BHC - Brookhaven College
ACT - Alternative Certification for Teachers Program
Academy Intern- Applicants who meet all program requirements
Pre-Academy Participant- Applicants who possess a bachelor’s degree but do not meet other program requirements may choose to enter the program via the pre-academy track.
“Challenge Test”- For individuals who do not meet minimum requirements, but do possess a bachelors degree and appropriate teaching experience may apply to take the “Challenge Test” and prove subject area competence.
PPR - Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities
TExES – Texas Examinations of Educator Standards
TExES Content Exam – is specialty area that each candidate must decide upon and take in order to be certified. Content areas are math, science, social studies etc.
TExES PPR Exam – Pedagogy & Professional Responsibilities test that each candidate must take. Can test in EC-12, 4-8 or 8-12.
Probationary Teaching Certificate – candidate receives this certificate once they locate a teaching internship position with a local school district.
Standard Teaching Certificate - candidate receives this certificate once they have completed their pre-service training, passed both TExES exams (Content & PPR) and taught one full year as the teacher of record in a local school district.
Campus Mentor– Each teacher intern is assigned an experienced teacher at the campus where they are employed. The campus mentor will collaborate with BHC site supervisors to support the teacher intern throughout their probationary teaching year.
Brookhaven Site Supervisor – A site supervisor is assigned once the teacher intern has located their intern position. Supervisors will visit interns at least six times a year.
In collaboration with the campus mentors to evaluate and support the student intern.
THEA Exam- Texas Higher Education Assessment Exam
GRE Exam- Graduate Record Examination
TEA –The Texas Education Agency, TEA, is comprised of the commissioner of education and agency staff. The TEA and the State Board of Education, SBOE, guide and monitor activities and programs related to public education in Texas . The SBOE consists of 15 elected members representing different regions of the state. One member is appointed chair by the governor.
PDAS – Professional Development Appraisal System
PDAS remains in place as the State's approved instrument for appraising its teachers and identifying areas that would benefit from staff development. PDAS includes 51 criteria within eight domains reflecting the Proficiencies for Learner-centered Instruction adopted in 1967 by the State Board for Educator Certification, SBEC.
TExES Competencies- The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, comprise the state-mandated curriculum guidelines that establish what every student, from elementary school through high school, should know and be able to do. They were developed to comply with §28.002(c) and (d) of the Texas Education Code.
NCLB- No Child Left Behind, NCLB, requires that states make sure there is a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. To be highly qualified under NCLB, a teacher must:
Highly Qualified Teacher- In general, you are highly qualified if you have a bachelor’s degree, full state certification as defined by your state, and have demonstrated competence in each of the core academic subjects you teach in a manner consistent with the law and accepted by your state.
For a detailed definition of the term “highly-qualified” as defined under the law, please see the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and select Title IX, Part A, Sec. 9101, Num. 23.