Texas Educator Certification Application for Initial and Advanced Educator Certification

Certification candidates must be in the FINAL MONTH of completing all program requirements BEFORE applying online for the certification. Requirements may include:

• State Assessments passed
• Grades posted in E-Services
• Degree conferred and posted
• Off-campus transcripts submitted
• Teacher Service Record faxed to COE Certification at 281-226-7544 (for advanced Certificates: Reading Specialist, School Counselor, School Librarian, Principal & Superintendent)

Steps to Applying Online for Certification

1. Apply at the end of your program. If you apply too early, your application will be rejected online and an e-mail will be sent to you explaining why, and you will have to reapply later.
   
   
2. Apply online on the Texas Education Agency website.
   
   
3. Click on TEAL Log-in, and follow the online instructions to update your TEA Log-in account to access the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS).
   
   
4. Update your Educator Profile Setup personal information. Double-check your E-mail address. This is how UHCL and TEA will communicate with you. Click on Continue. · Please make sure that teaonline@tea.texas.gov is on your approved e-mail list, to avoid missing critical TEA e-mails that might otherwise go into your spam folder.
5. Click on the following (using the blue bars on the left side of the screen):
   
   
   • Applications then, from the drop-down menu, click on:
     
     • Standard Certificate Texas Program on the drop-down menu. Read through the white screen, and click on the blue bar at the bottom:
     • Apply for Certification, and complete the application following the prompts on screen.
     • Per TEA, when selecting ENTITY choose the one that most closely matches your program:
       • If you completed Clinical Teaching (Intern II) as an undergraduate, select University of Houston-Clear Lake-University Based.
       • If you completed Clinical Teaching (Intern II) as a postbac student, select University of Houston-Clear Lake-Alternative
       • If you completed our ACP Internship then select University of Houston-Clear Lake-Alternative
       • If an Advanced Certificate along with a degree, select University of Houston-Clear Lake-University Based.
       • If an Advanced Certificate as Cert Only, select University of Houston-Clear Lake-Alternative.

6. Pay the application online. Fee must be paid online to TEA within 48 hours.

Within a few days of being notified of your application request, UHCL’s Certification Officer audits your records, determines your certificate eligibility and then, if eligible, recommends you for the certificate online directly with TEA. If any documentation at UHCL is missing, the UHCL Certification Office will contact you

via email. If you receive an email stating that your UHCL file is missing certain documentation, (i.e., a passing TExES score), your application will not be processed until the documentation is received. If you have any questions, please call the UHCL Certification Office at 281-283-3618.

If your UHCL file is complete and all criteria have been met for UHCL, you receive an email confirmation upon recommendation. However, the certificate is not fully processed until TEA has received and processed your payment(s) and you successfully complete a criminal background check. This may take several weeks. Keep checking the status of your application at their website.

Once all certification requirements are met TEA will email you and display your certificate on their website. You can access your certificate by going to the Texas Education Agency website and clicking on ECOS for Educators, then Certificate Lookup. This is a public access website where school district personnel may view proof of Texas educator certificates online.

If you have problems: Call TEA at 1-512-936-8400, or click on Contact after logging into the main TEA website.