TMATE

Certification

Probationary and Standard Teacher Certifications are issued by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) after a criminal history check has been conducted.

Criminal History Disclosure: Applicants must submit fingerprints to SBEC for review before any certification will be issued. Pursuant to Texas Education Code §22.082, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) shall obtain from any law enforcement or criminal justice agency all criminal history record information that relates to an applicant for or holder of a certificate issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21. SBEC may refuse to confer state certification based on such criminal history information. For more information, please visit Fingerprinting for Texas Educators and School District Personnel on the TEA website: www.tea.state.tx.us.

Pursuant to Texas Education Code §22.083, a school district and private school may access any criminal history information pertaining to you and held by any law enforcement or criminal justice agency. A school district or private school may refuse to employ you based on your criminal history. A school district or private school must report to the State Board for Educator Certification if the school district or private school obtains or has knowledge that an applicant or holder of a teaching certificate has a criminal history.

A Probationary Teaching Certificate qualifies you to teach one internship year while you are enrolled in an approved alternative teacher certification program like TMATE. You should make application for certification as soon as you have an official internship-year teaching position.

The online application for the Probationary Certificate includes submitting fingerprints and a criminal history background information check conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).SBEC may refuse to issue a probationary teaching certificate for someone who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor for a moral turpitude crime that relates to the teaching function.

A Standard Teaching Certificate authorizes a person to teach in any public school district in Texas. The certificate is valid for five years, and specific professional development requirements must be met before it can be renewed. You apply for standard certification at the end of your internship teaching year. A criminal history check will be conducted before the certificate is issued.

To qualify for standard certificate, you must:

Successfully complete all TMATE coursework.
Successfully complete your one year internship.
Pass all required TExES including content knowledge and Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility exams. Additional TExES such as English as a Second Language are required for some certifications.
Be recommended by your internship school district.
Be recommended by TMATE and the Tarleton Certification Office.

Past Students

I have learned to be patient, how to be creative, how to be level-headed, how to be confident, how to be a leader, how to share my personality, how I want to live my life, and how to be happy. All of these things I knew somewhat before, but completing this internship year makes me feel as though I can do anything. I know I am a good teacher and that I am doing what I am supposed to do.
--Brandy Musick, 2006-2007

Teaching is easier said than done. Teaching is not only an emotional challenge but also a physical challenge. Of the many jobs I have had, including the army, teaching combines many aspects of all of them.
--Bryan Chisholm, 2007-2008