About the ATP

Requirements for Admission to the Graduate Program:

1. Satisfactory completion of Education 475 with a grade of B- or better;
2. Successful instructor teaching evaluation in Education 475;
3. Acceptable to exemplary rating on ATP Competencies;
4. Completion of all undergraduate certification requirements including general education and teaching field(s);
5. A bachelor’s degree from Austin College or another institution and official transcripts of all undergraduate credits earned at any institution of higher education;
6. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 in all courses at the undergraduate level and 2.75 in the major area or teaching field(s);
7. Three recommendations, generally including at least one Austin College faculty member in the student’s major or certification field and a recommendation from an ATP faculty member with whom they have worked;
8. Proof of oral proficiency; Interview scored by rubric with cut score;
9. Completion of the Austin College writing, quantitative, and foreign language competencies;
10. If the GPA is lower than 2.75, candidates can provide documentation of expertise through providing 2 letters of support from faculty in their certification field or a field that closely supports their teaching field.  These appeal documents should be submitted along with the application;
11. Approval by the Austin Teacher Program Advisory and Admission Committee.

Minor: Although not a requirement to enter the Austin Teacher Program, students may choose to minor in Education.   Once Austin Teacher Program undergraduate requirements are completed, the graduate phase can be completed in three semesters.

• Education Minor (5 credits/courses)
  • Education 115 "American Education: A Changing Landscape"
  • Education 225 "Schools and Society"
  • Education 351 "The Learner-Teacher Interaction"
  • Education 475 "The Learner, the Teacher, and The Curriculum"
  • an Approved Elective
    

Contingency Admission to ATP

Students apply for admission to the ATP as part of Education 475, and may receive a contingency admission for the semester before graduation if they meet the following requirements:

1. Satisfactory completion of Education 475 with a grade of B- or better;
2. Successful instructor teaching evaluation in Education 475;
3. Acceptable to exemplary rating on ATP Competencies;
4. Overall GPA of at least 2.75 and teaching field GPA of 2.75;
5. SAT, ACT-acceptable score as defined by ATP
6. Successful teaching evaluations and coursework in undergraduate education sequence  ( EDUC 225, 351 & 475);
7. Three recommendations generally including at least one Austin College faculty member in the student’s major or certification field and a recommendation from an ATP faculty member with whom they have worked;
8. Proof of oral proficiency; Interview scored by rubric with cut score;
9. Completion of the Austin College writing, quantitative, and foreign language competencies;
10. If the GPA is lower than 2.75, candidates can provide documentation of expertise through providing 2 letters of support from faculty in their certification field or a field that closely supports their teaching field.  These appeal documents should be submitted along with the application.
11. Applications will generally not be considered for cumulative or content GPAs below 2.5
12. Once the BA is conferred, requirements will be checked again, and if all are successfully met, full admission is granted.

 

Note: All decisions of the ATP Faculty Advisory and Admission Committee are final.

 

Guidelines for program may be modified due to changes from TEA.

 

Provisional Admission to the Graduate Phase of the Austin Teacher Program

Although the ATP is a five-year program rather than a fifth-year program, it is possible for a qualified student who has a bachelor’s degree from Austin College or another institution to apply to enter the ATP as a provisional graduate student, completing first the necessary undergraduate courses required either by Austin College or the Texas State Board for Educator Certification. Details concerning admission to the ATP through this route may be obtained from the ATP Office. Austin College is an initial certifying agency and cannot grant a MAT degree to anyone already holding any type of teaching certificate. Admitted individuals may be eligible to substitute experience and/or professional training directly related to the certificate being sought for part of the preparation requirements. The candidate must submit a letter to the director of the program who will then bring the matter before the Austin Teacher Program faculty. Final approval for waiver of requirements rests with that body.

 

Austin Teacher Program Courses

All education courses are taught by highly qualified faculty who hold Ph.D. degrees.  The Education  faculty has taught in the public school classrooms with several members of the faculty having administrative experience as well.  All faculty are actively involved in both State and National Teacher organizations.

 

Coursework for the education student is designed to develop both breadth and depth of intellectual development for becoming a teacher.

 

The undergraduate courses focus on schooling, teaching and learning, effective teaching practices, and practices in planning and implementing instruction.

 

The graduate courses focus on the individual student's teaching certification area. Students seeking elementary certification take methods courses that are unique to the  generalist curriculum they will be expected to teach at the elementary level (literacy, math, social studies, science).  Secondary students will have at least one  method course that is unique to their disciplinary field.

 

TITLE II Information:

As mandated by the Title II Act and made available on the Title II Website, the following table provides information about the pass rates on the TExES exams required for certification:

 

Title II Report Data for Cohort Years 2013 & 2014: ATP Pass Rates 2013-2016    *State Pass Rates have not been reported.

	2013 Pass Rate		2014 Pass Rate		2015 Pass Rate	2016 Pass Rate*
Category	ATP	State	ATP	State	ATP	ATP
Pedagogy & Professional Responsibility	100%	97%	100%	97%	100%	100%
Academic Content	100%		93%		95%	100%
Number in Cohort	18		15		20	16

 

For issues or complaints about this educator preparation program contact Texas Education Agency.