Essential Actions

Essential Actions describe what the most effective EPPs do to support powerful educator preparation.

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Essential Action 1

Commitment to Faculty/Instructor Professional Development and Support

Program establishes expectations and systems for data-informed training of their faculty/instructors and staff to meet the needs of their teacher candidates and the school communities in which they serve.

KP 1.1

Provides training and ongoing calibration for faculty/instructors and staff on teacher candidate observation, feedback and coaching and teacher candidate evaluation.

KP 1.2

Provides ongoing professional development on research-based practices to include but not limited to co-teaching, curriculum literacy, assessment literacy, and teacher educator pedagogy such as practice-based preparation experiences.

KP 1.3

Consistently examines and uses data to inform, train and provide individualized feedback and support for their faculty/instructors and staff. 

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Essential Action 2

Design of Competency-Driven Practice-Based Experiences

Program designs practice-based experiences to ensure that teacher candidates meaningfully practice and demonstrate proficiency in priority teaching competencies throughout their preparation experience.

KP 2.1

Structures early practice-based experiences, such as field-based experiences, to provide teacher candidates with opportunities to work with diverse student populations in multiple classrooms across the grade bands for which they are seeking certification.

KP 2.2

Structures early practice-based experiences to include sheltered practice opportunities such as but not limited to analysis (i.e., examining teaching/instruction), representations (i.e., role-play/engagement with illustrations of instruction), and enactments (i.e., teaching) of instructional pedagogies.

KP 2.3

Structures practice-based experiences to include opportunities to develop foundational curriculum literacy to include curriculum-based lesson internalization, delivering instruction, and administering and analyzing assessment.

KP 2.4

Scaffolds pre-service practice opportunities to include co-teaching alongside a mentor teacher and a gradual release of instructional responsibility to the teacher candidate over time and as they demonstrate proficiency in foundational teacher competencies.

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Essential Action 3

Implementation of Competency -Driven Practice-Based Experiences

Program delivers coherent practice-based experiences aligned to the curriculum, the Texas Teacher Standards, and the program’s teacher competency framework.

KP 3.1

Incorporates practice-based experiences that are explicitly tied to program curriculum and competencies.

KP 3.2

Scaffolds practice-based experiences and provides teacher candidates with opportunities to apply learning from the program curriculum throughout their entire preparation experience, including but not limited to analysis (i.e., examining teaching/instruction), representations (i.e., role-play/engagement with illustrations of instruction), and enactments (i.e., teaching) of instructional pedagogies. 

KP 3.3

Coaches and monitors teacher candidate development aligned to the program curriculum and competencies and assesses teacher candidate content knowledge, pedagogical skills, dispositions, and professionalism throughout practice-based experiences.

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Essential Action 4

Mentor and Cooperating Teacher Training

Program ensures that teacher candidates are supported and coached by trained, highly effective mentor and cooperating teachers. 

KP 4.1

Trains mentor and cooperating teachers on policies and practices of the program and establishes structures to support the mentor’s ability to co-teach with and coach the teacher candidate. 

KP 4.2

Provides training on the candidate evaluation tool and process and ongoing calibration opportunities between the mentor and cooperating teacher, the field supervisor, and relevant campus leadership.

KP 4.3

Establishes clear communication protocols with campus leadership to ensure mentor and cooperating teacher support structures are implemented and acted upon throughout the course of the teacher candidate’s pre-service practice. 

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Essential Action 5

Formative Coaching Practices

Program provides teacher candidates with regular, actionable formative feedback, coaching, and support during practice-based experiences.

KP 5.1

Provides aligned coaching and feedback from multiple supportive personnel that is detailed and supported by evidence, growth-oriented, actionable, and aligned to specific TEKS, teacher competencies, and the educator preparation curriculum.

KP 5.2

Utilizes a universal observation feedback protocol that guides the candidate to reflect on areas of strength, identify a gap in their own practice and subsequent student learning, create a clear action step to improve practice, plan and practice the skill, and identify their next steps with their coach.

KP 5.3

Provides written feedback in multiple settings throughout the program (i.e., rehearsals during methods courses, pre-service practice in PK-12 classrooms) and given in a timely manner (i.e., within 48 hours).

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Essential Action 6

Extended Pre-Service Practice in a Clinical Teaching Setting

Program implements extended pre-service practice opportunities for teacher candidates alongside high-quality cooperating teachers in settings that are representative of the schools and students they will serve.  

KP 6.1

Provides pre-service practice field placement(s) that is jointly selected by the program and LEA partner, informed by partnership goals and agreements, and offer learning environments that are conducive to mastering teacher competencies.

KP 6.2

Structures extended pre-service practice that spans at least 30 weeks total and includes multiple opportunities for observations, co-teaching, and evaluation under the guidance of a high-quality cooperating teacher.  

KP 6.3

Provides opportunities for teacher candidates to experience the beginning and end of the school year and other major milestones.  

KP 6.4

Collaboratively establishes staffing models with LEA partner that enable sustainable funding of stipends for teacher candidates during their pre-service practice.