Program Exit Policy

Candidates may request to leave the program at any time. 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. Due to the limited enrollment space for the program, no refunds will be given to those leaving the program.

Internship:  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 at any time 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, including assignments, attendance, and participation
• Failure to maintain professional conduct
• Failure to demonstrate ability to successfully teach in Katy ISD
• Program inactivity for a period of 5 days 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

The dismissal process may occur at any time, and candidates will be required to attend a meeting with the EPP Coordinator and other ACP staff as determined by the Coordinator to disucss the reasons for the dismissal.  The candidate will receive a written email summarizing the removal from the program.  Candidates may appeal the dismissal decision by submitting a written email with the reason for the appeal and the remedy they are seeking.  This appeal should be sent to the EPP and Recruitment Coordinator within 10 business days of the dismissal decision.  A committee will review the appeal and will respond in writing with the final decision to the appeal within 10 business days.