Secondary certification
In addition to engaging in the education and psychology coursework listed under Program Requirements, teacher certification candidates must also meet the following State course and GPA requirements and pass several tests offered by the Educational Testing Service. They must also align their major coursework to the State's requirements for teachers in their specific subject area. For information about courses required in the various certification areas, select the appropriate certification area to the left (English, Mathematics, etc.).
State requirements
The Pennsylvania Department of Education requires that certification candidates meet the following course and GPA requirements:
- One course in English composition (freshman writing and ESEM 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 (AP English credit counts)
- Two mathematics courses (a score of 560 or above on the SAT II Math Level IC test counts, as does AP credit for calculus or statistics)
- A GPA of at least a 3.0
Click here for more information about these requirements.
Test requirements
Students applying for certification must pass the following tests:
- Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA)in reading, math, and writing (by the fall prior to the student teaching semester). For information, go to http://www.pa.nesinc.com/.
- A Praxis II Subject Assessment test for the subject area(s) in which they are pursuing certification (by the January test date immediately prior to the practice teaching semester). For information, go to http://www.ets.org/praxis.
- 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) (by the January test date of their senior year).For information, go to http://www.ets.org/praxis.
Certification application
Once they have satisfactorily completed the certification program, certification candidates complete a "new credential application" for an Instructional I certificate in their subject area in TIMS, the Pennsylvania Department of Education's on-line teacher information management system. Certification candidates are responsible for paying the $100 certification application fee.