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The Cooperative Education Certification Program is designed to prepare individuals with the skills needed to function in the role of a Cooperative Education teacher coordinator. Co-op coordinators are responsible for planning, organizing, and administering work experience programs for high school students, which correlate the theoretical learning activities of the classroom with practical learning experiences on the job.

The Cooperative Education Certification Program addresses the following categories:

  • Program planning, development and evaluation
  • School-community relations
  • Student career and technical organizations
  • Professional development
  • Serving students with special and exceptional needs
  • Assisting students in improving their basic skills
  • Coordination of cooperative education
  • Integrating the academic and career and technical curriculum
  • Legal aspects and labor laws
  • Career and technical education guidance

 

Certification for Cooperative Education Instructor Requirements

Co-op_Requirements_I_II_III-2_0.pdf

Testing Dates

Occupational Competency Assessment

The Pennsylvania Department of Education, through the Bureau of Vocational-Technical Education, has authorized The Pennsylvania State University to administer the Occupational Competency Assessment (OCA) examination for persons who desire to teach shop/laboratory subjects on a vocational basis. Satisfactory completion of the OCA is one of the legal requirements for issuing a vocational teaching certificate in Pennsylvania.

Testing Dates

Fall 2019 October 12th (Deadline no later than August 31st)

Spring 2020 March 21st (Deadline no later than February 08th)

Summer 2020 June 13th (Deadline no later than May 02nd)

To apply please contact Wilda Hackman at (814)863-0805 or by email: [email protected]

IMPORTANT: These deadlines will not be extended. These dates also include the CoOp NOCTI Testing

What are the Eligibility Requirements?

To be eligible for the program the candidate must submit the following documentation to be reviewed by the testing center.

  1. Education: Must be a graduate of a secondary school or possess equivalent education credentials.
  2. Work Experience: Documentation that verifies "a minimum of four years (8,000hrs) wage earning experience WITHIN THE LAST 10 YEARS in addition to the learning period in the occupation to be taught. ***** NOTE: Work experience MUST be verified within a ten-year period.*****
  3. Credentials: Must submit a complete personnel file of required credentials by the announced deadline.

What are the Employment Experience Guidelines and Requirements?

Employment experience guidelines and requirements are:

  1. A minimum of four years wage earning work experience beyond the learning period in an occupation directly related to the occupation to be taught.
  2. Comprehensive experience to include a major coverage of the skills of the occupation, not a narrow sampling of a few skills.
  3. Military employment or service beyond the training period directly related to the specific occupation.
  4. State professional licensure or selected national certification in the occupation.

What is the Learning Period?

You must have completed a learning period in the occupation you intend to teach. Work Experience as it applies to the OCA is defined as:

  1. Worker in a wage earning experience as an apprentice and/or student.
  2. Student in a vocational school, technical institute or college.
  3. Student in a cooperative vocational education program.
  4. Student in a vocational teacher education program which includes specialized or technical courses directly related to the occupation.
  5. Student in an associate degree program, in the occupation field.
  6. Graduate of an approved four (4) year college curriculum when the major field of study is directly related to the occupational field.
  7. Military training or instruction directly related to the occupation.

Employment Experience Considerations

  1. The employment experience should have been completed within a ten-year period immediately prior to successful completion of the OCA examination.
  2. Part-time work experience will be evaluated on the basis of two thousand (2000) clock-hours as equivalent to one (1) calendar year.
  3. For occupations requiring a state professional license or selected national certification, such as license or certification when issued by an accredited state or national association, will be accepted in lieu of the competency examination, but not in lieu of the Occupational Competency Assessment Program, which includes evaluation of wage earning experience beyond the learning period, the validating of licenses, and high school graduation or equivalent.
  4. Work experience used in verifying occupational experience in one occupation may also be used to verify occupational experience in another closely related occupation.

Occupational Experience

Occupational experience is required in each of the major occupational areas combined to form a cluster vocational program.

Teaching Experience

Teaching experience or supervisory experience in the occupational area cannot be counted toward meeting the work experience requirement.