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Admission Interview

In accordance with TEA’s policy and as part of the Application process at UHD, all prospective Urban Education candidates will participate in an Admission Interview. This interview will help to determine if the applicant’s knowledge, skills and dispositions align with those required for success in the teaching profession.  

PROCESS

The Admission Interview will be submitted as part of the Urban Education Application, which must be completed prior to enrolling in PD1 coursework (or PD2 if seeking secondary certification). Candidates who do not include the Interview link in the Application will not be considered.  

  • Prospective candidates’ video-record their interview and submit the link within the UE Application.
  • Faculty members are assigned a list of candidates’ interviews to review and score based on their certification area. Scores are entered in Watermark SLL.
  • A passing score is required for a candidate to be formally admitted to the Urban Education Teacher Preparation Program, and to receive class numbers to register for PD1 courses (or PD2 if seeking secondary certification).

Interview Questions

  1. What made you decide to become a teacher?
  2. Describe a previous teaching experience. Why was it memorable? How will you use it in the program or in your future classroom?
  3. What are some key characteristics and skills you look for in a strong, effective teacher? How can a teacher best support students so they succeed academically?
    a. Bilingual Candidates will answer question #3 in Spanish --¿Cuáles son algunas capacidades que un maestro bilingüe necesita para que sus alumnos logren éxito académico?
  4. What challenges do you think you will face as a new teacher? How will you address them?
  5. How will you work with, or teach someone, who comes from a different background experience from your own?

Instructions for Video Recording and Submission

  1.  Review the Interview questions above and prepare your answers.
  2.  Practice! It will help you feel more comfortable, confident, and look authentic as you answer the questions.
  3. Dress professionally and find a quiet, appropriate place to record your interview.
  4. When you are ready, record a video of yourself (no more than 6 minutes) in which you answer ALL the questions.
  5. Save your video using one of the supported formats to ensure compatibility.
  6. You will upload your video to YouTube, but FIRST, you will sign in or create an account.
  7. Once you are logged in to your account, upload your video.
  8. Make sure you set your video privacy to “UNLISTED”. This will ensure your video won’t appear on YouTube search results.
  9. Check that your video works for audio and image clarity.
  10. Copy and paste the link to your Interview video in the appropriate space within the UE Application

NOTE: Minimum performance on the Interview for Bilingual Students is 15 points. Minimum performance for ALL other certification areas is 12 points. Candidates with scores below 9 will require further review.