Texas Standard Certificate Renewal: CPE Hours, the Dyslexia Requirement & Approved Providers

How does Texas certificate renewal work, and who does it apply to?

Texas standard certificates are valid for five years and are renewed every five years, with continuing professional education (CPE) completed during each five-year renewal period.

TEA puts it this way: “Since September 1, 1999, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) has issued the standard certificate, which is subject to renewal every five years,” and “Texas standard certificates are valid for five years and must be renewed through the Educator Certification Online System (ECOS).” The rule behind it, 19 TAC §232.11(a): “The appropriate number of clock-hours of continuing professional education (CPE) must be completed during each five-year renewal period.” If you hold a Texas standard certificate — classroom teacher, principal, counselor, librarian, diagnostician, reading specialist, or superintendent — this applies to you.

Source: TEA, “Standard Certificate Renewal and Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Information,” tea.texas.gov/educators/certification/certification-renewals/standard-certificate-renewal-and-continuing-professional-education-cpe-information; 19 TAC §232.11(a), tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/sbec-rules-tac/sbec-tac-currently-in-effect/ch232a.pdf — both retrieved September 5, 2026.

How many CPE hours do I need?

Classroom teachers need 150 CPE clock hours per five-year period; principals, superintendents, counselors, librarians, educational diagnosticians and reading specialists need 200; educators holding multiple certificates need 200 hours total.

The table above reproduces TEA’s own. In the rule: “Classroom teacher certificate holders shall complete 150 clock-hours” (19 TAC §232.11(d)(1)); principals, school counselors, superintendents, school librarians, educational diagnosticians and reading specialists each complete 200 clock-hours (§232.11(e)–(j)); and an educator holding more than one certificate completes the “higher number of required CPE clock-hours” (§232.11(m)). Your own certificate is the final word — check it in ECOS.

Source: TEA CPE information page (table); 19 TAC §232.11(d)–(j), (m) — retrieved September 5, 2026.

What training is every Texas educator required to include?

Training on educating students with disabilities that includes information particular to educating students with dyslexia — required of all educators, every renewal period.

The rule text, 19 TAC §232.11(c)(1), in full:

“All educators must receive CPE training regarding educating students with disabilities. This training must include information particular to educating students with dyslexia.”

TEA’s renewal page repeats the requirement in its own words — “All educators must receive CPE training regarding educating students with disabilities. This training must include specific information on educating students with dyslexia” — and links to TEA’s own dyslexia course on TEA Learn. Approved providers may also include this training in their courses (see Q10).

Source: 19 TAC §232.11(c)(1), ch232a.pdf on tea.texas.gov; TEA CPE information page — retrieved September 5, 2026.

Does college coursework count toward CPE?

Yes — one semester credit hour from an accredited institution of higher education equals 15 CPE clock hours.

19 TAC §232.11(b): “One semester credit hour earned at an accredited institution of higher education is equivalent to 15 CPE clock-hours.” TEA’s page lists it the same way: “College coursework (1 semester credit = 15 CPE hours).” So a three-credit graduate course is 45 CPE hours, and a 45-clock-hour CPE course from an approved provider counts the same 45 hours toward renewal without the university step.

Source: 19 TAC §232.11(b); TEA CPE information page — retrieved September 5, 2026.

Who is allowed to provide CPE?

Only approved providers — TEA states plainly that “Only CPE activities from approved providers will be recognized for certificate renewal.”

TEA’s page names the organizations that are pre-approved — “The following organizations are considered pre-approved Continuing Professional Education (CPE) providers and may offer CPE activities without needing additional approval” — including accredited institutions of higher education recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Regional Education Service Centers, and Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools, plus a list of organizations by subject area. Other organizations are approved individually by TEA and issued a provider number — the number 19 TAC §232.21(b) requires on your certificate. For Teachers By Teachers, LLC is listed on TEA’s approved-provider page under Classroom Instruction & Pedagogy and English Language Arts and Reading (checked September 5, 2026).

Two things follow. First, TEA’s approval attaches to the provider, and TEA does not publish a course-by-course list — so no course anywhere is “TEA-approved” on its own; what you look for is an approved provider. Second, the simplest check is the certificate itself: it must carry the provider’s name and provider number (see Q6). Ask any provider for its TEA CPE provider number before you enroll, and make sure it appears on your certificate of completion.

Source: TEA CPE information page (approved-provider statement and pre-approved provider list); 19 TAC §232.21(b) — retrieved September 5, 2026.

What must a CPE certificate of completion show?

Five things: the provider’s name and provider number, your name, the date of the activity, the content of the activity, and the number of clock hours that count toward CPE.

19 TAC §232.21(b) requires the provider’s documentation to list “the provider’s name and provider number, the educator’s name, the date and content of the activity, and the number of clock-hours that count toward satisfying CPE requirements.” Providers are also required to keep their own record: “Providers shall retain a record of CPE activity for a period of seven years after the activity is completed” (§232.21(c)). If a certificate is missing any of the five fields, ask the provider for a corrected one before you file it.

Source: 19 TAC §232.21(b)–(c), ch232a.pdf on tea.texas.gov — retrieved September 5, 2026.

What records do I have to keep, and for how long?

You keep your own documentation of every CPE activity for five years, and produce it if TEA asks for it in a renewal audit.

TEA’s page: “Completion of each CPE activity must be retained by each educator and should be evidenced by documentation (e.g., transcripts, certificates of completion, attendance logs, etc.), which must be kept for five years and provided to TEA if requested during a certificate renewal audit.” The rule, 19 TAC §232.16(a): “Written documentation of completion of all activities applied toward continuing professional education (CPE) requirements shall be maintained by each educator.” A simple folder — paper or digital — with each certificate of completion is enough; just make sure each one shows the five fields in Q6.

Source: TEA CPE information page; 19 TAC §232.16(a) — retrieved September 5, 2026.

Can I complete CPE online?

Yes. TEA lists online courses and webinars, and online modules or recorded sessions, among acceptable CPE activities.

That includes the required disabilities-and-dyslexia training: Texas allows this requirement to be satisfied through an online course (Texas Education Code §21.054(c)). As with any CPE, the activity has to come from an approved provider (Q5) and your certificate has to show the five required fields (Q6).

Source: TEA CPE information page (acceptable activities: “Online courses and webinars,” “Online modules or recorded sessions”) — retrieved September 5, 2026.

Does Texas pay more for graduate credit?

Not at the state level: Texas’s minimum salary schedule is set by years of experience, not by degrees or graduate credit. Any stipend for graduate credit or an advanced degree is a district decision.

TEA’s minimum salary schedule page states that “In no instance may a school district pay less than the state base salary listed for that individual’s years of experience as determined by Section 153.1021 of the Texas Administrative Code, Commissioner’s Rules on Creditable Years of Service,” and its tables run by years of experience credited; degrees and graduate credit are not a factor in the state minimum. Some Texas districts pay a stipend or a higher lane for a master’s degree or graduate hours, but whether they do, and how much, varies district by district — check your district’s compensation plan or ask HR before you spend money on credit for pay purposes.

Source: TEA, “Minimum Salary Schedules,” tea.texas.gov/texas-educators/salary-and-service-record/minimum-salary-schedules — retrieved September 5, 2026.