Teacher Preparation Program

The Texas A&M University-Texarkana Teacher Preparation Program was formerly a Center for Professional Development and Technology. The CPDT's were part of an innovative and far-reaching initiative focusing on kindergarten through college education. The CPDT's grew out of an education reform movement in Texas in the early 1990s. The CPDT function was to integrate technology and innovative teaching practices into the pre-service and in-service training of teachers and administrators. The model CPDT's adopted is the field-based model.

It is from this successful and technology-focused background that the Teacher Preparation Program has continued. The Office of Field Experiences assists students in being placed through interviews in our local partnership schools for two semesters.

These districts provide two semesters of field experience for A&M-Texarkana education students: the Field-based Semester and the Student Teaching Semester.

Field-based Semester - The candidate spends six hours per week for EC-6, 3 hours per week for 4-8 and 8-12 in the classroom for twelve weeks with two different cooperating teachers at two different grade levels. Students seeking special education certification or bilingual certification divide their hours between three placements.

Student Teaching or Clinical Teaching - The candidate spends fifteen weeks in the classroom full-time with the two (or three) cooperating teachers assigned during the field experience semester.  This is a smooth transition with no other application required between the semesters.

Alternative Certification students will apply and interview in the fall to be placed in the spring for their student teaching/clinical teaching semester.  The deadline for the application is October 1st.

For more information on the Teacher Preparation Program please contact:

Sara Langford Director of Field Experiences Office Number:203 Phone Number: 903.223.3117