Mount Pleasant ISD Partners with A&M-Commerce for Alternative Teacher Certification

Two officials sit at a table with an MOU and pen in front of them.

Officials with Mount Pleasant ISD (MPISD) and A&M-Commerce gathered on Aug. 14 as MPISD Superintendent Judd Marshall and A&M-Commerce President Mark Rudin signed an MOU affirming the district's commitment to the Pride Pathway alternative teacher certification program at A&M-Commerce.

Additionally, Deputy Superintendent Debra Malone revealed scholarships—made possible through a Department of Education grant awarded to the Pride Pathway program—for 15 of the district's paraprofessionals to earn their alternative teacher certification through the College of Innovation and Design at A&M-Commerce. The scholarships will provide tuition for certification coursework and related expenses.

“The College of Innovation and Design is excited to partner with MPISD to train and prepare paraprofessionals to become quality teachers for their district,” said Assistant Dean April Sanders.

Designed for working adults, Pride Pathway is an innovative program to address teacher shortages in Texas by providing a flexible and affordable route for paraprofessionals to earn a bachelor's degree and obtain teacher certification. Offered fully online through a competency-based educational format, students can obtain certification in as little as one year. The university has similar partnerships with Dallas, Crandall and Garland ISDs.

Take your first step toward becoming a teacher at https://www.tamuc.edu/programs/pride-pathway/

View photos from the event.

(Photo: Mount Pleasant ISD Superintendent Judd Marshall and A&M-Commerce President Mark Rudin sit for an MOU signing commemorating the district’s commitment to the Pride Pathway alternative teacher certification program at A&M-Commerce. Photo by Tyler Holloway | Texas A&M University-Commerce Office of Marketing and Communications)