Future Students Tab
Apply to University of Houston-Clear Lake

Alternative Certification Program
University of Houston-Clear Lake

The UHCL School of Education offers the Alternative Certification Program in cooperation with local school districts. This training program allows teaching certificate candidates who have earned a Bachelor’s degree to work as full-time teachers while they complete their certification.

The program may last from one to three years, depending on a candidate’s specific qualifications. The UHCL Alternative Certification Program meets the requirements of the U.S. Department of Education (USDE). The Texas State Board of Education Certification (SBEC) has also approved the program.

According to the USDE and the “No Child Left Behind” Act, each school district must verify that all teachers hired to teach core academic subjects are “highly qualified”. An uncertified educator meets this “highly qualified” status by:

1. Holding a Bachelor's degree or higher from an approved institution,
2. Being admitted to an SBEC approved Alternative Certification Program, and
3. Passing required content-area state assessments for the certification sought

The UHCL Alternative Certification Program guarantees intensive, sustained supervision. An added benefit of the UHCL Alternative Certification Program is that many of the courses count toward a Master’s in education. Upon successful completion of the program, candidates earn initial certification and are well on the way to completing a Master’s degree.

UHCL offers the following options to students seeking teacher certification:

Early Childhood – 6 (EC-6)
EC-6 Generalist
EC-6 Bilingual Generalist
EC-6 ESL Generalist

4-8 Options:
4-8 English Language Arts & Reading
4-8 English Language Arts, Reading & SS
4-8 Generalist
4-8 ESL Generalist
4-8 Mathematics
4-8 Science
4-8 Social Studies

8-12 Options
8-12 History
8-12 English Language Arts & Reading
8-12 Life Science
8-12 Mathematics
8-12 Social Studies

All Level
EC-12 Special Education (all level)

The State Board of Education Certification (SBEC) has approved this program.

Qualifications

Applications deadlines:

• Spring 2009 Internship entry:
  • Oct 10, 2008
  • All Bilingual Certification: Sept 5, 2008.

Candidates Must Have the Following:

• Degree – Must have an earned bachelor’s degree, or higher, from an approved accredited institution. Must be conferred by May for fall entry or December for spring entry into the program. Those students who signed a “UHCL Waiver for Permission to Graduate with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies Without Certification” form are not eligible to enter the ACP Program. If you are a UHCL School of Education undergraduate candidate seeking certification in EC-4 Bilingual, EC-12 Special Education or 4-8 Generalist, you may qualify for this program. Contact an SOE Academic Advisor for additional information.
  
• GPA – Must have at least a 2.500 overall Grade Point Average (GPA). This overall GPA includes all course work from all collegiate institutions attended—not just UHCL. If a candidate does not have a 2.5000 overall GPA, then a 2.500 GPA in the last 60 hours of course work may be accepted (includes all course work in the semester of the 60th hour).
  
• Informational Meetings – nformational Meetings are scheduled during the spring semester for fall 2008 entry. When meetings are scheduled, dates and times will also be posted on the CPDT bulletin board in the hallway of Suite 1231. For fall 2008 internship entry, the Informational Meetings schedule: Rooms to be announced later.
  
  • Thurs. Jan. 24, 2008 at 5:30 PM Room B1418
  • Sat. Feb. 23, 2008 UHCL Open House ACP Informational Meeting
  • Thurs. March 27, 2008 5:30 PM Room SSB3311
  • Sat. April 26, 2008 9:30 AM Room B2512
  • Thurs. May 15, 2008 5:30 PM Room B2512
  • Sat. June 14, 2008 9:30 AM Room B2512
    
• State Assessment – Must pass the TExES content area state assessment that are appropriate level and certification being sought.
  

• Enrollment - Must be admitted to UHCL by the Office of Enrollment Services before the Alternative Certification Program application deadline in order for SOE Advising to obtain transcripts from Admissions to calculate your GPA. Enroll as a “School of Education Graduate” and in the section labeled “Graduate Teaching Cert (ND)” check off the certificate you are pursuing.
  
• Teaching Job
  Must have a signed contract or “Intent to Hire” letter for full-time Teacher of Record employment in an approved teaching field by Sept. 2, 2008 for fall 2008 internship entry from one of the following districts:

Your teaching experience must be for a certification program currently offered by UHCL and must match both the subject area and level you seek. Upon receiving an “Intent to Hire” letter from a district, bring a copy of the letter to the CPDT office (Bayou 1231-4) for final admission to the Alternative Certification Internship Program. The teaching position for the internship CANNOT include sponsorship of extra curricular activities (e.g. coaching. cheerleading, theater) or teaching content outside of the teaching specialization.

Acceptance Letter – Must receive a Letter of Acceptance confirming you have met the above requirements for entry into the UHCL Alternative Certification Program. This letter will be sent to you by the CPDT..