District Referral Program

Designed specifically for school districts needing to employ an uncertified applicant during the summer and fall months. The application for this program has closed for Fall 2023, it will reopen in Summer of 2024.

VIEW SCHEDULE

About the Program

The Region 13 District Referral Program (DRP) is a 2-year preparation program for all content areas and grade levels. This program is unique in that an applicant must be already in the process of being hired by a district or currently working for a district. Candidates will receive training and content preparation to be ready for their intern certificate in August 2024 while balancing the demands of a first-year teacher.

Districts can utilize any of the available hiring options when hiring a participant in the District Referral Program. Review our Certification Guide for these options.

Application Process

  1. You will complete the online application and pay the $100.00 non-refundable fee.

  2. Submit official college transcripts from ALL colleges to the Region 13 Educator Certification Program.

    • Official transcripts must be received in an unopened envelope sealed by the college or university.
    • If your degree is from a foreign institution there will be additional transcript requirements.
  3. Submit required PACT Test Scores (if needed).
  4. Submit your offer of employment once provided by a district; you can apply and be conditionally accepted without an offer of employment
  5. If selected, you will attend orientation and begin content preparation courses to prepare for your content exams.
Send ALL documents to: Educator Certification Program, Education Service Center Region 13, 5701 Springdale Road, Austin, TX 78723 or ecp@esc13.txed.net

Information Session and Timeline

To gain a better understanding of this program, watch this pre-recorded information session that covers certification options, Timeline, costs, and much more.
male teacher sitting with elementary students at a table.

District Referral Program Info Session

 Certification Options

Certification Options

View all the certification options available through ECP

Core Subjects

The Core Subjects EC-6 certification area will allow a participant to teach English language arts and reading (ELAR), math, science, social studies, music, art, health, and physical education in Early Childhood through 6th grade.

ESL Core Subjects

The ESL Core Subjects EC-6 certification area will allow a participant to teach English language arts and Reading (ELAR), math, science, social studies, music, art, health, and physical education in Early Childhood through 6th grade to English Learners.

Bilingual Core Subjects

The Bilingual Core Subjects certification area allows participants demonstrating proficiency in Spanish to teach English language arts and Reading (ELAR), Spanish language arts and reading (SLAR), math, science, social studies, music, art, health, and physical education in Early Childhood through 6th grade in a bilingual environment.

Participants must demonstrate a near-native proficiency level in speaking, reading, writing, and listening in Spanish to qualify. Applicants must pass a bilingual screener to be conducted during the application process. If language proficiency is not determined applicants will be encouraged to pursue the ESL certification pathway.

Dual Certification

The Dual Certification allows a participant to become certified in bilingual core subjects EC-6 and special education EC-12.

Middle Level

The middle level certification area will allow a participant to teach various subject areas in grades 4-8. Subject areas include math, science, social studies, or English language arts and reading.

Secondary Level

The secondary level certification area will allow a participant to teach various subject areas in grades 7-12. Subject areas include math, science, social studies, or English language arts and reading.

All Level

The all level certification area will allow a participant to teach various subject areas in grades EC-12. Subject areas include art, physical education, dance, music, theater, health, or languages other than English (LOTE).

SPED EC-12

The SPED EC-12 certification area will allow a participant to teach in a variety of classroom settings in Early Childhood through 12th grade. These classroom settings include preschool program for children with disabilities (PPCD), life skills, resource, inclusion and behavior programs. The SPED certification must be paired with a content area certification.

Program Requirements

Bachelor's Degree

Candidates must have a degree earned from and conferred by an accredited institution of higher education.

Min 2.5 Grade Point Average

Minimum 2.5 GPA on all coursework or 2.75 in the last 60 semester hours of completed coursework.

Official College Transcripts

Request your official transcripts be sent to the ECP office.

Offer of Employment

Applicants for this program must submit their offer of employment from a district.

Application

Complete our online application with all required documents.

Requirements

View your content area's specific certification requirements

Pricing

We offer an affordable fee schedule that is competitive with other programs. Program fees cover:

  • Field experience training
  • Pre-service and In-service training
  • Test preparation
  • Sustained support
  • Flexible Schedule

Fee Breakdown

  • Application Fee – $100
  • Registration Fee – $125
  • In-Service Fees
    • Year 1: $2250 (payable in 9 monthly payments)
    • Year 2: $4313 (payable in 9 monthly payments)
  • $2,000 critical needs scholarship available (not yet applied to pricing)

Curriculum

Our certification program curriculum is aligned with Texas Education Agency standards and educational best practices.  All curriculum is taught by certified staff and content area experts.

Training

About 2/3 of our classes are face-to-face and 1/3 of our classes are online. Participants employed by schools within the Region 13 service area, as well as those from schools within a 100-mile radius of Austin, attend classes at the Education Service Center Region 13 in Austin.

Participants will be required to attend training that will continue to build on instruction learned during pre-service training.

In addition to the pre-service training, DRP program participants will receive training specific to their certification program which includes:
  • delivering engaging instruction
  • integrating content specific strategies into lesson design
  • developing and using student assessments
  • understanding student diversity and instructional differentiation
  • preparing for formal classroom observations
  • preparing for TExES PPR exam
  • preparing for TExES content exams
  • implementing Marzano’s high yield strategies
  • developing and using a variety of questioning strategies
  • integrating the core principles from The Fundamental Five

Technology

Technology is an integral part of curriculum and instruction. Our program emphasizes:
  • incorporating the effective use of current technology in instruction
  • evaluating students’ technologically produced products and projects
  • utilizing technology applications in problem-solving situations and project-based learning activities
  • using developmentally appropriate instructional practices, activities, and materials to integrate the Technology Applications TEKS into the curriculum
  • managing technology platforms to increase communication with student families on academic and behavior progress