Educator Certification
This is the first step in getting certified. These sites offers information and assistance for educators,
school districts, and the public.
TEA Certification Site
Texas Education Certification Examination Program Site
Bilingual Education
Certification Pathways
This resource provides different pathways for teachers who are obtaining their bilingual education
certification.
Bilingual Certification Pathways (PDF)
Bilingual Certification
Training &
Preparation Manuals
Courses and manuals were developed to provide supplemental training for Texas educators who are
interested in seeking bilingual certification necessary to teach in a bilingual education classroom.
TXEL Bilingual Certification Site
Bilingual Education
Exception
CERTIFICATIONS FOR SERVING EB STUDENTS IN TEXAS
FACT SHEET #3
Bilingual Certification
Program Model
Departmentalization
Paired Teaching
Dual Language
Immersion Program
Models:
One-Way and Two-Way
Transitional Bilingual
Education Program
Models:
Early Exit and Late Exit
ALL teachers must be
certified in:
Bilingual Education
TEC Code 29.061
The teacher delivering the
English component of
instruction must be certified
in either
Bilingual Education or
English as a Second Language
ALL teachers must be
certified in:
Bilingual Education
TEC Code 29.061
Certification
Requirements by
Program Model:
Departmentalization
vs. Paired Teaching
at the Elementary Level
Bilingual
Certification
Exams
Resources
Bilingual Supplemental #164
This exam addresses the foundations and history of bilingualism and bilingual education,
the processes of first and second language acquisition and development, and the
knowledge of content area instruction and assessment in both L1 and L2.
Bilingual Target Language Proficiency Test (BTLPT)
This exam assesses the educator's linguistic abilities in a language other than English in
the four domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.
Bilingual target language exams are available in the following languages:
Spanish
American Sign Language
Chinese
Arabic
Vietnamese
Japanese
For information about testing vendors for languages other than Spanish, go to the
Test Registration and Preparation site.
This site and PDF provide explanatory scenario chains for bilingual education certification, and helpful
resources when submitting a Bilingual Education Exception for teachers who are not appropriately
certified. All applications must be submitted by November 1st each year.
TEA Bilingual Education Exception Resources Page
Bilingual Education Exception Scenario Chain
Updated July 2023
Don't forget to subscribe for
updates at www.txel.org/subscribe
www.txel.org
English as a Second Language (ESL) Certification
CERTIFICATIONS FOR SERVING EB STUDENTS IN TEXAS
FACT SHEET #3
Program Model
Certification
Requirements by
Program Model
Instructional Approach
ESL
Content-Based
ESL
Pull-Out
All teachers must be ESL Certified in an ESL
Content-Based program, either in a self-contained
classroom or departmentalized.
TEC Code 29.061
• by an ELAR and ESL certified teacher within the
ELAR Classroom
• through co-teaching of an ESL certified teacher
and ELAR certified teacher
• through an additional ESL/ELAR course provided
by an ESL and ELAR certified teacher
Emergent bilingual students receive instruction in
English Language Arts and reading (ELAR) by an ESL
certified teacher. A pull-out model can be implemented
An assignment for either ESL program model is allowed with the appropriate grade level and subject area with a bilingual
education certificate rather than an ESL certificate. It is important to note that some particular courses designed for
emergent bilingual students may require the teacher of the course to be ESL certified, such as English to Speakers of other
Languages (ESOL) I and II, the English Learners Language Arts (ELLA) courses for grades 7 and 8, and the English Language
Development and Acquisition (ELDA) course for high school.
ESL Supplemental #154
This exam addresses the foundations and history of ESL education, language concepts and
language acquisition, as well as the knowledge of ESL instruction and assessment. This
exam will need to be taken in addition to a subject area content exam for a valid Texas
classroom teaching certificate.
Resources
This is the first step in getting certified. The TEA site offers information and assistance for educators,
school districts, and the public. The Texas Education Certification Examination Program is where
educators go to register and prepare for certification exams.
TEA Certification Site
Texas Education Certification Examination Program Site
This site provides explanatory scenario chains for ESL certifications and helpful resources when
submitting an ESL Waiver for teachers who are not appropriately certified. All applications must be
submitted by November 1st each year.
TEA ESL Waiver Resources Page
The purpose of this online course and manual is dedicated to Texas educators who are seeking
appropriate English as a Second Language (ESL) certification necessary for instructing in an ESL
program. The preparation course and manual are free to Texas educators seeking ESL certification in
order to build capacity in their Local Education Agency (LEA).
TXEL ESL Certification Site
Updated July 2023
Educator Certification
ESL Waiver Resources
ESL Certification
Training and
Preparation Manual
ESL
Certification
Exam
Don't forget to subscribe for
updates at www.txel.org/subscribe
www.txel.org
