list at the bottom of this page) will contact you regarding the status of your Application.
Attend the EPP Admission workshop (see dates below).

Watch a video about the EPP Application process:
Applying to the EPP Information Session

Forms and more information:
EPP Admission Requirements

STEP 2: ATTEND AN EPP ADMISSION WORKSHOP

Once your EPP application is approved, you must attend an EPP Admission workshop to be admitted.
Fall 2023 EPP Admissions Schedule:

REMINDER: There are NO EPP workshops or admissions in August.

STEP 3: TAKE THE 240tutoring.com 5 hour PRACTICE (Qualifying) CONTENT EXAM

This is the first of four tests you must pass to register for your student teaching course.

Science majors - take the exam after you have taken all freshman & sophomore level science courses in your degree plan.

Math majors - take the exam after you have taken all STAT 3325 and MATH 3329

Preparing: If, possible, attend the TExES Boot Camp to prepare for Content exams. The College of Science Secondary Education Program offers this camp for 2 weeks in May. For more information email kameraz@utep.edu. If you cannot attend, ask for resources to help you with preparation and email kameraz@utep.edu for free access to 240tutoring.com.

Scoring: Passing grade is 80% and you have 3 attempts to pass. When you pass, send your score report to lnparral@utep.edu to be cleared for your state test.

STEP 4: TAKE THE TExES CONTENT CERTIFICATION EXAM

This is the second of four tests you must pass to register for your student teaching course. Take this exam AS SOON AS YOU ARE ADMITTED TO THE EPP AND RECEIVE CLEARANCE!

To register for this exam, you must:

Attend the EPP admission workshop and be admitted to the EPP
Receive clearance from UTEP College of Education
Set up a TEAL profile with TEA https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-certification-online-system
Set up a profile with the Educator Certification Examination program https://www.tx.nesinc.com/
Register online for the exam https://www.tx.nesinc.com/. The tests are computer administered. Note that reporting of scores occurs within one week of taking the test.

Scoring: A passing score is 240 out of 300 (80%). If you do not pass, you must wait 30 days and create a new study plan to retest. If you score less than 240, go to https://www.utep.edu/science/core/ and make an appointment with Dr. Katherine Meraz to discuss the results and develop a plan for retesting. You will send the completed study plan to lnparral@utep.edu for clearance to retake the test.

STEP 5: TAKE THE 240tutoring.com 5 hour PRACTICE (Qualifying) PPR EXAM

This is the third of four tests you must pass to register for your student teaching course.

To register for this exam you must:

Be accepted to the Educator Preparation Program
Request free access to 240tutoring.com through kameraz@utep.edu

Scoring: Passing grade is 80% and you have 3 attempts to pass. When you pass, send your score report to lnparral@utep.edu to be cleared for your state test.

STEP 6: TAKE THE TExES PPR CERTIFICATION EXAM

This is the last test you must pass to register for your student teaching course.

To register for this exam, you must:

Attend the EPP admission workshop and be admitted to the EPP
Receive clearance from UTEP College of Education
Set up a TEAL profile with TEA https://tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/certification/educator-certification-online-system
Set up a profile with the Educator Certification Examination program https://www.tx.nesinc.com/
Register online for the exam https://www.tx.nesinc.com/. The tests are computer administered. Note that reporting of scores occurs within one week of taking the test.

Scoring: A passing score is 240 out of 300 (80%). If you do not pass, you must wait 30 days and study to retest. If you score less than 240, go to https://www.utep.edu/science/core/ and make an appointment with Dr. Katherine Meraz to discuss the results and develop a plan for retesting. You will send the completed study plan to lnparral@utep.edu for clearance to retake the test.

STEP 7: STUDENT TEACHING

Student teaching is currently SCED 4691, a one semester course.

To register for this course you must:

Be admitted to the EPP
Have completed all other courses required on your degree plan
Have completed 30 hours of field experience
Apply on-line at https://coe.utep.edu/epop/apply. The College of Education Office of Student Teaching will register you for the course and arrange for your student teaching placement. Apply for student teaching by:

The student teaching calendar aligns to the school district calendars. Orientations are required. Summer classes may conflict with fall student teaching. Do NOT plan vacations without knowing those calendars. For more information, see the School District websites and https://www.utep.edu/education/student-teaching/resources/apply-for-student-teaching.html

STEP 8: GRADUATE FROM UTEP

To receive your diploma you must:

Effective Fall 2022, students will discuss graduation with their CORE academic advisor before the beginning of their student teaching semester and follow their instructions to submit their application to graduate.
Complete student teaching and all other courses in your degree plan.
It takes about 1 month after finals week for your transcript to show degree awarded.

STEP 9: APPLY FOR YOUR TEACHING CERTIFICATE

While you may apply for certification at the end of student teaching, the College of Education must endorse you for certification. Your degree must be awarded for them to do so. It takes about one month after finals for your degree to be posted.

To receive your teaching certification you must have passed your TExES content and PPR exams and:

Visit https://tea.texas.gov/
Click on the TEAL link located at the top of the page.
Access the system using personal credentials.
Click on the Educator hyperlink in the middle of the page.
Select standard certificate from the menu on the left of the page.
Select The University of Texas at El Paso (University Based) under entity.
Enter the certification field.
Complete the application.
Pay the required fees ($78 application fee and $45 fingerprint fee) and submit the application.

STEP 10: PLAN AHEAD

It takes the average student 90 hours of preparation to pass one of the teacher certification exams. Pay attention to deadlines, and dates of EPP Admission workshops. Use the information on this page to create a plan or timeline that starts now and allows time to prepare and pass all of your courses, certification exams and classes. Consider your work schedule, family commitments of time, and finances.

Four things you need to succeed on your exams.
FOUR THINGS YOU NEED TO SUCCEED ON YOUR EXAMS Commitment Decide that you can and will pass your exams Know that YOU can just do it! Preparation Learn all about the tests Create a timeline to graduation NOW Gather resources Organization Have a plan Stick to it Study. Repeat. Period. Practice Practice, practice, practice Textbooks, Internet, study groups LOTS of practice questions

College of Education Advisors

College of Education Center for Student Success: coecss@utep.edu ∗ EDU room 412 ∗ 747-5571

Testing Manager: Lluvia Parral ∗ lnparral@utep.edu ∗ 747-5512

To schedule an appointment go to: https://www.utep.edu/education/css/resources/schedule-an-appointment.html

College of Science Advisors

College of Science CORE core@utep.edu ∗ Carl Hertzog Building ∗ 747-8027

Secondary Education Program: https://www.utep.edu/science/teach-math-science/

Secondary Education: Dr. Katherine Meraz ∗ kameraz@utep.edu ∗ 747-8469

Connect With Us

The University of Texas at El Paso
COS Secondary Education Program Katherine Meraz, Director
Carl Hertzog Building
500 W University
El Paso, Texas 79902

E: kameraz@utep.edu
P: (915) 747-8469