Principal Application Process

Step 1. Complete the online application form.

You must pay a $75 non-refundable evaluation fee before your file will be evaluated for program admission.

Step 2. Mail your supplemental admissions materials to the iteach Texas office.

You must provide:

• Two letters of recommendation, both from your current campus principals. One of the two letters must be from your direct supervising administrator.  Letters must be on school letterhead, dated, and no older than 4 weeks.
• A writing sample which will be scored by the iteach Texas Admissions staff. This will be a 200-300 word response to the statement: “I believe I can assist our schools in meeting future challenges by…”
• An official state service record indicating the number of years you have taught.
• A copy of your current Standard Teaching Certificate.
• Official transcripts. Your will need to submit a transcript reflecting your conferred bachelor’s degree and master’s degree

All submitted admission materials are the property of the program and will not be returned to you. All submitted documentation must be current.

iteach Texas requires official transcripts for program admission. It is your responsibility to request transcripts from all the institutions you have attended. If you already have official transcripts with the university watermark, seal, or other proof of official status, you may mail them to iteach Texas even if they have been opened. Mail all application materials to:
iteach Texas
ATTN: Principal Certification
P.O. Box 1626
Denton, Texas 76202

You may send official electronic transcripts via SCRIP-SAFE or other secure electronic transcript provider to [email protected]. If the electronic transcript provider requires the transcript to be sent with attention to a specific person, please list First Name: “Admissions” Last Name: “iteach” in these fields.

iteach Texas does not request transcripts, service records, or letters of recommendation on your behalf. Failure to provide iteach Texas with these documents will delay the evaluation of your application.

Applications are retained for six months. If you do not submit a completed packet within six months, the application is destroyed to ensure the security of your personal information.

Step 3. Track your application’s progress via the instructNET platform.

You will receive login information via email after you submit your electronic application.

Step 4. Receiving notification of your program status via e-mail. Upon acceptance into the program, you gain access to the Letter of Agreement (LOA).

Completed application packets are retained for six months. If you do not acknowledge the Letter of Agreement and/or pay the non-refundable access fee within six months, your packet is destroyed to ensure the security of your personal information.

Step 5. Enroll in the program.

Within a week from the time you acknowledge the Letter of Agreement, pay the non-refundable access fee and return the Personal Payment Authorization form, you receive:

• An official Letter of Acceptance
• Access to the instructional course

Once accepted into the program, you have three complete school years in which to complete all of the program requirements, including the one-year (two-semester) field experience.

Principal Admission Requirements

Prospective principals who wish to apply to the iteach Texas program must:

• Be currently employed as a teacher or currently employed as a principal or vice principal, in a full-time position, at a TEA-approved school
• Hold a valid Texas Standard Teaching Certificate
• Have two years of documented, creditable teaching in a TEA-approved/recognized school, as shown in the candidate’s Texas service record
• Hold a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
• Have a GPA of at least 3.00 in a master’s program
• Have a valid e-mail account
• Provide a writing sample responding to this prompt: “I believe I can assist our schools in meeting future challenges by…” This must be included in your application packet and is an important part of the application process. The response will be evaluated for grammar and content.

Mailing Address

iteach Texas
Attn: Principal Certification
P.O. Box 1626
Denton, TX 76202

Applicants must also:

• Have a personal e-mail account and access to a personal (not school) computer.
• Add iteach.net to your contacts list.
• Demonstrate professionalism during all written correspondence and oral communication with iteach Texas.

Review of Certification Standing

iteach Texas will review your TEA account and take the following into consideration when evaluating for admission:

• Previous Educator Preparation Program participation
• Certification testing record
• Multiple test attempts will be reviewed

Principal Certification Coursework

iteach Texas offers eight online instructional courses that are designed to equip you to be an outstanding principal. The courses are self-paced; however, you are required to complete the courses within 12 months of enrolling in the iteach program. You will gain access to the iteach Texas Principal Certification coursework immediately after enrolling in the program.

Experienced school administrators wrote the courses to be useful and practical so that you may refer often to them during your career as a principal. Each course is taken in sequence; you cannot begin your next course until your current one is complete.

Course List

PAIL 1000 – Introduction to Certification
PAIL 1001 – Critical Issues in Education
PAIL 1002 – Instructional Leader
PAIL 1003 – Human Capital Leadership and Management
PAIL 1004 – Executive Leadership
PAIL 1005 – Strategic Operations
PAIL 1006 – Ethics, Equality, and Diversity

Review Course

PAIL 1007 – Comprehensive Review

Field Experience Courses

PAIL 2000 – Field Experience

Pace

While the iteach Texas Principal coursework is self-paced, the eight instructional courses, PAIL 1000-PAIL1007, are designed to be completed within a 12-month time span. You are progressed no faster than one course per 21 days. Each of the instructional courses is designed to require a minimum of 45 seat hours. If you are required to repeat a course or elect to take a month off during the instruction, these needs can be accommodated within the 12-month timeline.

The field experience course, PAIL 2000, is not included in the 12-month timeline.  PAIL2000 will provide you with the required Observation Log and Administrative Skills and Function Log to complete your 165 hours.

If you do not complete the final instructional course within 12 months of being enrolled into PAIL 1001, you may request permission to be re-enrolled in the courses for a six-month period with the payment of a renewal access fee.

Principal Field Experience

You are eligible to begin your Field Experience after completing all instructional coursework and passing the Principal as Instructional Leader TExES (268).  Your Field Experience will begin upon receipt of a verified and approved Statement of Eligibility.  Your homepage status will reflect your Residency during your Field Experience.

OPTION 1: INTERNSHIP

With this option, you will complete a one-year (two-semester) paid internship as a hired principal or assistant principal at a TEA-recognized school.  You must secure your own internship position through the district application/interview process.

If you select this option, your hiring district must provide a completed Statement of Eligibility reflecting your new position to iteach Texas as soon as you are hired as a campus administrator.

OPTION 2: CLINICAL PLACEMENT

With this option, you complete your field experience by shadowing a current who is certified; you are required to complete 165 hours of documented participation over one semester. You will need to have authorized release time from your hiring district to participate in this option.

If you select this option, your school district must provide iteach Texas with a completed Statement of Eligibility reflecting your release time and your responsibilities during the shadowing period. The district commitment will be considered by the iteach Review Committee to determine the appropriateness of field experience. The 165 hours of the internship may be acquired through observation of various aspects of the principal’s responsibilities.

The required 165 hours may be acquired in the following areas:
•    24 Hours (15%) night/weekend extracurricular activities
•    52 Hours (33%) summer duties
•    83 Hours (52%) school day activities – can be accomplished during lunch/conference

In both the internship and clinical placement, you are assigned an iteachTEXAS Field Supervisor who is an experienced school administrator.  You will be enrolled into PAIL2000 for your Field Experience to log the required hours for program completion. All instructional coursework must be completed and your PIL TExES passed to be eligible for a Field Experience.

Principal Certification F.A.Qs

APPLICATION PROCESS

Q. When can I apply?

A. You may apply at any time; iteach Texas does not have any application deadlines.

Q. Do I have to request transcripts or does iteach Texas request them for me?

It is your responsibility to request that your transcripts be sent to iteach Texas. We do not request transcripts on your behalf. If you already have official transcripts, you may mail them directly to iteach Texas. Send transcripts to:

iteach Texas
P.O. Box 1626
Denton, Texas 76202

Q. Where do I mail my transcripts?

Mail your transcripts and other application materials to:
iteach Texas
P.O. Box 1626
Denton, Texas 76202

PROGRAM COST

Q. How much does the program cost?

A. The total program cost is $6,000.

Q. How much do I pay to get started?

$500; you can begin the iteach Texas program with a $75 Evaluation Fee and a $425 Program Access Fee.

After the upfront cost, there are two payment fees remaining:  The Instructional Coursework Fee, $3500.00 and Field Experience Fee, $2000.00.

You will make monthly payments as your progress through the program.

To be enrolled into PAIL1001, you must acknowledge a Personal Payment Plan for the Instructional Coursework Fee of $3500.00 to be paid in equal monthly installments over a seven month time period.

Candidates will complete all coursework (paying for the coursework over seven months) and then after the Principal as Instructional Leader TExES test is passed, look to secure a Field Experience.  The Instructional Fee is paid during the coursework completion and then the Field Experience Fee is paid once a Field Experience is secured.

Q. Can I use financial aid?

A. No, iteach Texas is not an institution of higher education. Therefore, the program does not qualify for financial aid.

TIMELINE 

Q. How long does the program take?

A. You must complete your instructional coursework within twelve months.  Your Field Experience takes place over 2 semesters. The whole iteach Texas program is designed to be completed within two school years.

Once a Field Experience is secured, all program and state requirements (Instructional Coursework (1000-1007), Principal as Instructional Leader TExES, PASL, and all Observational Hours ) must be completed by the end of your second semester.

TECHNICAL QUESTIONS

Q. How do I log in?

A. Please click on the Login button at the top right corner of the page, or click here.