Paraprofessional Residency Pathway
The Paraprofessional Residency Pathway is a hands-on clinical teaching experience that fulfills Texas teacher certification requirements (TAC §228.67 and §228.69). Much like the traditional Residency Pathway, this option takes place at the end of your teacher preparation coursework—typically during your senior year—and allows you to apply everything you’ve learned in real classroom settings.
To qualify, you must be employed as an instructional paraprofessional in a TEA-accredited school district. You can continue working in your current paraprofessional position while completing your residency requirements at the same time. Securing this paraprofessional role is the responsibility of the Texas A&M University–Victoria teacher candidate.
Explore the many benefits of completing your Paraprofessional Residency Pathway at A&M-Victoria below!
| Year Long Clinical Teaching Experience |
Two semesters (Fall and Spring) Maintain paraprofessional attendance requirements as set forth by the school district. |
|---|---|
| Data Driven Residency Seminar |
CUIN 4307 Residency I Seminar (online, synchronous) CUIN 4309 Residency II Seminar (online, synchronous) Data from residency observations is shared, analyzed, and discussed to engage residents in using data to improve outcomes. |
| POP Cycle and High Quality Feedback |
Formal Feedback provided via POP = Pre-conference, Observation, Post-conference (4-5 cycles per year) Informal Feedback provided via Walkthroughs = 15-20 minute observations in residency classroom (6-8 visits per year) Feedback is aligned to the teacher candidate evaluation tool (TTESS) |
| Co-Teaching |
Paraprofessionals and host teachers must engage in co-teaching for a minimum of 60 minutes every day. Paraprofessionals assume host teacher responsibilities for 5 full consecutive days in residency semester 1 and 5 full consecutive days in residency semester 2. Para may engage in co-teaching and/or solo teaching. Host teachers receive A&M-VICTORIA training in co-teaching models. |
| Site Coordinator Role |
A&M-VICTORIA faculty who are trained to evaluate and support teacher candidates using the TTESS evaluation tool. A&M-VICTORIA faculty site coordinators meet regularly to calibrate the TTESS evaluation tool and build capacity in coaching teacher candidates. |
