These answers reflect Region 10 and TEA policies that adhere to state code for program compliance. Individual districts may choose to have additional policies as long as they adhere to the state administrative code. It is always best to check with your local leadership and governing policies.
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Here are some quick questions to help you get your certificate.
- Was the training less than a week ago? It may take up to one week for attendance to be marked.
- Have you checked your Region 10 account? Sometimes the email we send gets blocked or sent to spam, Check the PAST SESSIONS tab of your Region 10 account to see if the certificate is posted. Once you have completed the evaluation, the link for your certificate will be in the “past sessions” tab.
- Was it before April 18, 2018? Region 10 changed registration systems on this date, so trainings before this date are in your account under the HISTORICAL CERTIFICATES tab. Log in to your Region 10 account to see if the certificate is posted.
- Have you tried previous or other logins? Often, a participant’s Region 10 account has a personal email account, a previous district’s email address, or is under a different first or last name.
- Still having trouble? Please contact the help desk with as much information as possible and you will be contacted by a Region 10 representative. Please know that the state does not guarantee records past five years.
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Who is required to take the 30 hour training?
- Teachers who provide instruction and services that are a part of the district’s defined G/T services are required to receive a minimum of 30 clock hours of professional development prior to their assignment to provide G/T services and instruction. This 30-hour training must include nature and needs of G/T students, identification and assessment of G/T students’ needs, and curriculum and instruction for G/T students. Teachers without required training must complete the 30-hour training within one semester of assignment to provide G/T services and instruction.
- 30-hour training must include nature and needs of G/T students, identification and assessment of G/T students’ needs, and curriculum and instruction for G/T students. Teachers without required training must complete the 30-hour training within one semester of assignment to provide G/T services and instruction.
- Administrators and counselors who have authority for service decisions for G/T students are required to receive six hours of professional development that includes nature and needs of G/T students and service options for G/T students (TAC §89.2(4); State Plan 4.3C). Any campus or district-level administrator (including the superintendent) or counselor who has authority to make scheduling, hiring, or program decisions should have the six hours of training (TAC §89.2(4); State Plan 4.3C).
What is the difference between the 30 hour training and the state supplemental?
- Teachers who take the 30-hours are considered “GT Trained.” The term “G/T certified” refers to a teacher who has obtained the G/T Supplemental Certificate available through the State Board of Educator Certification after successfully completing the G/T TExES. This certificate alone, however, does not qualify a teacher to teach gifted students in Texas. It must be accompanied by the 30-hour foundational G/T training required by TAC §89.2.
Am I required to be GT certified to teach gifted students?
- The state requires that all teachers of gifted students have received the 30-hour training and continue with 6-hour yearly updates. This is called “GT Trained.” There is no state requirement to be GT Certified; however, local districts may add this additional requirement.
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What are the requirements for yearly updates?
- All teachers who provide instruction and services that are a part of the district’s defined gifted/talented services program for G/T students must receive a minimum of six hours annually of professional development in G/T education that is related to state teacher education standards(TAC §89.2(3); TAC §233.1; State Plan 4.2C). There is no such requirement for administrators/counselors in order to be in compliance; however, local district policies may include this requirement.
What types of training are available?
- There is no state mandate on the type of training, and selection should be individual teacher needs related to the objectives of the district’s G/T program services. At Region 10, we deliver trainings provided by the TEA Curriculum Division as well as our own face-to-face and online opportunities.
- The intent of the six-hour update is to provide teachers of G/T students with training that will enable the teacher to differentiate and adjust the depth, complexity, and pacing of lessons to meet the needs of G/T students. At Region 10, Our goal is to provide support and staff development that recognizes teachers as intellectual professionals and to be the conduit of a full body of knowledge that covers a vast spectrum of advanced academics opportunities.
What if I miss a year of updates?
- There are no requirements or policies in law or rule; however local district policies may require teachers to retake some or all of the 30-hour foundational training. Check with your local district.
Can I repeat one day of the 30 hour training as an update?
- Region 10 does not recognize any of the 30-hour requirements as updates. Local district policies may differ. Check with your district.
What is the difference between local district GT credit and Region 10 GT credit?
- The decision not to mandate what should be offered as six-hour update training was deliberate. The annual update should be based on individual teacher needs related to the objectives of the district’s G/T program services. This means that districts may grant local GT credit for trainings they believe align with the teacher’s needs and their district’s GT program service.
- Our Region 10 yearly updates align to state goals for gifted education, but even then, a district may not feel that a training we offer aligns to their specific GT program service or an individual teacher’s need. If this is the case, a district may not permit certain trainings to be counted as yearly GT updates. Always check with your local district if trainings will count towards yearly updates.
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May a district offer services in G/T through Advanced Placement (AP®), Pre-AP®, International Baccalaureate (IB), or dual credit classes?
- Yes. Local districts have the flexibility to determine through which classes G/T students are served. Districts are required to provide an array of learning opportunities for G/T students in Kindergarten to grade 12 and shall inform parents of the opportunities. Please note that G/T students in AP, Pre-AP, IB, or dual credit courses must still receive differentiated instruction from a G/T-trained teacher (TAC §89.3).
Are there curriculum resources made available from the state?
- The Texas Performance Standards Project (TPSP) is a resource for providing differentiated instruction to gifted/talented (G/T) students (and can be used for providing enhanced academic opportunities for all students). The TPSP provides a coherent package of standards, curriculum, and assessments for use in G/T programs from kindergarten through high school.
- The goal of the TPSP is to provide resources for G/T teachers and students that allow students to create professional quality work in alignment with the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students.
Must a district provide services in each of the four foundation curricular areas?
- Yes. Opportunities that are commensurate with G/T students’ abilities and that emphasize content in the four foundation curricular areas must be provided for G/T students in Kindergarten to grade 12 (State Plan 3.1C). Students should be served based on individual strengths and should not be required to participate in all four foundation curricular areas (State Plan 2.1C).
If districts serve high school G/T students through Pre-AP, AP,or IB courses and students who are not identified G/T are in the class, must the teacher differentiate the curriculum for the G/T students?
- Yes. The State Plan requires that districts provide G/T students an array of learning opportunities that are commensurate with their abilities (State Plan 2.1C). Districts meet the needs of G/T students by modifying the depth, complexity, and pacing of the curriculum and instruction ordinarily provided.
Are Pre-AP/AP or IB teachers required to complete the 30-hour foundational G/T training? If so, can their Pre-AP/AP or IB training count toward G/T training requirements?
- If Pre-AP/AP or IB classes serve as the mode of delivery for services to G/T students, teachers must have the required 30-hour foundational G/T training. Some districts allow the College Board five-day summer institute or IBO training to substitute the curriculum and instruction component of the 30-hour foundational G/T training; however, this is at the discretion of the individual district. All Pre-AP/AP or IB teachers would still require training in the nature and needs of G/T students and identification and assessment of G/T students’ needs.
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