When do I need to Recertify?

Recertification for the 2021-2022 school year starts June 1, 2021.

The first day an appraiser can achieve either recertification or initial certification valid for the upcoming school year will be June 1. For example, a certification exam passed on June 2, 2020 will be valid for the 2020-2021 school year. Feedback from the pilot year indicated that establishing a uniform annual window for all appraiser certifications would simplify the process for both appraisers and those responsible for ensuring that all appraisers have a valid certification. Certification tests for the school year will be available until 11:59pm on May 31st of each year.

NOTE: there is NOT a fee to take the certification exam.

For additional assistance with preparing for the certification exam, please refer to the resources available on the Teach for Texas website and check with your local Educational Service Center.

Recertification Policy

As part of the development process for T-TESS, the teacher appraisal steering committee recommended recertification exams for T-TESS appraisers to help ensure the quality and fidelity of the new system. Since the T-TESS process and rubric are significant departures from PDAS and the PDAS rubric, the committee felt annual calibration during the initial years of implementation was necessary to secure the transition from PDAS to T-TESS, and would also serve to deepen appraisers' understanding of the T-TESS rubric, especially with regard to identifying where evidence gathered during observations fits within the rubric. Furthermore, the steering committee felt annual recertification would also keep appraisers deeply anchored in the rubric serving to calibrate appraisers and decreasing the tendency to drift from the training standards as occurred in PDAS. 

Based on the recommendations of the steering committee, the following recertification policy was established: 

• In order to be certified to conduct T-TESS appraisals, an appraiser is required to take and pass the T-TESS appraiser certification exam on the Teach for Texas website https://teachfortexas.org each year for the first three years.   
• After THREE consecutive years of certification, the appraiser will be required to take and pass the T-TESS appraiser certification exam on the Teach for Texas website ONCE every THREE years in order to maintain certification. (see Example 1)

• If an appraiser has a delay or lapse in certification, the following policies apply:

  •  I.          An educator has until August 1 of the following year to take the certification exam following the initial appraiser training. The appraiser’s three-year recertification process begins with his/her first attempt at certification. If the appraiser does not complete the initial certification within that time, they must begin the process over by attending the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam. (see Example 2)
  • II.          If the appraiser has a one-year lapse during the initial three-year certification period, they may rejoin the process by taking and passing the recertification exam prior to the next school year. Once the appraiser has been certified for 3 years within the initial 4 years, they are eligible to begin completing recertification once every 3 years. If an appraiser’s certification lapses more than once within the initial 3 year period, they must begin the process again by attending the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam. (see Example 3)
  • III.          If the appraiser has a lapse following the initial recertification period and two year off-period, the appraiser will be required to begin the process over by taking the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam. After passing the certification exam three times within a four year period, they may resume the process of recertifying once every 3 years. (See Example 4)

Example 1: THREE consecutive years

• After THREE consecutive years of certification, the appraiser will be required to take and pass the T-TESS appraiser certification exam on the Teach for Texas website ONCE every THREE years in order to maintain certification. 

Example 2: Initial certification delay

• If an appraiser has a delay or lapse in certification, the following policies apply:
  •  I.          An educator has until August 1 of the following year to take the certification exam following the initial appraiser training. The appraiser’s three-year recertification process begins with his/her first attempt at certification. If the appraiser does not complete the initial certification within that time, they must begin the process over by attending the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam.

** If the administrator had not passed the certification exam by August 1, 2016, he/she would be required to retake the initial 3-day appraiser training and pass the certification exam to begin the certification process.

Example 3: Lapses more than once

• If an appraiser has a delay or lapse in certification, the following policies apply:
  • II.          If the appraiser has a one-year lapse during the initial three-year certification period, they may rejoin the process by taking and passing the recertification exam prior to the next school year. Once the appraiser has been certified for 3 years within the initial 4 years, they are eligible to begin completing recertification once every 3 years. If an appraiser’s certification lapses more than once within the initial 3 year period, they must begin the process again by attending the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam. 

  ** If the administrator failed to complete recertification by August 1, 2017, he/she would be required to retake the initial 3-day appraiser training and pass the certification exam again to become certified.

Example 4: Lapse after two year off-period

• If an appraiser has a delay or lapse in certification, the following policies apply:
  • III.          If the appraiser has a lapse following the initial recertification period and two year off-period, the appraiser will be required to begin the process over by taking the 3-day T-TESS Appraiser Training and passing the certification exam. After passing the certification exam three times within a four year period, they may resume the process of recertifying once every 3 years.