Texas Bilingual and ESL Certification: Exams, Pathways, and the District Exception and Waiver

Last updated: September 29, 2026

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Texas bilingual and ESL certification is what a teacher needs to be assigned to a bilingual or English as a second language (ESL) program in a Texas public school, and it is also a district obligation: every emergent bilingual (EB) student in those programs must be taught by an appropriately certified teacher, or the district must file a bilingual exception or an ESL waiver with the commissioner by November 1. This guide covers which certificates qualify, the TExES exams (including the new Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental 165, launched September 1, 2026), how to add ESL or bilingual to an existing certificate, the permits for uncertified teachers, and what districts must do when they cannot staff their programs.

What Texas Requires

Quick answer: Texas Education Code §29.061 requires that “a teacher assigned to a bilingual education program … must be appropriately certified for bilingual education” and that “a teacher assigned to an English as a second language program must be appropriately certified for English as a second language.” In practice, a teacher needs a Texas certificate for the grade level and content area, plus a bilingual or ESL certification. For ESL teachers the usual route is the ESL Supplemental (TExES 154); for bilingual teachers, the Bilingual Education Supplemental (TExES 164) plus a target language exam, which for Spanish is moving from the BTLPT (190) to the new TExES 165.

Key Facts

Which Certificates Qualify

19 TAC Chapter 231 lists the certificates that allow an assignment. The pattern is the same at every level: a certificate for the grade and subject, plus a bilingual or ESL credential.

SBEC added two combined certificates in 2024, “Core/Bilingual Education Spanish with the Science of Teaching Reading: Early Childhood-Grade 6” and “Core/English as a Second Language Supplemental with the Science of Teaching Reading: Early Childhood-Grade 6” (19 TAC §233.2). The assignment tables in Chapter 231 had not yet been updated to name them when this page was verified.

The TExES Exams: 154, 164, 190 and the New 165

The Spanish transition. TEA’s one-pager on the 165 sets the calendar: the 165 launched on September 1, 2026; August 31, 2027 is the “last day to take 164 and 190 TExES Exams for Bilingual Education Supplemental Spanish Certification”; and “beginning September 1, 2027, the 190 … will no longer be available.” The 165 does not create a new certificate; it replaces the 164 plus 190 combination for the Spanish bilingual supplemental. Scores already earned on the 164 and 190 can still be used for a recommendation into 2028 (TEA’s table gives August 31, 2028, its FAQ September 1, 2028). The subtest design follows House Bill 2 (2025), which added TEC §21.04893 so candidates can retake “only the sections of the test” they failed.

For bilingual certification in a language other than Spanish, candidates still take the 164; TEA had not published what follows it after 2027 when this page was verified.

Adding ESL or Bilingual to an Existing Certificate

A certified Texas teacher does not need a new preparation program to add ESL or bilingual. Under 19 TAC §230.105, a teacher who holds a valid classroom teaching certificate and a bachelor’s degree “may qualify for an additional teaching field … by passing the appropriate certification examination(s).” All of the teacher’s certificates must be active, and the route cannot be used for initial certification. Bilingual and ESL are not on the list of excluded fields.

1. Register with Pearson for the 154 (ESL), or the 164 and 190, or the 165 (Spanish bilingual).
2. Pass with a scaled score of 240 on each exam.
3. Apply to SBEC for the added certification in your TEA account; the fee is $75 (19 TAC §230.101).

Fee waivers. House Bill 2 (2025) added TEC §21.0411, which directs SBEC to waive the first-attempt exam fee and the application fee for candidates seeking bilingual education or special education certification. TEA’s June 2025 guidance applies it to the bilingual exams (164 and 190), for initial certification and for certification by exam; the ESL Supplemental (154) is not covered, and that guidance predates the 165.

Permits and Pathways for Teachers Not Yet Certified

TEA’s certification pathways sheet describes three ways a district can place a teacher who is working toward bilingual or ESL certification. A teacher on an emergency permit, or on an intern, probationary or standard certificate, is considered appropriately certified, so no exception or waiver is needed for that teacher.

The TEA sheet dates from 2023 and still names the BTLPT; with the 165 now live, check the exam requirement with your preparation program.

What Districts Must Do: the Staffing Rule

19 TAC §89.1245, amended effective February 10, 2025, sets the district side of certification:

• “School districts shall take all reasonable affirmative steps to assign appropriately certified teachers to the required bilingual and English as a second language (ESL) programs.”
• A district that cannot “shall apply on or before November 1 for an exception to the bilingual program or a waiver for the ESL program.”
• “Teachers assigned to the bilingual or ESL program may receive salary supplements through bilingual education allotment funds.”
• Districts “may compensate teachers and aides … for participation in … professional development outside of regular work hours designed to increase their skills or lead to bilingual or ESL certification.”

The staffing rule sits on top of the program requirements: a district with 20 or more emergent bilinguals of the same language in a grade must offer bilingual education in elementary school, which is why the certification question is a program question. See Texas English learner requirements.

