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David Ward, speech-language pathologist

Find Texas adapted physical education openings here, with the certificates that qualify you for an APE assignment and state pay data.

Qualifying certificates

Texas staffs APE through an assignment rule. 19 TAC §231.703 sets the terms for the Teacher of Adaptive Physical Education assignment and names two routes, neither tied to an APE-specific certificate.

The first route is a physical education certificate:

• All-Level Health and Physical Education, All-Level Physical Education, or Physical Education: Early Childhood-Grade 12
• Elementary Physical Education (Grades 1-8), Grades 6-8 Physical Education, or Secondary Physical Education (Grades 6-12), each limited to its own grades

The second route is a special education certificate that the Special Education Teacher assignment accepts. On that route you must show skills and knowledge in adaptive physical education through in-service records, seminar attendance, or college transcripts. The rule also lets other licensed professionals provide APE within the scope of their license.

The ARD committee's decision

The admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee decides whether a student needs specially designed instruction in physical education, and it writes the arrangements into the IEP. Once it has, the commissioner's rule at 19 TAC §89.1131 lets these providers deliver it besides APE teachers:

• physical education teachers
• special education instructional or related service staff with the needed skills
• occupational and physical therapists
• occupational or physical therapy assistants working under supervision

If special education staff take on the service, the district must keep records of their APE skills, such as in-service logs or transcripts.

Getting hired

Each Texas district makes its own hiring decisions, and TEA puts district staff in charge of checking that you hold a credential that fits the assignment (TEA hiring guidance). Texas has no full reciprocity. If another state issued your standard certificate, you apply to TEA for a review of credentials, which can lead to a One-Year Certificate.

Pay

TEA's PEIMS staff salary report for 2025-26 lists average base pay of $68,001 for Texas teaching staff, excluding education service center employees. The report groups teachers by grade level, so it gives no separate APE figure.

Each listing here is an open adapted physical education posting in Texas.