Secondary Certification

To download the complete Teacher Certification Handbook, click here.

The Bryn Mawr/Haverford Education Program is accredited by the state of Pennsylvania to prepare students for secondary certification (grades 7-12) in the following areas: biology, chemistry, physics, English, mathematics, social studies (as well as citizenship education and social science), and world languages, including Chinese, French, German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Students becoming certified in a foreign language have K-12 certification. Pursuit of certification in Chinese, German, Latin and Russian is subject to availability of student-teaching placements.

Certain interdisciplinary majors and double majors (e.g., romance languages, comparative literature, East Asian studies) may also be eligible for certification provided they meet the Pennsylvania standards in one of the subject areas listed above.

To qualify for a teaching certificate, students must complete an academic major in the subject area in which they seek certification (within their major, students select courses that help them meet the state standards for teachers in that subject area) and must also complete the secondary teacher certification track of the Minor in Educational Studies, taking the following courses:

1. Education 200 (Critical Issues in Education) - must receive a grade of 2.7 or above
2. Psychology 203 (Educational Psychology)
3. Education 210 (Special Education)
4. Either Education 250 (Literacies and Education) or Education 260 (Multicultural Education)
5. Education 301 (Curriculum and Pedagogy Seminar) – Fall, senior year - must receive a grade of 2.7 or above
6. Education 302 (Practice Teaching Seminar) and Education 303 (Practice Teaching) – spring, senior year. These courses are taken concurrently and earn triple credit. To be recommended for certification, students must receive a grade of a 2.7 or above in Education 302.

Furthermore, for social studies certification and certification in the sciences, students must take courses outside their major department to meet state standards. For information about these requirements, click on the appropriate certification area above.

Entrance requirements

The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that before students are admitted into a teacher certification program, they must meet the following course, GPA, and testing requirements:

• One course in English composition (freshman writing and CSEM both fulfill this requirement, as does a score of 600 or above on the SAT II Writing test)
• One course in American or English literature (a score of 600 or above on the SAT II Literature subject test meets this requirement, as does a score of 5 on the A.P. English test; CSEM does not count, however)
• Two mathematics courses (a score of 560 or above on the SAT II Math Level IC test counts, as does a score of 5 on the A.P. calculus test)
• A GPA of at least a 3.0

Test Requirements

Students applying for certification must take the following ETS Praxis tests offered at test centers across the country:

• Three Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Assessment tests (at the end of sophomore year):
• PPST Reading (Test Code 10710)
• PPST Writing (Test Code 20720)
• PPST Mathematics (Test Code 10730)
• A Praxis II Subject Assessment test for the subject area(s) in which they are pursuing certification (in the fall of their senior year)
• If pursuing a foreign language certification (which is a K-12 certification), students also need to take the Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge test (Test Code 30511)

Tests required in Pennsylvania are listed on the ETS website.

Learning More about and Enrolling in the Program

Orientation Sessions

Orientation sessions are held in October and March and are announced to all first year students and sophomores through e-mail and campus postings. Contact Ann Brown at abrown@brynmawr.edu for dates.

Advising

Students meet every semester with the Education Program adviser, Ann Brown, for an individual conference. During this meeting, students discuss their interests and coursework and sketch out future plans for coursework and extracurricular education-related work. Advising sessions are held each semester a week or two before the registration deadline for the following semester’s courses.

Enrolling in the program

To enroll in the Teacher Certification Program, second-semester sophomores bring the following to the Education Program Adviser:

1. A letter of intent that includes:
• An explanation of their interest in education
• A discussion of the unique and/or appropriate qualities and strengths their would bring to the profession
• An explanation of their career plans
2. and a Declaration of Minor Form.