1. What is the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree?
2. How many semester credit hours of coursework are included in the AAT? What does the coursework include?
3. When did the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approve the AAT degree?
4. When will the AAT degree be available?
5. When will the existing Early Childhood-4th Grade (EC-4) and 4th-8th Grade (4-8) fields of study go away?
6. Will there be a phase-in period so students currently enrolled in the EC-4 and 4-8 fields of study will have a chance to complete them?
7. Will the AAT transfer?
8. Which Texas public community/state colleges will offer the AAT degree?
9. Can a Texas public community/state college offer an AAT that is a hybrid of the three AAT curricula?
10. Will Texas public universities be allowed to offer the AAT degree or a similar type program for native students?
11. Can core curriculum courses be prescribed by the public universities for students in educator preparation programs?
12. Can the TECA courses be used for other degree specializations leading to the EC-4 certifications?
13. What are the field-experience courses? Will they be considered in the 18-24 SCH pedagogy limits?
14. Will the Coordinating Board prepare samples of syllabi for distribution statewide for both subject area and pedagogy standards for EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301?
15. Who will oversee the placement of students in the two field-experience courses, EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301?
16. Will the courses MATH 1350 and MATH 1351 be revised to include more difficult course content in algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics, etc.?
17. What are the accountability requirements/issues for the public community/state colleges?
18. Will the public community/state colleges be held harmless? Who will be responsible for ensuring that students are adequately prepared? Will the public community/state colleges be held accountable for student performance on the state's teacher certification examinations?
19. Will AAT completers be automatically admitted to an educator preparation program or will they be expected to meet the admission criteria of the public university?
20. Will the AAT courses count for substitute teachers?
21. Must students in degree programs leading to EC-4 and 4-8 certification be required to take the 6-9 hours of math and science each beyond the core curriculum as required by Coordinating Board policy?
22. Can public universities require that these science and/or math components be upper level courses?
23. Can a public university accept more than the 60-66 SCH even though Coordinating Board rules limit the number of hours a public university must accept from a public two-year college to 66?
24. Will the public community/state colleges have the resources needed/available for a quality experience?
25. Who will ensure that the participating P-12 schools will not be overwhelmed with field-experience students?
26. Will students be tracked as they make their way through an AAT program? Will the Coordinating Board include tracking of AAT students in its CBM reports?
27. What will these programs cost?
28. Is there any financial aid available?
29. Will the Coordinating Board create an AAT listserv for continued communication among interested parties?
30. If a student completes just the AAT and does not transfer to a baccalaureate program, for what jobs would the student be eligible?

1. What is the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree?
   The Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree is a Board-approved collegiate degree program consisting of lower-division courses intended for transfer to baccalaureate programs that lead to initial Texas teacher certification. There are three AAT curricula which include 60-66 semester credit (SCH) hours of coursework. These three AATs can only be offered by Texas public community colleges, Lamar State College-Orange, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur, and are fully transferable to any Texas public university offering baccalaureate degree programs leading to initial teacher certification.
2. How many semester credit hours of coursework are included in the AAT? What does the coursework include?
   The curricula components of the three degrees are as follows:
   • EC-4 (except Early Childhood Degree Specialization), 4-8, EC-12
     • core curriculum (42-48 SCHs)
     • MATH 1350 and MATH 1351 or equivalent (6 SCHs)
     • science (6 SCHs)
     • redesigned EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301 as adopted by the Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) Advisory Committee August 6, 2004
   • 8-12, Other EC-12
     • core curriculum (42-48 SCHs)
     • redesigned EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301 as adopted by the ACGM Advisory Committee August 6, 2004
     • content area teaching fields/academic disciplines (12 SCHs)
   • EC-4 Early Childhood Degree Specialization Only
     • core curriculum (42-48 SCHs)
     • MATH 1350 and MATH 1351 or equivalent (6 SCHs)
     • redesigned TECA 1303, TECA 1311, TECA 1318, and TECA 1354 as adopted by the ACGM Advisory Committee August 6, 2004
3. When did the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approve the AAT degree?
   The three AAT curricula were adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board at its quarterly meeting July 15, 2004.
