Getting and Staying Certified to Teach

This is a tool to track CTE teacher certification progress and requirements.

Getting and Staying Certified to Teach

Congratulations! You were hired to teach an occupational program at your local school. Now you have to meet the state legal requirements to earn the Pennsylvania vocational instructional certificates.

Although Penn State University faculty and staff will help you through the process, it is your responsibility to learn what the requirements are, keep track of what certificate you have and when it will expire, and do what is necessary to keep your teaching certificate active.

Good luck with your new career!

Please download this form for a certification progress tracking grid.

Step 1. Occupational Competency Assessment

Pennsylvania law requires that you demonstrate your competence in the area you plan to teach. You must have at least 4,000 hours of paid work experience in the subject you will teach and take the Occupational Competency Assessment (OCA). Contact Cheryl Stamm at 814-863-0804 at Penn State to register for the next scheduled OCA.

Step 2. Vocational Emergency Permit

Sometimes new instructors must begin teaching before the OCA is scheduled. The Commonwealth allows people to do so if they apply for and receive a Vocational Emergency Permit. If you must begin teaching before you take the OCA, contact Cheryl Stamm at 814-863-0804 at Penn State for the Vocational Emergency Permit application.

Please note that the Vocational Emergency Permit expires after only one year.

Step 3. Vocational Intern Certificate

When you successfully complete the Occupational Competency Assessment, you must apply for the Vocational Intern Certificate. Contact Cheryl Stamm, 814-863-0804, at Penn State for the Vocational Intern certificate application.

The Commonwealth makes this certificate available to allow you to teach while you are learning how to teach. Accordingly, this certificate is good for only three years, which means you must make consistent progress toward completing the requirements for the next certificate, the Vocational Instructional I certificate.

Step 4. New Teacher Workshop

Are you ready for the first day of school? What are you going to teach? What are your responsibilities? How do you handle a classroom of adolescents? How will you teach students who learn differently than you do? You need a starter course about the basics of teaching.

The first course you must take for your state teaching certificate is the New Teacher Workshop (WF ED 100). You will earn two university credits when you successfully complete this fall semester course.

The New Teacher Workshop will meet during one week in August at Penn State’s University Park campus and assignments will be due through the semester. Contact Kristy Croyle at 814-863-0805 to register for this course, and ask your administrator about your school’s tuition reimbursement policy.

Step 5. Vocational Instructional I Certificate

Teaching requires different skills than the skills that make you an effective teacher. You will learn fundamental teaching skills when you take 18 credits of required university courses (including the two credits for the New Teacher Workshop). Much of the courses will be a student teaching experience, in which you learn how to teach under the guidance of a Penn State instructor.

You must complete these courses and two national teacher competency exams (called PRAXIS) successfully to earn the Vocational Instructional I certificate. Then you can apply for the Vocational Instructional I Certificate.

The temporary Vocational Instructional I certificate will expire in six years.

Step 6. Vocational Instructional II Certificate

You must complete 60 more required credits to earn the final certificate you need to teach a technical program in a Pennsylvania public school – the Vocational Instructional II certificate. Some of those credits are in your major (WF ED) and other courses are in subjects outside WF ED. Your advisor will tell you what courses you need to take.

Penn State offers the WF ED courses at six locations in Central Pennsylvania: Lebanon, Mt. Joy, University Park, Mechanicsburg and Williamsport. You can take the other required courses at Penn State or their approved equivalents at any accredited university, college, or community college.

When you complete all of the courses, you must complete the state application for a teaching certificate. Get the application from Cheryl Stamm at 814-863-0804.

Next Steps: Continued Professional Education

The Commonwealth certifies teachers to ensure that the professional educators responsible for Pennsylvania children are knowledgeable in both their specialty area and in the field of teaching.

State law requires teachers to renew their certificates every five years by participating in professional education. All educators must earn a minimum of six credits or 180 hours of professional development workshops to stay up-to-date.

Teachers who do not hold a baccalaureate degree should consider continued study toward that goal. The Penn State Adult Learner Degree Program allows students to work toward a degree without a graduation deadline. Courses toward that degree are applicable to the state continued professional education requirement.

Teachers who hold a baccalaureate degree may consider continued study toward a Vocational Director certificate and/or a graduate degree.

Manage Your Progress

Date Event

________ Occupational Competency Assessment was completed.

________ Apply for Vocational Emergency Permit (if needed).

________ Vocational Emergency Permit was awarded.

________ Emergency Permit expires.

________ Apply for Vocational Intern Certificate.

________ Vocational Intern Certificate was awarded.

________ Vocational Intern Certificate expires.

________ New Teacher Workshop was completed.

________ Register for PRAXIS exams.

________ Take PRAXIS exams.

________ Apply for Vocational Instructional I certificate.

________ Vocational Instructional I Certificate was awarded.

________ Vocational Instructional I Certificate expires.

________ Apply for Vocational Instructional II certificate.

________ Vocational Instructional II Certificate was awarded.

________ Apply for the Penn State Adult Learner Degree Program.

________ Vocational Instructional II Certificate expires.