For the professional educators -- certification (counselor, class, teaching, master's)

[teachbeach]

In 1978 I was certified to teach in NJ, which at the time granted a 99 year certificate (permanent). I didn't have a teaching certificate as an undergrad (took 2, 40 hour majors instead+all general ed and education requirements, just didn't student teach). Went back to get a Masters in Education, did the student teaching, had to take 2 required "teaching reading" classes and an ethnic diversity class. Taught for 10.5 years in high performing district.

When I moved to PA I had to take the subject area PRAXIS for certification, wait 3 years and apply for Level II certification. Also had to take 6 credits or have 180 hours of in-service/continuing ed/professional development every 5 years to keep the certification. Taught for 23 years, again in high performing district. My original degree (BA in the subject area) was from a non reciprocity state (or so they said, there was one person in charge of certification at the state level and she was a little testy to work with). The teaching certificate was from NJ but everything had been granted prior to 1978 so I still had to take the PRAXIS.

Funny story~while teaching in NJ, I served on a committee for ETS, the company that wrote the PRAXIS exams as well as SAT's/LSAT's etc. I was part of a committee that evaluated the test questions for the PRAXIS in my subject area~ironically I had to take that test in 1989!

Moved to mid Michigan and decided to apply for substitute teaching. Certificate didn't transfer, none of the continuing education courses (I was at Masters +60) would transfer, so I would have been a "guest teacher". That ended my time in the classroom~

[SouthernSusana]

I got certified so long ago (1974) that very little probably still applies.

Mine was the typical track for its time--30 hours of English, 30 hours of social science courses, a semester of student teaching and education courses plus a few other education courses. I was doubly certified in English and Social Studies but only did student teaching in English.

Now the typical path seems to be the fifth-year program. You graduate with a degree in your subject matter and then get a master's degree in education. I guess part of the problem was being highly qualified. That's probably also why student teachers I get now only have a single certification. They would have to do a second placement.

Ironically, very few of my colleagues are qualified to teach the community college's Dual Enrollment course even though almost all of them have advanced degrees. You have to have at least 18 hours of graduate English courses. Their graduate degree is education along with student teaching.

Mine is strictly an English M.A.

I teach in Alabama.

[jaynarie]

I went the traditional route.
I did transfer my license from Michigan to North Carolina in 2007. I had to write a check and that was all. Michigan has their own certification tests (MTTC) and North Carolina used the PRAXIS. A few teachers freaked out when I told them I never took the PRAXIS. But, in actuality, I had to take 5 MTTC tests and they are (were) more difficult. Most of my colleagues had only taken two tests.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

A number of certification questions have come up, so I wondered:

1. As a professional educator, what kind of certification did you get? Standard through college and student teaching, or some alternate certification route?

2. We hear a lot about reciprocity between states with certification. Did any of you use it? Were there any issues with it?

Traditional. ECE with a minor in Urban Education. P-5 Certification in GA

2. I haven't looked into it.

[captain_hug99]

1. As a professional educator, what kind of certification did you get? Standard through college and student teaching, or some alternate certification route?

Mine was standard through college and student teaching.

2. We hear a lot about reciprocity between states with certification. Did any of you use it? Were there any issues with it?

Yes, I had a Connecticut certification with four years of qualified teaching. Colorado accepted my teaching with my Praxis I and II scores. I had a BA in Fine Arts (Music) and a BS in Education, plus a MA in Music Education.

[Me 82]

Originally Posted by TabulaRasa

I got my first certification during undergrad - (Secondary Language Arts Teaching). I was an English major. in that state at that time, secondary ed required a major in your subject area, and certified you to teach 7-12.

I never taught in the state I was certified in, working in other fields for about a decade. When I started teaching in another state, I had to pay the state I was initially certified in to reactivate my lapsed certification, but didn't have to do any coursework. I then was eligible for reciprocity.

Then I added another certification, K-12 special ed, while working at a private school. It required taking the Praxis in Mild-Moderate Cross Categorical Disabilities, and I'd been teaching student with autism for about four years at the time, so it was no problem.

I'm in bi-state metro, and either side of the state line honors the other state's certification.

Can I ask how many years you worked out of the field of education before you started teaching? Did you have a problem even getting interviews with a license you go so long ago? I only ask, bc I have my elementary license, have been out of school 5 plus years, but would still like to pursue teaching (now that my SAHM mom days I think are over) Wondering if entering the field will be an issue.