4. When will the AAT degree be available?
   The AAT may be offered as early as Fall 2004. However, some community/state colleges may not have the courses in place to offer the three AAT curricula. For those colleges who currently offer the Early Childhood through 4th Grade (EC-4) and/or 4th through 8th Grade (4-8) field of study curricula and plan to offer the AAT, transition to the AAT must be in place by Fall 2005. This will allow institutions an adequate amount of time to transition from the two educator preparation fields of study to the AAT beginning Fall 2005.
5. When will the existing Early Childhood-4th Grade (EC-4) and 4th-8th Grade (4-8) fields of study go away?
   When the AAT is implemented in Fall 2005, the two existing fields of study for EC-4 and 4-8 will be eliminated. No new students should be enrolled in the EC-4 and 4-8 fields of study beginning Fall 2005.
6. Will there be a phase-in period so students currently enrolled in the EC-4 and 4-8 fields of study will have a chance to complete them?
   Yes. For students transitioning from the two educator preparation fields of study to the AAT, partnering community/state colleges and universities must determine how best to serve students transitioning from one to the other. Transfer disputes that arise from this transition can be addressed through the Commissioner's transfer dispute process.
7. Will the AAT transfer?
   Yes. The AAT degree as defined by the Coordinating Board is fully transferable to all Texas public universities. Because the AAT fulfills the requirements of the field of study curriculum statutes and Coordinating Board rules, all Texas public universities must accept the three AAT curricula if they offer the applicable baccalaureate degrees leading to initial teacher certification.
8. Which Texas public community/state colleges will offer the AAT degree?
   The Coordinating Board staff will be gathering this information shortly, and providing a list of the participating community/state colleges on the AAT web page when available.
9. Can a Texas public community/state college offer an AAT that is a hybrid of the three AAT curricula?
   No. However, partnering community/state colleges and universities can enter into articulation agreements that could be considered a "specialized academic associate degree" (see Section 9.183(c) of Board rules) but not an Board-recognized AAT.
10. Will Texas public universities be allowed to offer the AAT degree or a similar type program for native students?
    Texas public universities will not be allowed to offer an AAT degree. However, universities are encouraged to offer similar programs for their native students. University students who complete such coursework can be granted a certificate of completion but not the AAT. Only Texas public community colleges, Lamar State College-Orange, and Lamar State College-Port Arthur will be allowed to offer the AAT.
11. Can core curriculum courses be prescribed by the public universities for students in educator preparation programs?
    Yes. Texas public universities can prescribe specific courses to satisfy core curriculum requirements. However, this should be done in cooperation with the university's community/state college partners, be in compliance with Coordinating Board rules concerning core curriculum, and articulated as appropriate.
12. Can the TECA courses be used for other degree specializations leading to the EC-4 certifications?
    Yes. However, partnering community/state colleges and universities will be expected to work together to provide this flexibility and enter into articulation agreements that could be considered a "specialized academic associate degree." (see Section 9.183(c) of Board rules)
13. What are the field-experience courses? Will they be considered in the 18-24 SCH pedagogy limits?
    Two field experience courses, developed by the Field Experience Subcommittee and adopted by the ACGM Advisory Committee (two committees serving in an advisory capacity to Board staff), are included as part of the curriculum for two of the three AAT degrees. Briefly, the two courses are:
    • EDUC 1301, Introduction to the Teaching Profession
      • redesign of EDUC 1301, Schools and Society;
      • requires alignment with State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Professional and Pedagogy Responsibilities standards;
      • broadened to include at least 30 hours of field-experience activities, 15 of which must be in P-12 schools.
    • EDUC 2301, Introduction to Special Populations
      • redesign of EDUC 2301, Introduction to Special Education;
      • broadened to include all types of diversity in the classroom;
      • requires alignment with State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) Professional and Pedagogy Responsibilities standards;
      • broadened to include at least 30 hours of field-based activities, 15 of which must be with special populations in P-12 schools.