The Bilingual Exception and the ESL Waiver

When a district does not have enough certified teachers, 19 TAC §89.1207 requires it to “request from the commissioner of education an exception to the bilingual program and/or a waiver for the ESL program.” The request is filed in TEAL, and TEA’s TXEL portal publishes a 2026-2027 application template.

Deadline and Duration

The request must be “submitted by November 1.” It is “valid only during the school year for which it was granted, which includes summer school,” so a district that is still short files again every year, with full documentation each time.

What the Request Must Include

1. The reasons for the shortage, with documentation of reasonable hiring steps and affirmative hiring policies, and that no certified applicant was unjustifiably turned down in the past 12 months (TEC §29.054).
2. The temporary alternative methods the district will use.
3. An assurance that certified teachers go first to prekindergarten in bilingual programs, and to the students with the highest linguistic needs in ESL.
4. A comprehensive professional development plan that includes the teachers who are not appropriately certified.
5. Use of “at least 10% of the total BEA” (bilingual education allotment) to fund that professional development plan.
6. An action plan for the next year, “including its plans for recruiting.”

How Renewal Is Judged

To be approved again, a district must have met the targets of the previous year’s action plan and either meet or exceed the state average for EB students on state assessments, or reduce by 25% the number of teachers under the exception or waiver. A district denied for more than three consecutive years may face a special accreditation investigation.

Paying for Certification

• Bilingual education allotment (TEC §48.105). TEA’s guidance on allowable uses lists “reimbursement for Texas ESL or bilingual certification testing fee,” substitutes on exam days and extra-duty pay for targeted professional development. Since September 1, 2025, SB 2185 and HB 2 replaced “salary supplements for teachers” with “teacher salaries” in the list of allowable uses; TEA’s written guidance (2023) and §89.1245 still use the older wording, so check TEA’s current position before budgeting salaries from the BEA.
• Exam fee waivers for bilingual candidates under TEC §21.0411 (see above).
• Preservice partnerships. HB 2 added TEC §48.157, effective September 1, 2026: an additional $2,000 for each teacher candidate “who is a candidate for certification in bilingual education or special education” in a partnership preservice program.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get ESL certification in Texas?

If you already hold a Texas teaching certificate, pass the TExES ESL Supplemental (154) and add it by exam through SBEC ($75). If you are not certified yet, the ESL Supplemental is earned alongside your initial certificate through an educator preparation program.

What tests do I need for bilingual certification in Texas?

For Spanish, either the Bilingual Education Supplemental (164) plus the BTLPT (190), available until August 31, 2027, or the new Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental (165), available since September 1, 2026. For other languages, the 164 with the language requirement set by SBEC.

What is the TExES 165?

The Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental, launched September 1, 2026. It has three subtests (listening and speaking in Spanish, reading and writing in Spanish, and foundations of bilingual education) and replaces the 164 plus 190 combination for Spanish from September 1, 2027.

When is the bilingual exception and ESL waiver deadline?

November 1 each year. The exception or waiver covers one school year, including summer school.

Can an uncertified teacher teach in a Texas bilingual program?

Only on an emergency permit, an intern or probationary certificate, or under the district’s bilingual exception. Teachers under an exception must be included in the district’s professional development plan.

Related Resources

• English Learners in Texas: A District Leader’s Guide
• Texas English Learner Requirements
• Emergent Bilingual Students in Texas
• ESL Teacher Certification in Every State
• Becoming a Bilingual Education Teacher

Conclusion

Texas ties certification to the program: every bilingual and ESL classroom needs a certified teacher, and a district that cannot find one files an exception or waiver by November 1 and commits BEA money to closing the gap. For teachers, the path is clearer than it looks, especially for those already certified, who can add ESL with one exam. The change to watch is Spanish bilingual certification, where the 165 replaces the 164 and BTLPT combination by September 2027.

Sources: 19 TAC §89.1245; 19 TAC §89.1207; 19 TAC §231.11; 19 TAC §230.105; Pearson, TExES ESL Supplemental (154); Pearson, TExES tests; TEA, 165 Bilingual Education Spanish Supplemental; TEA, Bilingual/ESL Certification Pathways; TEA, Allowable Use of BEA Funds; HB 2 (2025), enrolled; TXEL, Filing Exceptions and Waivers; TEA, Teacher Shortage Areas 2025-2026. Verified September 29, 2026.

A Certificate Does Not Add Speaking Time

Certification decides who can teach in a bilingual or ESL classroom. It does not change how many minutes each student gets to speak. In a class of twenty to twenty-five emergent bilinguals, even a fully certified teacher can hold only a few individual conversations a day. That is the Speaking Time Gap, and it is widest in the districts that are also short of certified teachers.

Some districts add speaking practice that does not depend on the teacher’s time. Telo AI is one example: five-minute sessions three times a week that adapt to each student’s level and ask follow-up questions instead of accepting one-word answers, with a teacher dashboard mapped to the Texas ELPS and practice available in Spanish as well as English for bilingual programs. See how that works across a school year.

The exception plan asks a district to show how it will serve students while it builds staff. Speaking practice is one of the pieces that can start this year.