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General Information for Candidates and Certification Seekers

Sul Ross State University’s Department of Education offers a variety of programs for who are seeking Texas Education Agency certification to work in a K-12 setting as a teacher, diagnostician, counselor, principal or superintendent.

The Texas Education Agency’s State Board for Educator Certification ultimately award the certification based on an accredited Texas entity’s recommendation. Sul Ross State University will recommend a candidate for certification if the candidate:

  • has applied and remains in good standing with the University, the College and Departments, and the Educator Preparation Program. This includes remaining free of disqualifying criminal offenses, Sul Ross State University Student Code of Conduct violations, paying all required fees, and a sufficiently high GPA.
  • has completed all of the required coursework in a timely manner with no grades below a “C” unless repeated, including any required clinical field-based coursework, including student teaching or a practicum.
  • has completed a bachelor’s degree (if seeking a teaching certification) or has completed a master’s degree or higher (if seeking a graduate level certification).
  • has received a recommendation for certification from the clinical field supervisor (the overseeing faculty member during clinical coursework) and a recommendation for certification from the site supervisor or cooperating teacher.
  • completes any required TEA training courses such as suicide prevention or digital literacy.
  • has passed the required TExES examination(s). Becoming a teacher requires a content exam and the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities exam; graduate certification only required in single TExES exam in the area they are seeking certification.

Following a recommendation for SBEC certification, the candidate should complete the TEA requirements including paying the necessary fees.

For more information:

Your TEA ECOS Email Address is Important!

Every certification seeker or certified program finisher MUST have an email on file with TEA.  It is essential that the certification holder keep their email address up to date in ECOS (Educator Certification Online System), and Sul Ross State University strong suggests that candidates and finishers alike use a permanent and personal email address that is checked regularly rather than their Sul Ross email address or their employer issued email address, such as a school district email address.

This is important as this is the primary way that you will be contacted by TEA for updates, certification renewal, and important surveys – such as the teacher first year survey.  Sul Ross depends on teacher finishers to complete this survey in the spring of their first teacher-of-record assignment.

Free personal email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail are available online if you are looking for a permanent personal email address.

You can easily check your TEA ECOS email address – and change it if desired by following these steps:

1. Go to the TEAL login page https://tealprod.tea.state.tx.us/

2. Log in with your TEAL credentials

  • Use your TEAL username and password.

  • If you’ve forgotten your password, use the “Forgot Password?” link.

3. Access ECOS

  • Once logged in, on the TEAL Applications page, look for Educator Certification Online System (ECOS).

  • Click the ECOS link to open your educator profile.

4. Go to ‘My Educator Profile’

  • In ECOS, look for “My Educator Profile” or a similar link on your dashboard.

  • This page shows your personal information including email address.

5. Update your Email Address

  • Find the email section, click Edit or Change, and enter your new email.

  • Confirm the change and save.

  • You may need to verify your new email via a confirmation message.

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