Certification

Basic Certification Information
Connecticut has a three-tiered certification continuum that recognizes the progression of a teacher’s professional career and issues three certificates: the initial educator, the provisional educator, and the professional educator.

Initial Educator Certificate
Validation Period
3 years. May be reissued 5 times (upon application)

Requirements
Complete CT assessment requirements AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • graduate from an approved CT teacher preparation program; or
  • meet certification requirements through evaluation of a transcript and have 20 months successful teaching experience in the area for which certification is sought; or
  • meet NASDTEC Interstate Contract requirements; or
  • graduate  from an approved teacher preparation program in another state and meet certification requirements through transcript evaluation

Provisional Educator Certificate
Validation Period
8 years

Requirements
Meets requirements for Initial Educator Certificate AND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

  • has successfully completed the TEAM program (if available in endorsed area) and has 10 months  successful teaching experience under the Initial Certificate; or
  • has 30 months of successful teaching experience (within the past 10 years) at a public or approved non-public school out of the state of CT, in the area in which certification is sought.

Professional Educator Certificate
Validation Period
5 years.

Requirements
30 months of appropriate, successful experience in CT teaching under a provisional certificate AND accumulates additional credits required by certification regulations.

How to Obtain Information Regarding Certification
There are several avenues through which teachers may obtain information regarding certification:

  1. Applicants may check on the status of their applications at any time through an interactive voice response (IVR) telephone service by calling (860) 713-6969.
  2. State Department of Education staff members are available by telephone for general technical support between 12:00PM – 4:00PM, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at the  telephone number listed above.
  3. Applicants may put their specific questions in writing and mail or fax them to the Bureau of Certification and Professional Development. The fax number is (860) 713-7017. The address is: CT State Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Preparation, Certification, Support, & Assessment, P.O. Box 150471, Room 243, Hartford, CT 06115-0471
  4. Teachers can email the State Department Certification Bureau: teacher.cert@po.state.ct.us
  5. Teachers may call the Connecticut Education Association office for assistance at (860) 525-5641.

Applying For Certification

Connecticut Residents – Whether you’re applying for your first certificate, a renewal, or the next level of certification, the process is easy. All applications are available on the State Department of Education website.

Residents Outside Connecticut – Applying for CT certification is easy for most teachers from outside the state, but there are times when a teacher’s background doesn’t easily ‘match’ requirements in CT. For more information go to the State Department of Education website.

Professional Development Requirements/CEU information
Public Act 12-116 an Act Concerning Education Reform

This bill eliminates the requirement that a professional certificate holder complete 90 CEU’s in order to renew his/her professional certificate. Instead the certificate is valid for 5 years and is required to be continued every 5 years.
Also instead of the CEU’s, starting, July 1, 2013, all certificate holders must participate in professional development activities. These activities must be part of a plan developed by the district PD committee. This committee was established in 2010 under PA 10-220a and still stands. This committee must include members of the bargaining unit who are chosen by the bargaining unit. This committee’s charge is to develop, evaluate and update annually the PD plan for the district. This new professional development must be offered by the district for 18 hours and  the majority of which to be delivered in small groups or individual settings  informed by evaluations. These activities shall include among others

  • Improve integration of reading, literacy and  numeracy enhancement, and cultural awareness
  • Improve ELL teaching practices
  • Foster collective responsibility for student performance
  • Be used to improve practice  based on teacher evaluations
  • Be comprehensive, sustained, and intensive enough increase teacher effectiveness