Become a
Certified Principal in Texas
Texas Principal Certification
Principals play a critical role in setting a positive tone for their schools. It’s your opportunity to impact students on a much broader scale and to make a difference in public education.
iteach offers a state-approved route to earning a Texas Principal Certificate.
Complete the form to get more information about becoming a certified principal in Texas.
What iteach Principal Program Completers
Have to Say
Angie Campbell Pulido
iteach Principal Certification
Program completer
The Road to Principal Certification is Simple
- Apply
- Enroll
- Testing & Coursework
- Field Experience
Apply
Enroll
Testing & Coursework
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.
Complete the online application form
- Pay a $75 non-refundable evaluation fee before your file will be evaluated for program admission.
Mail supplemental admissions materials
to the iteach office
- You must provide:
- Two letters of recommendation, both from your current administrators. One of the two letters must be from your direct supervising administrator. Letters must be on school letterhead.
- 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.
- Mail official transcripts to iteach. You will need to submit a transcript reflecting your conferred bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.
- Mail all application materials to:
- iteach Texas
- ATTN: Principal Certification
- P.O. Box 1626
- Denton, Texas 76202
- Mail all application materials to:
-
- All submitted admission materials are the property of the program and will not be returned to you. All submitted documentation must be current.
- You may send official electronic transcripts via SCRIP-SAFE or other secure electronic transcript provider to admissions@iteach.net. 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.
- 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.
Track your application’s progress via the instructNET platform
Gain access to the Letter of Agreement (LOA)
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 Certification Testing
The Texas Education Agency requires that each candidate for principal certification take and pass both the Principal as Instructional Leader TexES (268) and the Performance Assessment for School Leaders (PASL). You can learn more about the exam by downloading the PASL Preparation Manual from the ETS website and the PIL TExES Preparation Manual.
Online/ Self-Paced Instructional Coursework
- 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 Course
- PAIL 2000 – Field Experience
Pace
The eight instructional courses, PAIL 1000-PAIL1007, are designed to be completed within a 12-month time span. You progress 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.
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 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 iteach 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.
Requirements for Program Admission
Employment
You 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.
Certification
You must hold a valid Texas Standard Teaching Certificate and have two years of documented, creditable teaching in a TEA-approved/recognized school, as shown in the candidate’s Texas service record.
Degrees
Hold a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university.
GPA
Have a GPA of at least 3.00 in a master’s program.
Writing Sample
Provide an original 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.
Applicants Must Also:
Have a personal e-mail account and access to a personal (not school) computer.
Provide two letters of recommendation from your current administrators. One of the two letters must be from your direct supervising administrator. Letters must be on school letterhead and dated within the past 4 weeks.
Review of Certification Standing
iteach 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
Admission is not guaranteed nor automatically granted.
Pricing
$75
to Evaluate
Apply and take the first step to becoming a principal.
$425
to Enroll
Once accepted, pay $425, and you can immediately begin taking your first course.
$6,000
Total Cost
Online Course Instruction Participation: Upon enrollment, you are responsible for this fee of $3,500 paid over seven months at $500.00 per month.
Field Experience Fee: Upon securing a Field Experience, you are responsible for this fee of $2,000.00 paid over 10 months at $200 per month.
Additional Fees
Instructional Renewal Fee
If you do not complete the instructional courses within the 12-month time frame, you must pay an instructional renewal fee of $400.00. If continuation is approved, you will be given six additional months to complete your coursework.
Program Renewal Fee
If you do not complete all program requirements during your Field Experience, you will be subject to a Program Renewal Fee of $2200.00 for an additional Field Experience placement.
Payment Options
You will be making monthly payments, $500.00/month, as you progress through the Principal Certification Program.
You will not receive access to PAIL 1001 until you have submitted personal payment information and started making payments towards your instructional fee.
All program fees are non-refundable.
Additional Fees Not Covered by iteach:
Probationary Certificate Application Fee $52.00
TExES Principal Examination (cost per exam) $200.00
Standard Certificate Application Fee $77.00
Frequently Asked Questions
You may apply at any time; iteach does not have any application deadlines.
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
Mail your transcripts and other application materials to:
iteach Texas
P.O. Box 1626
Denton, Texas 76202
The total program cost is $6,000.
$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.
No, iteach is not an institution of higher education. Therefore, the program does not qualify for financial aid.
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.
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