Oh and for me, I earned my license from a Masters Program in Education. I still have an active 1-6 license, (never used it as I ended up having my first child and then staying home since then) right after graduation. Had to get my license extended and it will expire soon. My state makes it VERY difficult to get it back once expired. I can, but would have to take all my tests over as well as do all my professional development (without being on the job) before they will re-issue it. They do make it VERY easy to add another license onto a current license. I'm most likely going to take 2 college courses and 1 workshop to add on an Early Childhood License (good for 5 years) onto my current one. We might move to NJ within the year which has very TOUGH requirements. My license here will only grant me a "certificate of eligibility" not even an NJ license and pretty sure I may have to take the Praxis as well. Have to call their board of Ed, whom were pretty nasty and unhelpful last time I called

[Coney]

Originally Posted by Me 82

Can I ask how many years you worked out of the field of education before you started teaching? Did you have a problem even getting interviews with a license you go so long ago? I only ask, bc I have my elementary license, have been out of school 5 plus years, but would still like to pursue teaching (now that my SAHM mom days I think are over) Wondering if entering the field will be an issue.


Oh and for me, I earned my license from a Masters Program in Education. I still have an active 1-6 license, (never used it as I ended up having my first child and then staying home since then) right after graduation. Had to get my license extended and it will expire soon. My state makes it VERY difficult to get it back once expired. I can, but would have to take all my tests over as well as do all my professional development (without being on the job) before they will re-issue it. They do make it VERY easy to add another license onto a current license. I'm most likely going to take 2 college courses and 1 workshop to add on an Early Childhood License (good for 5 years) onto my current one. We might move to NJ within the year which has very TOUGH requirements. My license here will only grant me a "certificate of eligibility" not even an NJ license and pretty sure I may have to take the Praxis as well. Have to call their board of Ed, whom were pretty nasty and unhelpful last time I called

Concur with all that you said about NY to NJ cert. It doesn't transfer easily and you are right, NJ department of ed people are rather rude and unhelpful. Tried to deal with them last year until finally, I got someone who was very helpful. I have also been debating with myself whether I should take the Praxis this late in the game. I was interested in getting additional endorsements for my NY license, but for my particular type of license, that seems rather difficult too. Ugh, NY keeps making it harder and harder and then last year, they added that active/inactive registration thing too.

[TabulaRasa]

Originally Posted by Me 82

Can I ask how many years you worked out of the field of education before you started teaching?

About a decade. Most of that time was spent running an afterschool program for a nonprofit, and working as an education (among other beats) reporter and and editor at a newspaper.

Did you have a problem even getting interviews with a license you go so long ago?

No. But I only applied and interviewed one place and got hired right away. I did have to reactivate my initial certification in the state it was issued, in order to transfer it to the new state. That, at the time, consisted of paying a fee to have it reissued. This was 2008. Were I doing it now, it would be less simple, as they have gone to a more difficult mode of reactivating an expired certification. Not the case in '08. The transfer was not difficult...the state where I received my initial licensure (7-12 Language Arts) had a more rigorous training and certification process than the state I was living and working in. After I began working, I then added an additional certification, K-12 special ed, which I was able to add via taking the Praxis II in Mild-Moderate Cross Categorical Disabilities. I was working intensively with students with autism spectrum disorders, and had no problem with the Praxis.

Later on in life, I married into the Navy, and wound up at one point getting a job a a DoD-run preschool on a base that needed someone with a background in special ed. I didn't have ECE licensure, but the military has their own training modules that allow you to proficiency test through NAEYC-approved standards, so I was able to add ECE certification on the job.

[DawnW]

Oh, and I forgot. I also got a Washington State credential when my husband and I were talking about moving up there. I lived there for college (although I didn't do a teacher ed program there, I got a BA in Anthropology), and I went ahead and applied for the license.

I was handed one there as well (just showed my CA credentials.) I actually found it this week as I was going through my files and trying to find my old transcripts.

So, I have had 3 states and 3 licenses so far. I have only used two of them.

While we were looking at moving to WA, we also talked about Colorado. I called them and they too said that I could get my teaching certification without a problem, but that my counseling credential would be a problem, since I didn't get a second MA, I just had the license.

You know what I did? I called my grad school, where I got my school counseling certification education, and asked them how to get an MA and finish up. They said i needed two more classes and a thesis......so I signed up and did it, all in just one semester, with two young kids and working full time.

[TabulaRasa]

Here, you can't get counseling licensure without completing an approved master's program. And in the state I was initially ed certified, you can't do school guidance counseling without a specified amount of classroom teaching experience.