AGM-ACP Admission

Admissions Requirements

In order to be admitted into the AGMU-ACP, bilingual applicants need to comply with the following:

• Provide an official transcript with a conferred bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Military service member or military veteran candidates OR candidates who are not military service members or military veterans, through transcript analysis by AGMU-ACP staff, can qualify to credit or substitute directly related service, training, education or work experience for educator certification requirements.
• Meet at least a 3.0 overall GPA. If applicant does students do not have at least a 3.0 overall GPA, then at least a 3.0 GPA in the last 60 hours of coursework may be accepted, as evidenced by the official transcript.
• Applicants with out-of-country credentials will submit an original course-by-course evaluation by a recognized foreign evaluation service recognized by TEA.
• List of foreign credential evaluation services recognized by TEA
• Have, at a minimum, a combination of 12 credits hours in English, Science, Social Studies, and Math.
• Applicants that completed their bachelor degree or higher in an institution of higher education outside the United States, including territories of U.S., must pass all sections of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test (TOEFL iBT) with of minimum scores of 24 for speaking, 22 for listening, 22 for reading, and 21 for writing.
• To be exempted from TOEFL iBT testing requirement, an applicant must have earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution on the country outside of the United States approved by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) list.
• Successfully pass a personal interview regarding aptitude, skills, and ethics that prepare the applicant to be a teacher.
• Complete the AGMU-ACP application and pay application fee.
• Acknowledge an initial background check prior to being placed in any field experience is required and must be passed.
• Complete a language assessment for Spanish Proficiency.

A formal written letter will be sent by the AGMU-ACP to the applicant informing them of invitation for acceptance into the AGMU-ACP. Applicants must accept candidacy in writing and submit notice within 10 calendar days of the date of the letter sent by AGMU-ACP.

Cost Details for AGMU-ACP

Exam fees, certificate fees, fingerprinting fees and criminal background check fees, etc. are not included, must be paid by candidate. All fees are due at the point of service and/or separation.

Fees are subject to change.

Testing

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) requires all teacher candidates to pass subject-specific certification exams. Beginning on September 1, 2018, TExES tests (within ACP) and TExES test via PACT route (outside of ACP) will be administered through Pearson tx.nesinc.com.

Required tests by certification area, all testing fees are paid by candidate:

• EC-6 with STR, bilingual – 391 Core Subjects EC-6, 293 Science of Teaching Reading (STR), 190 Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT) Spanish, 164 Bilingual Education Supplemental and PPR (during first semester of internship for contract renewals).
• EC-6 with STR, ESL – 391 Core Subjects EC-6, 293 Science of Teaching Reading (STR), 154 English as a Second Language Supplemental and PPR (during first semester of internship for contract renewals).
• EC-6 with STR, Special Education – 391 Core Subjects EC-6, 293 Science of Teaching Reading (STR), 163 Special Education Supplemental and PPR (during first semester of internship for contract renewals).

Once admitted to AGMU-ACP, all TExES content tests must be approved by AGMU-ACP for candidates. Candidates must create a Texas Education Agency Login (TEAL) user account as a “Candidate Participating in Educator Preparation Program” under “Application Applying For”. Instructions and Educator Setup Guide can be found at tea.texas.gov

PACT (Pre-Admission Content Test) is an alternative route to taking TExES content test outside of a teacher certification program. Those nearing completion of bachelor’s degree and those needing to meet content test requirements for admission may take PACT prior to being admitted to certification program. Candidates should not create a TEA account prior to registering for a test taken via PACT. Information and Instructions can be found at tea.texas.gov

Pre-Admission Content Test

A Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT) can be used for admission to an alternative certification or post-baccalaureate educator preparation program (EPP). Applicants enrolling in a preparation program that requires a PACT exam beginning January 27, 2020, must complete a passing score on the appropriate new TX PACT content examination (TX PACT) that corresponds with each certificate area. TX PACT exams are not the same as the TExES content-pedagogy certification exams used for standard certification.

When is PACT Required?

Law requires applicants to take and pass a PACT for admission into an AGMU-ACP in the following cases:

1. If the applicant has a GPA below a 2.5 or
2. If the applicant has not completed at least 12 semester credit hours in the subject area of the certificate the applicant is seeking (15 hours if seeking certification in math or science above 7th grade).

Information and Instructions can be found at tea.texas.gov

PACT Candidate Information

A candidate may take a PACT under the following conditions:

• You must hold, a bachelor’s degree or be within the last semester of receiving a bachelor’s degree to register for a PACT.
• You have never been admitted to a Texas approved EPP, or you have been admitted but are transferring to a different EPP. If you are transferring to a different EPP, your new EPP may request a Candidate Transfer Form.