The Nevada Teacher Academy College Pathway Program (TACPP) provides students with an opportunity to begin preparing for a career in education while they are still in high school. Established through Assembly Bill 462 (2025), TACPP is part of Nevada’s statewide effort to strengthen the educator workforce by developing future teachers from within our own communities.
School administrators, counselors, teachers, and Work-Based Learning staff play an essential role in making TACPP successful. From identifying interested students and helping them select the appropriate pathway to documenting program completion, school staff help students navigate each step of the journey.
High School โ College โ Educator Preparation โ Nevada Teaching License โ Career
TACPP should not be limited only to students who have already decided they want to become teachers. Staff should also encourage participation by students who are interested in exploring education, mentoring, coaching, working with children, leadership, or other careers that involve helping others learn and grow.
Students may discover an interest in teaching through their TACPP coursework and Work-Based Learning experiences.
Counselors and teachers are especially important in identifying students who demonstrate qualities associated with successful educators, including communication, leadership, patience, creativity, collaboration, and a desire to serve others.
Students may complete the high school component of TACPP through one of two pathways.
Students complete:
This pathway provides students with structured preparation in education and opportunities to explore teaching through classroom and career-connected experiences.
Students complete:
This option provides another pathway for students to participate in TACPP while beginning college-level education coursework during high school.
School counselors should work with students to determine which pathway best aligns with the student’s academic plan, graduation requirements, interests, and postsecondary goals.
All TACPP completers must satisfy the program’s 15-hour Work-Based Learning requirement.
Work-Based Learning is intended to connect academic preparation with authentic experiences related to education. Approved experiences may provide students with opportunities to observe classrooms, work with students, learn from educators, and better understand the responsibilities associated with careers in education.
Schools should ensure that Work-Based Learning participation is properly coordinated and documented according to current District procedures.
Whenever possible, schools should begin discussing Work-Based Learning opportunities with students early rather than waiting until the student’s final semester of participation.
Counselors are a critical part of the TACPP student support system.
Counselors should:
TACPP should be discussed as both a career exploration opportunity and a college-and-career pathway.
School administrators provide the leadership necessary to establish a sustainable TACPP program.
Administrators should support:
Schools are encouraged to incorporate TACPP into existing college-and-career readiness activities, course-selection events, parent nights, career fairs, and other student recruitment opportunities.
Teachers are often the staff members who first recognize a student’s potential to become an educator.
Teachers can support TACPP by:
A simple statement such as โHave you ever thought about becoming a teacher?โ can sometimes be the beginning of a student’s career pathway.
TACPP recruitment should begin early and occur throughout the school year.
Schools should consider promoting TACPP through:
The goal is not simply to fill a course. The goal is to help students discover whether education could become their future profession.
Schools should establish a process for identifying participating students and monitoring their progress.
Staff should periodically verify that students are progressing toward:
Early monitoring helps prevent students from reaching senior year with an incomplete program requirement.
TACPP is designed to extend beyond high school.
Staff should help students understand that completing the high school portion of TACPP is the beginning of a larger pathway toward becoming a Nevada educator.
Students interested in continuing should be encouraged to research participating Nevada colleges and universities, educator preparation programs, admission requirements, transferability of credits, financial assistance opportunities, and Nevada teacher licensure requirements.
Because institutional requirements and financial programs may change, staff should use current information from the appropriate college, university, NSHE, Nevada Department of Education, or other responsible agency when advising students and families.
Parents are important partners in TACPP.
When discussing the program with families, staff should emphasize that TACPP provides students with opportunities to:
Staff should avoid guaranteeing admission, financial assistance, employment, or other benefits when eligibility depends upon future funding, institutional requirements, legislation, or individual student qualifications.
Successful TACPP implementation requires collaboration among administrators, counselors, teachers, Work-Based Learning staff, college and career personnel, students, families, and higher education partners.
Every interaction matters. A counselor can help a student build the right academic plan. A teacher can inspire a student to consider the profession. An administrator can create the conditions that allow the program to thrive.
Together, school staff can help today’s students become tomorrow’s Nevada educators.
Identify. Encourage. Prepare. Support. Inspire.
