Secondary Certification Prep Hubs
Despite the Texas State Board of Education 2014 mandating that all high schools offer a computer science course, recent data shows that less than half of the high schools in Texas are offering this content to their students. The most significant barrier to providing this content to the next generation workforce is having sufficient numbers of qualified and certified computer science teachers in all state regions. In response to this need, the 89th Texas Legislature passed the Texas Computer Science Pipeline Initiative (Senate Bill 1, Article III, THECB, Rider 50) to address this critical shortage.
Join a Secondary Certification Prep Hub
Join a Secondary Certification Prep Hub
WeTeach_CS Certification Prep Hubs help teachers build the knowledge they need to successfully pass the Grades 8-12 Computer Science or EC-12 Technology Applications Texas teacher certification exams.
- Hubs consist of a cohort of approximately 20 teachers currently certified in subjects other than CS or Tech Apps, who complete a professional development sequence that covers the competencies of these TExES exams.
- PD is delivered both virtually and in-person.
- Certification hubs begin in spring 2026 and run through fall of 2026.
- Hubs are led by Regional Project Directors and Instructional Team Members (ITMs) who mentor hub teachers and support their learning.
- The TACC Certification Hub is appropriate for teachers who require a virtual option or for those who don’t live near a Regional Hub.
- If your regional hub applications are not yet open, and you would like to be notified directly when applications open in your region, please complete the WeTeach_CS Secondary Certification Prep Hub Educator Interest Form. All applications will be open by December 15th.
CS Certification Hub Stipends
- Stipends of $3,000 are provided to teachers who complete the full PD sequence and challenge the CS certification exam.
- Additional stipends of $2,000 are provided to teachers who successfully pass the certification exam.
Tech Apps Certification Hub Stipends
- Stipends of $1,800 are provided to teachers who complete the full PD sequence and challenge the EC-12 Tech Apps certification exam.
- Additional stipends of $750 are provided to teachers who successfully pass the EC-12 Tech Apps certification exam.
2026 Hubs
|
Hub |
Region | City | Application |
|
The University of Texas at Austin Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
13 | Austin, TX *This is a hybrid hub; most meetings will be held virtually. |
Application Closed |
|
Baylor University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
12 | Waco, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Prairie View A&M University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
4 | Prairie View, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Region 1 ESC Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
1 | Edinburg, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Region 2 ESC Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep |
2 | Corpus Christi, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Region 4 ESC Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
4 | Houston, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Region 5 ESC Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
5 | Beaumont, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Region 20 ESC Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
20 | San Antonio, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Rice University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
4 | Houston, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Southern Methodist University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep |
10 | Dallas, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Stephen F. Austin State University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep |
7 | Nacogdoches, TX |
Application Closed |
|
Texas State University Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
13 | Round Rock, TX |
Application Closed |
|
The University of Texas at Arlington Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
11 | Arlington, TX |
Application Closed |
|
The University of Texas at El Paso Pathways Available: CS 8-12 Certification Prep; Tech Apps EC-12 Certification Prep |
19 | El Paso, TX |
Application Closed |
Facilitate a Secondary Certification Prep Hub
As a part of this enterprise, the WeTeach_CS (WTCS) program, housed in the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin, is seeking Texas Institutions of Higher Education and Texas Regional Education Service Centers to join the WTCS Secondary Certification Hubs project to recruit and train in-service Texas teachers in the pursuit of adding a teaching certificate by challenging and passing the Computer Science (CS) 8-12 or EC-12 Technology Applications TExES exams with the intent of teaching computer science course(s). At least half of the hub’s participants must be on the CS 8-12 Pathway.
Eligible Applicants
- Texas Institutions of Higher Education
- Texas Regional Education Service Centers
Awards
- Between 20-25 awards will be made in this funding cycle
Timeline
Application Dates:
- Open Date: September 24, 2025
- Due Date: November 5, 2025
- Recommendation for award notification: by November 14, 2025
Grant Period:
- February 1, 2026 (with pre-award costs allowed back to December 1, 2025) - February 28, 2027
Webinars
- New Applicant Webinar: September 30, 2025 from 11am-12:30pm CT
- All Applicant Webinar: October 8, 2025 from 2-2:30pm CT
- Zoom link: https://tacc.zoom.us/j/88180637883
Facilitate a Hub: CLOSED FOR '26-'27 HUBS
Application Deadline:
November 5, 2025 by 5pm CT
Applicants will be notified of their status no later than November 14, 2025.
Grant Period:
February 1, 2026 - February 28, 2027
Pre-award costs allowed back to December 1, 2025