Quick Facts and Overview
What?
Field-Based Experiences are virtual and in-person classroom experiences and reflections that provide insight into student and teacher actions in a variety of classroom settings.
Typically, teachers can complete 15 hours of their Field-Based Experiences virtually through video and must complete 15 hours of their Field-Based Experiences in-person. Due to COVID-19, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has waived the in-person requirement. As a result, teachers can now complete all 30 hours virtually.
How?
Teachers should first log in to their Teaching Excellence Portal. Teachers can reference the following instructions , if needed.
Once they have logged into their Portal teachers should click on the “Initial Certificate” tab.
On the Initial Certificate view, scroll to Field-Based Experiences.
Click the “Download FBE Tracker” link.
Follow the directions embedded in the document.
When?
Why?
All 30 hours of Field-Based Experiences must be completed prior to the start of an Initial Certificate (typically the first day of school).
Texas Administrative Code (TAC) requires that educator preparation program candidates complete a minimum of thirty (30) clock hours of field-based experiences (FBE). Field-based experiences provide you with opportunities to observe and engage with students in a real-world setting, authentic school setting. These experiences will enhance your understanding of what an effective teacher’s classroom looks like, feels like, and sounds like, and make your professional learning experiences more meaningful. These experiences will also allow you to connect to essential teacher actions that will dramatically improve your effectiveness on day one. 30 hours of field-based experiences must be completed before the start of an Intern or Probationary Certificate. Typically, the Texas Administrative Code requires that 15 of the 30 hours be completed in-person in a Texas public school setting. However, due to COVID-19 related school closures, the TEA and the Governor have waived the requirement for field-based experience hours to be completed in-person for the Spring and Summer of 2020.
For anyone in the Teaching Excellence Program as of March 25th, 2020, or for anyone joining between March 25th - July 31st, the requirement to complete 15 hours of in-person Field-Based Experiences is waived. Instead, all 30 hours of Field-Based Experiences will be completed via video and online experiences. 30 hours of completed FBE is still required before issuance of an Intern or Probationary Certificate.