Teacher Certification Comprehensive Guide

Alternative Certification Programs

For those that already hold a bachelor's degree, these programs place teachers in the classroom while they complete their educational coursework. Some colleges and universities offer accelerated, one-year programs that begin with the college-level educational courses taken during a traditional teacher certification program and include a teaching internship with mentoring from a lead instructor. Other programs, such as Teach for America (TFA), recruit recent college graduates for two-year teaching positions in high-need areas. TFA members take education coursework while participating in the program.

Emergency Teaching Credentials

If you have a bachelor's degree and live in a state with a shortage of certified teachers, your state may provide a temporary teaching certificate. Emergency certificates place college graduates in classrooms that would otherwise be unable to secure a teacher for the school year. These certificates are typically valid for one school year and in some cases may be renewed if there is a continuing need.

Non-Credential Options

While most public school teachers are required to hold a teacher certification to teach in the classroom, there are some teaching opportunities that don't require a teaching credential. Many private schools, for example, do not require faculty to hold a teaching certificate. Instead, they may look for subject-related degrees and prior work experience in education.

Depending on state and local requirements, some substitute teachers are also exempt from obtaining a teaching license prior to teaching. However, there are often other competency requirements that must be met before entering the classroom.

For those with a sense of adventure, there are also opportunities to teach outside of the U.S. without a credential. For example, there is often a need for teacher of English as a second language in places across the globe. These positions often require at least a native proficiency in English and either a bachelor's degrees or English langauge teaching credential.

"Study, study, and then study a bit more"

In college, I majored in Middle Grades Mathematics Education, with the intention to teach High School math at a local public school. After graduating, I taught 6-8th grade Math at a local public school, Geometry for a virtual, public, high school, and all levels of mathematics and various other subjects through private tutoring.

While in college, I was required to not only take various courses in math, but also on classroom management and various forms of assessment to name just a few. During my studies, I had to pass the FTCE General Knowledge test for my subject area and the FTCE Professional test. I was also required to obtain a Reading Endorsement and ESOL endorsement through extensive professional development both during and after my schooling.

The best advice I could offer a prospective teacher preparing for their exams would be to study, study, and then study a bit more. These tests are not easy, and I have found that most of the material covered are things I was never taught in any of my education coursework. The best way to do this is with specialized guides or courses that are tailored to the tests.

"Stay Immersed"

I majored in English for undergrad and then decided to get my Masters in Secondary Education afterwards. I've since taught English for seventh, eighth and twelfth graders. English always gets such a bad rap in school as one of the "not fun" subjects. I always loved reading and writing, and my hope was that I could share my love of that with my students and change their mind about the subject.

While completing my bachelor's degree, I had to take the Praxis, both the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators tests and a specific Praxis English Language Arts subject area test. As part of the education program, I student taught at a charter school in Northeast Washington, D.C. and a public high school in the state of Maryland.

My advice to prospective teachers preparing for teacher certification is to build up the habit of studying a little bit every day. The easiest way to master the material is to stay immersed in it.

"Learn about the requirements"

While in college I earned a B.S. in Physics and later an M.Ed. in Science Education. During my credentialing program, I was a student teacher in an 8th grade physical science classroom, and high school general and conceptual physics classrooms. After graduation, I taught several subjects, such as high school physics, engineering design, and principles of engineering, which required additional training in topics like CAD, robotics, and engineering design principles. My favorite thing about being a teacher is seeing students grow personally and academically over the course of a school year.

My advice to teachers preparing for their certification exams is to visit your state's website to learn about the requirements. Most states do a great job of specifying the topics covered on their certification exams, so if you're looking to get certified in a subject you majored in, it's just a matter of brushing up on those topics and general test taking skills.