The recent school closures due to COVID-19 did not slow down dental assistant students at North East ISD’s Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC). These students were preparing to take the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) certification exam since the beginning of the school year and were set to begin testing when the closure started.
“I am a 2020 graduate taking dental assisting with Mrs. Mack and all my classmates, and all I could think about since the first day we got to dental was the RDA,” said senior Karen Ordonez.
CTEC dental assistant students are required to take a state computerized examination on Jurisprudence (Dental Law), Infection Control and Dental Radiography to become an RDA in Texas. The test is normally taken at school with an instructor who monitors the students.
Technology stepped in to help 35 dental assistant students sheltering at home take the test via Zoom. They were all under the watchful eye of Sonya McAfee, Goodwill/CTEC Dental Assistant Instructor who proctored the exam.
Despite the unusual circumstances, these NEISD students completed the test on April 16 with a 100% pass rate. They now qualify and can register for a dental assistant licensure in the State of Texas.
“After taking the RDA, a rush of excitement overcame me,” said eleventh-grader Madison Ramirez. “I could not believe it, like wow, I'm a certified dental assistant. That's an amazing accomplishment I get to have! Of course, I could not have done it without my amazing teacher, who guided me along the whole year and gave us the confidence we needed going into taking the RDA.”
The CTEC program has been very successful thanks to a partnership with Goodwill San Antonio which provides instructors and support for the District magnet program.
Congratulations CTEC dental assistant students!
To learn more about CTEC, click here to visit its website,
