Certification

Penn State's College of Education is ranked among the top twenty in the country -- a College that has committed itself to maintaining national and international distinction through the preparation of leaders for education and related fields, the faculty's cutting edge research, and outreach activities.

Academic programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and accredited nationally by organizations such as: The American Psychological Association (APA), the National Council on Rehabilitation Education (NCRE), and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Curricula also reflect the preparation guidelines of national learned society and groups such as the: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI), Association for Education Communications and Technology (AECT), Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Holmes Partnership, International Reading Association (IRA), Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), Intentional Technology Education  Association/Council on Technology Teacher Education (ITEA/CTTE), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), National Council of Teachers of Social Studies (NCSS), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

• Conceptual Framework for Penn State Programs (pdf)

• New Standards for the Preparation of School Personnel

• Certification Programs at Penn State  
  • Instructional I   
  • Instructional II
  • Educational Specialist
  • Supervisory
  • Administrative  
  • Vocational Instructional
  • Program Specialist (ESL)
• Admission to Certification programs at Penn State  
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Post-Baccalaureate "CERT ONLY" non-degree Admissions
• Criminal History Requirement
• Teacher Testing    
• PRAXIS    
• Pre-Certification Competency Examination
• Title II Report (Higher Education Act--1998)
• Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification
  • Penn State
  • Pennsylvania
  • States other than Pennsylvania
• Interstate Certification Agreements
• Master's Degree Equivalency Letter
• Department of Education (PDE) or Other States
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE