Phew! Having no GPA is still okay.

[sanantone]

I was looking into getting a teacher certification in Texas. The state requires at least a 2.5 GPA. There are two very big companies in Texas that offer the alternative teacher certification program completely online with the exception of the 15 observation hours you have to complete in the classroom. I contacted the one with the lowest upfront costs due to their current special and they said they needed a calculated GPA from the college I graduated from. TESC would not send an official letter saying that I had at least a 2.5 GPA; they wouldn't even send my academic evaluation which has my GPA on it. This particular company would not calculate a GPA based on the transcripts from the other colleges I attended.

So, I contacted the other major company which would be about $100 more in upfront fees. They said they WOULD calculate the GPA for me based on all of my transcripts and that I only need a 2.5 on the last 60 hours. They'll even include my graduate credits into the GPA. Texas gives the programs the freedom to determine if the student meets the GPA requirement, so I don't know why the other program was so picky.

[publius2k4]

I was looking into getting a teacher certification in Texas. The state requires at least a 2.5 GPA. There are two very big companies in Texas that offer the alternative teacher certification program completely online with the exception of the 15 observation hours you have to complete in the classroom. I contacted the one with the lowest upfront costs due to their current special and they said they needed a calculated GPA from the college I graduated from. TESC would not send an official letter saying that I had at least a 2.5 GPA; they wouldn't even send my academic evaluation which has my GPA on it. This particular company would not calculate a GPA based on the transcripts from the other colleges I attended.

So, I contacted the other major company which would be about $100 more in upfront fees. They said they WOULD calculate the GPA for me based on all of my transcripts and that I only need a 2.5 on the last 60 hours. They'll even include my graduate credits into the GPA. Texas gives the programs the freedom to determine if the student meets the GPA requirement, so I don't know why the other program was so picky.

WGU-Texas offers a Post Bachelor's teacher certification program in Social Sciences. Their program does not have a GPA. In fact, none of their degree programs have a GPA. They state that passing a course is equivalent to a 3.0.

WGU also offers an MA with certification preparation in Social Sciences. In my home state, a teacher with a MA in education makes around 10k per year more than just a BS/BA in education. (I mention social sciences, because I see your other degrees in your signature, but they have options for other disciplines as well)

WGU-Texas Teacher's Programs

At $2900 per semester, it's a hard deal to beat. I know we discussed, in another thread, the issue of state financial aid for WGU-Texas..... but it might be something worth calling them about. I can do a "friend referral" for you, and get you a $40 discount on the application if you like.

[IrishJohn]

Do they have an unpaid internship requirement? Last time I checked out WGU, they did. Not many people can live for 16+ weeks on no pay while working full time.

[sanantone]

WGU-Texas offers a Post Bachelor's teacher certification program in Social Sciences. Their program does not have a GPA. In fact, none of their degree programs have a GPA. They state that passing a course is equivalent to a 3.0.

WGU also offers an MA with certification preparation in Social Sciences. In my home state, a teacher with a MA in education makes around 10k per year more than just a BS/BA in education. (I mention social sciences, because I see your other degrees in your signature, but they have options for other disciplines as well)

WGU-Texas Teacher's Programs

At $2900 per semester, it's a hard deal to beat. I know we discussed, in another thread, the issue of state financial aid for WGU-Texas..... but it might be something worth calling them about. I can do a "friend referral" for you, and get you a $40 discount on the application if you like.

I decided not to go with WGU or any other traditional post-bac program because of the unpaid internship. Most of the alt cert programs in Texas that aren't linked to a college have you go into a full year internship as a paid teacher. Most of them charge about $300-500 upfront. Once you're hired, they take about $3500 more out in monthly installments. If you're never hired, you don't owe the rest. In the WGU program, you're also responsible for paying the school a $1,000 fee. You could use leftover student loans to pay for it, but I just wouldn't be able to quit my job for a semester and expect to have it back. I also wouldn't want to live off of student loans the whole time. On top of that, the traditional post-bac programs take too long. I could finish the alt cert program over the summer.

But thank you for bringing it up. WGU is a good option for younger people who just got out of college. I have bills to pay LOL.

[publius2k4]

I decided not to go with WGU or any other traditional post-bac program because of the unpaid internship. Most of the alt cert programs in Texas that aren't linked to a college have you go into a full year internship as a paid teacher. Most of them charge about $300-500 upfront. Once you're hired, they take about $3500 more out in monthly installments. If you're never hired, you don't owe the rest. In the WGU program, you're also responsible for paying the school a $1,000 fee. You could use leftover student loans to pay for it, but I just wouldn't be able to quit my job for a semester and expect to have it back. I also wouldn't want to live off of student loans the whole time. On top of that, the traditional post-bac programs take too long. I could finish the alt cert program over the summer.

But thank you for bringing it up. WGU is a good option for younger people who just got out of college. I have bills to pay LOL.

Lol a fair point. My home state (Georgia) lets you get hired as a teacher first (if you have a degree in the discipline you plan to teach) and then apply for a temporary certification. Then you have a certain amount of time to complete your "clear and renewable" certification through the school system that employed you. Too bad all states can't be that easy

Good Luck!

[cookderosa]

I was looking into getting a teacher certification in Texas. The state requires at least a 2.5 GPA. There are two very big companies in Texas that offer the alternative teacher certification program completely online with the exception of the 15 observation hours you have to complete in the classroom. I contacted the one with the lowest upfront costs due to their current special and they said they needed a calculated GPA from the college I graduated from. TESC would not send an official letter saying that I had at least a 2.5 GPA; they wouldn't even send my academic evaluation which has my GPA on it. This particular company would not calculate a GPA based on the transcripts from the other colleges I attended.

So, I contacted the other major company which would be about $100 more in upfront fees. They said they WOULD calculate the GPA for me based on all of my transcripts and that I only need a 2.5 on the last 60 hours. They'll even include my graduate credits into the GPA. Texas gives the programs the freedom to determine if the student meets the GPA requirement, so I don't know why the other program was so picky.

Good for you! I'm glad you contacted the second company. Just for fun, you should let company #1 know that because of their difficult application process, you were happy to pay MORE money and go with a company that streamlined the process smoothly for you. I don't know about anyone else, but there are some headaches that just are not worth $100. Glad this all worked out!

[sanantone]

I will let company #1 know if they call me back wondering how come I haven't enrolled. I chose them first because they don't have an application fee and because of the $100 discount they have going on right now on the down payment. In the end, company #2 will only be $55 more expensive. At over $4,000 in total costs, $55 doesn't make much of a difference. The bonus with company #2 is that it's the only standalone teacher certification program with NCATE accreditation. They failed in their bid for DETC accreditation, but they plan to try again and I don't know of another company with these aspirations.

[afam4]

What company did you enroll im looking for one .

[sanantone]

iTeach Texas. They have divisions for other states. I withdrew from the program when I was accepted to a PhD program.