STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has commended Tarleton State University’s Educator Preparation Program (EPP) in two categories: Innovative Educator Preparation and Preparing the Educators Texas Needs in Career and Technical Education.
Tarleton State is one of only two schools to receive the innovation commendation. This is the third consecutive year for the university’s career and technical educator program to receive the TEA accolade.
Dr. Chris Sloan, Interim Dean of the College of Education, credited Tarleton State’s cutting-edge advancements in teacher preparation that ensure instructors are ready for the classroom on day one of their new career.
“What Tarleton’s teacher preparation program has done in a matter of three years is to make the full transformation to the newly released Texas Education Agency’s Educator Preparation Framework Model that has not yet been codified into the Texas Administrative Code,” he said. “In partnering with US PREP and staying abreast of research-based best practices and statewide trends, the future of high-quality teacher preparation in the state of Texas has already been realized at Tarleton State University.”
Innovation in Tarleton State’s Educator Preparation Program includes transforming from a traditional unpaid, single-semester dual-classroom placement to a paid, year-long single-placement continuous co-teaching experience for 100 percent of the students in elementary, middle school and secondary pathways, Dr. Sloan said. He added that Tarleton State was the first public university of its size in Texas to scale to a 100 percent paid, year-long residency model.
“This is the future of high-quality teacher preparation that most university EPPs are only beginning to explore or pilot across the state. We did this in partnership with nine partner school districts using a mutually beneficial governance model that incorporates data sharing in quarterly governance meetings in which each partner has a say in how teacher preparation is done in a customizable setting in that district.”
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.