Introduction

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Alternative Certification Program (ACP) has added an important dimension to teacher certification in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The alternative program was designed by the Texas Legislature and approved by the Texas Education Agency to provide opportunity for an individual with a bachelor's degree and significant work/life experience to enter the teaching profession. Interns in the program are able to transfer mature and rich experiences in diversified fields of study into their teaching and bring many new, professional attributes to the classroom. The program is based upon sound cognitive theory, has a field-based year-long internship and provides an ongoing support network for the intern from a school mentor teacher and a member of the university faculty.

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College welcomes the opportunity to serve the community and to work cooperatively with local school districts and Region One Service Center in this field based teacher education endeavor.

Mission

The mission of the Alternative Certification Program is to prepare teachers for tomorrow's schools.

• Emphasize program and learner outcomes
  
• Celebrate diversity
  
• Utilize current technology effectively
  
• Model professionalism

Goals

• Prepare students to be effective teachers in Texas K-12 classrooms.
  
• Recruit quality candidates to the teaching profession through an alternative certification program designed to meet needs in critical teacher shortage areas.
  
• Facilitate candidates' acquisition of teacher training and certification.
  
• Establish a collaborative partnership and shared accountability with the thirteen school districts in the service area, the ACP Advisory Board, the Region One ESC, the Teacher Education Committee, the ACP Approval Process Committee, the ACP International Consortium Committee, and the ACP Reference Screening Committee.
  
• Ensure program quality, equity, and continuous improvement as evaluated by ACP interns' success and impact on Pk-12th public school students.
  
• Provide adequate funding for establishing, implementing, evaluating, and maintaining a successful program.

UTB/TSC Alternative Certification Program - 80 Fort Brown - Brownsville TX, 78521
Phone: (956) 882-5704 Fax: (956)882-5705