Program Exit Policy

Candidates may request a status change at any time during the program. In the event that the candidate wishes to return to the program at a later date, complete courses/coursework will be valid for up to two years. Incomplete courses/coursework will be lost. If a candidate wishes to drop the program, he/she will be responsible for program fees for the amount of time he/she participated in the program.

A candidate who abandons a contract mid-year or who is asked to leave the internship before the end of the school year will be dismissed from the program, resulting in the deactivation of the Intern Teaching Certificate. The EPP and the candidate must inform each other within one calendar week of the candidate’s last day in the teaching assignment. TEA must receive the certificate deactivation request within two calendar weeks of the candidate’s last day of the teaching assignment. Depending on the circumstances around which the dismissal occurred, the candidate may or may not be eligible to reapply to the program within two years.

Candidates may be removed from the program in the event that they demonstrate behavior that does not meet the professional and ethical expectations of an educator in Texas. Dismissal from the program may be based on, but not limited to the following:

• Failure to meet course requirements
• Program inactivity for a period of 2 weeks with no communication to EPP
• Any action deemed a violation of the Educator Code of Ethics
• Any action noted in the Katy ISD Employee Handbook or policy as “good cause” for termination
• Any action deemed a violation of school district and/or campus policy during Field-Based Experiences or Internship