The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has released correspondence pertaining to principal and teacher evaluations of Texas educator preparation programs (EPPs). TEA is required by rule to collect data regarding the perceptions of preparedness of first-year teachers from both first-year teachers and their principals as part of the Accountability System for Educator Preparation.
Principals and First-year teachers will complete a survey for each teacher who meets all the following criteria:
- Working for their first year as a teacher of record in Texas public schools, according to the Fall PEIMS submission.
- Taught for at least five months of the current school year.
- Hold a standard, intern, or probationary certificate active at Fall PEIMS submission date in October 2025.
- Completed a Texas Educator Preparation program within the last 5 years or is currently enrolled in a Texas Educator Preparation Program.
Teachers will receive a link to the Evaluation of Educator Preparation Programs by Teachers via email at the email address they have provided in the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS). Email addresses in the ECOS accounts should be updated before March 21, 2026.
A link to the evaluation for 2026 will be sent via email to eligible teachers. The evaluation is completed in Qualtrics. First-year teachers will receive a link to complete the mandatory preparation program evaluation.
Teachers earn 10 CPE credits upon completion of the evaluation. The results of this survey are used to monitor and understand the effectiveness of EPPs.
Key Dates for completion of the evaluation of educator preparation programs by teachers:
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Teachers receive the Qualtrics link via email
- Monday, June 15, 2026 – Final date to submit evaluation
The principal surveys for 2026 are available in the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS). Principals will have the opportunity to earn continuing professional education (CPE) credits upon completion of each survey. The results of this survey are used to monitor and understand the effectiveness of EPPs.
Key Dates for Principal Survey data collection:
- Monday, March 23, 2026 – Human Resources personnel access ECOS for principal roster verification
- Wednesday, April 1, 2026 – Survey opens for principals in ECOS
- Monday, June 15, 2026 – Survey closes at midnight in ECOS (we encourage principals to complete surveys early to ensure accessibility to technical assistance, if needed.
More information regarding the principal survey can be found here. More information on the teacher survey can be found here. The full correspondence from TEA can be found here.
