Alternative Certification Program
To ensure that all teachers have the knowledge and skills needed to be effective with our students, YES Prep has created the Teaching Excellence Program, an alternative certification pathway.
A new teacher development and certification program, Teaching Excellence provides rigorous and relevant training and individualized support that accelerates the development of new teachers. Proven and adopted by schools aiming for higher standards, Teaching Excellence is responsible for certifying more than 350 teachers serving YES Prep, KIPP Texas - Houston, Spring Branch ISD, Aldine ISD, BakerRipley (formerly known as Neighborhood Centers Inc.), Yellowstone, and E'toile.
The How
The Cost
The Requirements
If you are interested in applying to be a teacher in any of the following content areas and are not certified, please review the required credit hours and register for the associated Pre-Admissions Content Test (PACT). In order to be formally admitted into the Teaching Excellence ACP program, the following requirements must be met:
- Take and pass PACT Content Exam assigned to you by Teaching Excellence in your initial email
OR
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a conferred degree (or last 60 hours of a conferred degree)
- A minimum of 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for certification sought (unless math or science, which need 15 credit hours)
For more information on the PACT exam, please see below.
Middle School Courses
Middle School Courses
| Teaching Assignment or Content | Courses | Required Credit Hours | *PACT Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Math/Math Enrichment/Math Numeracy Lab | 6-8 | 12 combined hours of ELA, SS, Math, and Science | Core Subjects 4-8 or Math 4-8 |
| MS Science | 6-8 MS | 12 combined hours of ELA, SS, Math, and Science | Core Subjects 4-8 or Science 4-8 |
| MS Social Studies | 6-8 MS | 12 combined hours of ELA, SS, Math, and Science | Core Subjects 4-8 or Social Studies 4-8 |
| MS English/Reading Intervention | 6-8 MS | 12 combined hours of ELA, SS, Math, and Science | Core Subjects 4-8 or ELAR 4-8 |
| Special Education | All grades | 12 combined hours of Math and Reading (English/Literature) | Special Education EC-12 |
High School Courses
| Teaching Assigment or Content | Courses | Required Credit Hours | *PACT Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| HS Science | Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Life Science | 15 credit hours of science course work | Science 7-12 Life Science 7-12 (biology teachers only) Physical Science EC-12 (physics, physical science, chemistry teachers only) |
| HS English | English I, II, III/AP Lit, IV/AP Lang | 12 credit hours of English course work | ELAR 7-12 |
| HS Math | Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, AQR, Pre-Cal/Cal | 15 credit hours of math course work (includes only college-level courses listed as "Math" on your transcript) | Math 7-12 |
| HS Social Studies | World Geography, World History, US History, AP Government, Econ/Gov. | 12 credit hours of History course work | Social Studies 7-12 History 7-12 |
| Special Education | All grades | 12 combined hours of Math and Reading (English/Literature) | Special Education EC-12 |
Elective/Foreign Language Courses
| Teaching Assignment or Content | Courses | Required Credit Hours | *PACT Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish | MS or HS Spanish | 12 credit hours of Spanish course work | LOTE Spanish EC-12 |
| French | MS or HS French | 12 credit hours of French course work | LOTE French EC-12 |
| Mandarin or Chinese | MS or HS Mandarin or Chinese | 12 credit hours of Mandarin or Chinese | LOTE Mandarin Chinese EC-12 |
| PE or Health | MS/HS PE or Health | 12 credit hours of Physical Education course work | Physcial Education EC-12 |
| Technology | MS or HS Technology | 12 credit hours of Computer Science/Programming Technology course work | Technology Applications EC-12 |
| Music, Orchestra, Choir | MS or HS | 12 credit hours of Music course work | Music EC-12 |
| Theater | MS or HS Theater | 12 credit hours of Theater course work | Theatre EC-12 |
| Art | MS or HS Art | 12 credit hours of Art, Art History course work | Art EC-12 |
| Dance | MS or HS Dance | 12 credit hours of Dance course work | Dance 6-12 |
*The required credit hours can be overridden by the passage of a Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT). If you take and pass the appropriate PACT exam, YES Prep is not guaranteeing you a job offer. Since these admission requirements are mandated by the state and affect all Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs), passing the PACT exam in the subject area that you are interested in teaching will make you a more viable applicant for these types of positions and ensure that you are able to pursue alternative certification.
Formal Admission is only final when communicated to you directly by your Certification Program, which has the ultimate discretion on which exams and credit hours will be accepted towards the Formal Admission requirements. The information on this page is subject to change at any time, without notice.