Basics

• The Region 4 Education Service Center is the largest center in Texas. As of April 2010, it covers 54 school districts, which enroll more than 1 million students. It also represents 83,000 educators. The center's core purpose is to revolutionize "education to inspire and advance future generations" with core values of experience, service and children. The center mainly offers certifications for teachers, but it also offers certification programs for superintendents. Certification via education service center is an alternative to the traditional programs offered through Texas universities.
  
  

Certification Steps

• The Region 4 alternative certification process contains 24 steps. The first one is to submit an application. Then you must also submit your transcripts and fees. Once you've been accepted into the certification program, you may register for the program and for field experience. At this point you can also study for the test that is taken during your pre-service training. In the end, after also completing 30 hours of field experience, you will be awarded your certification.
  
  

Areas of Certification

• There are numerous certification areas for Region 4 alternative certification. For all grade levels, there are specialty areas for art, special education, music, health, technology applications, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish as well as others. Specifically for grades four through eight, there are is a generalist certification, a science certification and a social studies certification. Some of the certifications available for grades eight through 12 are in computer science, history, journalism and life science.
  
  

Eligibility

• To be eligible for the Region 4 alternative certification you must meet several requirements. First, you must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited program and have graduated with at least a 2.5 GPA (or at least a 2.5 GPA in your last 60 credit hours), as of April 2010. If your bachelor's program didn't cover all of the areas that Region 4 requires for certification, you may take the Pre-Admission Content Test (PACT), which can demonstrate your mastery in the required areas.
  
  

Fees

• Several fees are associated with Region 4 alternative certification, including a general non-refundable $50 application fee (as of 2010). For pre-service training, there is an additional $975 fee. The internship administration fee is $3,800, and the fee for a clinical teaching is $1,800. The required certification costs range from $240 to $350, and textbooks cost between $200 and $350. In all, fees for Region 4 alternation certification fees total between $3,300 and $5,800 as of April 2010.