Certification Information

Pennsylvania Teacher Certification Information

Additional information with related forms can be found on the Pennsylvania Department of Education Website

Revision to Fee Structure for All PA Certifications

Effective July 1, 2006, the Pennsylvania Department of Education will implement a revised fee structure for all Pennsylvania certification applications raising the present rate of $15 for any and all applications as follows:

PLEASE NOTE: Effective July 1, 2010, the in-state certification fee increases to $100.
PLEASE NOTE: Effective July 1, 2010, the out-of-state certification fee increases to $160.

Other PDE fees - New fee begins July 1, 2010:

Application Type	Current Fee/New Fee
Internet Emergency	$0/$5
Extension Request	$0/$5
Duplicate Certificate	$40/$50
Name/Address Change	$0/$0
Voluntary Inactivation/ Removal/Deletion	$40/$75
Cert of Preliminary Education	$15/$50
Private Academic	$15/$75

Teacher Certification Upon Graduation

Once the student has completed all requirements for teacher certification, they will submit a completed application and required fee for certification to the Office of Field Services (OFS). The application may be accessed via the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Bureau of Teacher Certification Web.

Beginning with Spring 2012 Semester:

All students who register for student teaching are required to pay a $100 state certification fee. (e.g. when the students registers for student teaching as: 6 credits of ED 424 and 6 credits of ED 425, he or she will have to pay this fee).
This fee will be collected by Pennyslvania Department of Education through the TIMS program. (Click here to access TIMS.)
This fee will no longer be handled by any component of the University.
Field Services Office staff will continue to compile the certification list and compare it to the TIMS database to ensure all requirements for their ceritification have been meet.
Any student who has not paid or met their requirements will be notified that their certification will not be fulfilled and will not be able to graduate.

Certification applications are approved by the university at the end of the semester based upon the successful completion of the student teaching courses. Students may not receive the actual certification from PDE until 6 to 8 weeks after the end of the semester. However, during this waiting period, many school districts may be interviewing graduates and will request proof of teacher certification.

Each graduate may receive ONE certification letter from the Assistant Dean's Office stating that all requirements for certification have been met and that certification is pending from PDE. Student teachers are encouraged to wait until late in the semester or at the end of the semester to request this letter. To request a certification letter, please contact the Assistant Dean's Office by e-mailing Kim Stewart or by calling 814-393-2144. In order to expedite the letter, please provide the following information:

Full name with middle initial
Student number
Major(s)
Home address
Phone number(s), including cell number
Date of graduation

PRAXIS REQUIREMENTS for Teacher Certification

PDE teacher certification with Praxis requirements and school district staffing policy guidelines (CSPGs) are available for review.

Note: The department recently released Certification and Staffing Policies and Guidelines (CSPG) No. 21 Testing, effective May 1, 2008. CSPG No. 21 has been revised to extend test score validity from 5 years to 10 years for candidates educated in Pennsylvania. Currently, regulatory language does not permit this extension for test scores to be applied to out-of-state candidates. All required tests must have been taken within ten years prior to application, and the score/s must meet the qualifying score/s in effect on the date the application was received.

Post Baccalaureate Teacher Certification

For those who hold a bachelor's degree or graduate degree and want to add a teacher certification, the following steps should be taken:

Forward a copy of your transcripts with a notation indicating the major you are considering and your contact information.
Remember that all teacher certification requirements must be met.
Please allow time for the review and plan to be completed and sent to you.
Regular admission procedures should be followed to begin your program. See admission information at http://www.clarion.edu/202
Once admitted, you will receive a faculty advisor.

The College of Education and Human Services contact information is:

Department of Education Chairperson, Dr. Sue Courson (scourson@clarion.edu) or Assistant Chairperson, Dr. Patty Kolencik (pkolencik@clarion.edu)

Office of Field Services, Mr. Ray Puller (rpuller@clarion.edu) or Ms. Jill Johnston (jjohnston@clarion.edu)

The College of Education and Human Services will work with you to help you complete your certification in the most efficient manner possible.

Add a Certification

If you already hold an Instructional (type 60, 61, 62 or 80) certificate and will be wanting to add an instructional area, you may add other certifications by passing the appropriate Praxis II test WITHOUT completing any course work. The certifications that may be added by taking the appropriate Praxis II tests are:

K-12 Certifications:	Middle School Certifications (7-9):	Secondary Certifications (7-12):
Agriculture	Social Studies	Biology
Art	English	Chemistry
Business/Computer/Info Tech	Math	Communication
Environmental Education	Science	Driver Education
Family/Consumer Sciences		Earth and Space Science
French		English
German		Marketing
Health		Math
Library Science		Physics
Music		Science
Social Studies		Social Studies
Spanish
Technology Education

IMPORTANT: Although Clarion does not offer programs in some of these areas, a certified teacher may wish to add them by taking the appropriate Praxis II test.

**The following certifications are NOT PERMITTED to be added without additional coursework, passing Praxis II, and student teaching:

Middle level Education Grades 4 - 8
PreK - Grade 4 Education
Special Education
Reading Specialist

To add certifications, contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education "Adding a Certification" Website.