20.18 EPPs also report to the TDOE initial endorsement areas for teacher candidates that they
recommend for licensure. Figure 2 depicts the endorsement areas earned by program completers in
2013-14. Elementary Education is the most popular endorsement (34 percent), followed by Special
Education (13 percent), and Middle Grades (12 percent). There are some endorsement areas,
however, that report low numbers of endorsed teachers. For example, among the 2013-14 cohort,
just 46 new teachers added a Chemistry endorsement, representing just 0.9 percent of teachers
statewide.
Admission Requirements
The SBE’s revised educator preparation policy and adoption of Council for the Accreditation of Educator
Preparation (CAEP) standards led to changes in admission requirements for entry into an EPP. According
to SBE policy, candidates enrolling in baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate programs must have
a minimum GPA of at least 2.75 and an ACT/SAT score of 21/1020. In lieu of ACT/SAT scores,
candidates can also submit scores from the Praxis I: Core Academic Skills for Educators assessment, the
Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), or the Miller Analogies Test. EPPs are required to submit to the
SBE information about what percentage of candidates are admitted through each pathway. In 2014-15,
just under half of the candidates (41.5 percent) were admitted using ACT/SAT scores and 12 percent of
candidates were admitted using their Praxis I scores.
Figure 2:
Endorsement Areas Earned by 2013-14 Completers
If candidates do not meet either the GPA or the
standardized assessment criteria, they can be
admitted through an appeals process. Each EPP
is responsible for creating its own procedures
13
Fine Arts
Health/PE
Early Childhood Education
Middle Grades
Elementary Education
Other
English
Social Studies
ESL PK-12
Special Education
Foreign Language
STEM
for the appeals process and documenting how
many students are admitted through an appeal.
However, EPPs do not have to report these
appeal numbers to either the TDOE or the SBE.