    No, the two field experience courses will not be considered in the 18-24 SCH pedagogy limits.
14. Will the Coordinating Board prepare samples of syllabi for distribution statewide for both subject area and pedagogy standards for EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301?
    No. However, if institutions are interested in sharing syllabi, the Coordinating Board would support such efforts.
15. Who will oversee the placement of students in the two field-experience courses, EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301?
    The community/state colleges will be responsible for the placement of students in the field experience courses. In order to accommodate the increase in the number of students completing the required field experience hours, the community/state colleges will be expected to work closely with their partner P-12 schools and university partners to make sure that P-12 schools are not overwhelmed with placement requests.
16. Will the courses MATH 1350 and MATH 1351 be revised to include more difficult course content in algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics, etc.?
    No. These two courses (previously MATH 1335, MATH 1336) were recently revised to reflect more rigorous course content standards. The newly revised courses MATH 1350 and MATH 1351 are specifically designed for students who seek EC-4 and/or 4-8 teacher certification.
17. What are the accountability requirements/issues for the public community/state colleges?
    The community/state colleges will be expected to work with their university partners to ensure that the accountability issues and requirements are adequately addressed and that students are adequately prepared. No separate accountability measures are in place for the community/state colleges.
18. Will the public community/state colleges be held harmless? Who will be responsible for ensuring that students are adequately prepared? Will the public community/state colleges be held accountable for student performance on the state's teacher certification examinations?
    No. However, community/state colleges will be expected to work closely with their university partners to ensure that students completing AAT degree programs are adequately prepared.
19. Will AAT completers be automatically admitted to an educator preparation program or will they be expected to meet the admission criteria of the public university?
    No. Students who complete the AAT will be required to meet any and all entrance requirements of the receiving university and the educator preparation program, including grade point average and/or testing requirements.
20. Will the AAT courses count for substitute teachers?
    Yes. Substitute teachers who are completing their undergraduate degrees are eligible to take the AAT courses as needed and/or appropriate.
21. Must students in degree programs leading to EC-4 and 4-8 certification be required to take the 6-9 hours of math and science each beyond the core curriculum as required by Coordinating Board policy?
    Yes.
22. Can public universities require that these science and/or math components be upper level courses?
    Yes.
23. Can a public university accept more than the 60-66 SCH even though Coordinating Board rules limit the number of hours a public university must accept from a public two-year college to 66?
    Yes.
24. Will the public community/state colleges have the resources needed/available for a quality experience?
    Yes.
25. Who will ensure that the participating P-12 schools will not be overwhelmed with field-experience students?
    Partnering community/state colleges and universities will be expected to work together with local school districts or private schools to ensure that these schools are not inundated with field-experience students, field-based students, and/or student teachers.
26. Will students be tracked as they make their way through an AAT program? Will the Coordinating Board include tracking of AAT students in its CBM reports?
    Yes. The Coordinating Board will include the AAT as a part of the CBM reporting system. More information will be forthcoming concerning this element of the reporting system.
27. What will these programs cost?
    The costs associated with an AAT program are similar to those of any other academic program currently offered by Texas public community/state colleges.
28. Is there any financial aid available?
    Yes. Information about the various types of financial aid available to students pursuing careers in teaching is available on the www.collegefortexans.com web site.
29. Will the Coordinating Board create an AAT listserv for continued communication among interested parties?
    No. The Coordinating Board does not have the resources to dedicate to an AAT listserv. However, if a college or university is interested in developing and maintaining a listserv, the Coordinating Board will be happy to participate and provide appropriate feedback to those on the listserv.
30. If a student completes just the AAT and does not transfer to a baccalaureate program, for what jobs would the student be eligible?
    While the degree is designed for transfer purposes, for those who decide to “stop out” after completing the AAT, this degree meets the “No Child Left Behind” requirements for paraprofessionals. In addition, completion of the AAT is much like that of an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree in that it may qualify students for work that requires at least an associate’s degree.

For questions regarding subject matter content of these links, send e-mail to Susan.Barnes@thecb.state.tx.us.

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