Longhorns in Residence: EC-6 Teacher Certification Program

You are eligible to apply if you:

1. Will have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university by June 2024
2. *Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (*A GPA below 3.0 will be considered holistically)
3. Are seeking your initial teaching license

April 2024

Step 1: Start the application process

• Current UT students start with Step 2.
• Returning UT students with at least a semester interruption in your enrollment: apply as a returning student by May 1, 2024. You may start Step 2 concurrently.
• Alumni from other accredited colleges and universities should email Sarah Johnson before starting the common application process.

Step 2: Prepare for the Professional Development Sequence (PDS) application by completing the following:

• Get a UT EID if you do not already have one.
• Complete this Google form to notify Sarah Johnson that you are applying. Be sure to provide your UT EID.
• Create UT Email address. This is required for all official PDS correspondence.
• Create a TEAL account to receive an assigned TEA ID number. Keep your TEA ID and your password in a safe, accessible place. You’ll be using it throughout your PDS and certification experience. Instructions are available.
• Obtain a copy of your transcript(s).
• Meet with an academic advisor to review your transcript(s). Sarah Johnson will provide an advisor’s name and contact information to you via email.

Step 3: Apply for Longhorns in Residence through the Professional Development Sequence. Once your completed PDS application is received you will receive an invitation to interview via Zoom. Please prepare a slide that you would use to introduce yourself on the first day of school. Please include

• Basic information about you
• Why you want to teach
• Something about you that you think would help your students connect with you 

Step 4: Submit one to three (1-3) letters of recommendation to Sarah Johnson via email. The letters can be academic references or letters related to community-based or education/youth-related employment or volunteer experience

You will be notified of provisional acceptance into the program in late April or early May.

Summer 2024

• Two online courses: 
  • Foundations of Teaching Diverse Learners
  • Literacy Assessment, Development, and Instruction
• Complete 30 hours of Field-Based Experience and Independent Learning Modules
• Late July: PPR prep and exam
• First week of August: Resident Orientation with AISD

Fall 2024

• August: STR prep and exam
• Two online courses: 
  • Holistic Approaches to Elementary Teaching
  • STEAM Content and Methods
• Teacher Residency begins – four days per week in an AISD classroom, one day per week for UT coursework
• November: ESL prep and exam

Spring 2025

• Two online courses: 
  • Practice-based Reflective Teaching of Diverse Learners
  • Early Childhood and Elementary Methods of Social Inquiry
• Teacher Residency continues – four days per week in an AISD classroom, one day per week for UT coursework
• March: TExES Core subjects (EC-6) prep and exam
• May 29, 2025: Last day of school and program

Fall 2024 – Residents may be required to report to campus the week before the first day of school to attend professional learning and support their host teacher in setting up the classroom for students. Residents begin in the classroom on the first day of school for Austin ISD: August 20, 2024.