Verify that your state is part of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) Interstate Agreement. If your state is not a party to the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, your certification program will be evaluated against PA certification program guidelines.
Identify the comparable Pennsylvania certificate for which you will be applying (see Types of Certificates).
Obtain all official
transcripts (bachelor's and beyond). If submitting transcripts electronically, do not submit your transcript request until you have submitted your application in TIMS. A bachelor's degree from a regionally and/or nationally accredited college/university is a base requirement for certification. Transcripts will be used to verify:
- Bachelor's degree conferral
- Graduate-level certification program completion
- 3.0 program GPA
- Practicum or field experience
Obtain a copy of your state certificate/license comparable to the PA certificate you are seeking if held.
Obtain a completed
Education Preparation Program Verification Form, PDE338A as proof of completion of a state-approved, graduate level certification preparation program.
Obtain proof of the required experience by having the
Verification of Experience Form PDE338V completed by your current/previous employers. Submit one form for each employer as proof of completion of required experience. Pennsylvania public school experience will be verified electronically through TIMS, PA’s online certification application system.
Confirm that the required content area test score has been reported to PDE directly from the test administrator. For test information, refer to the
Certification Test and Score Requirements spreadsheet. A test taken for another state can be accepted ONLY if it is the exact test required in PA. You must meet the PA qualifying score.
Complete and submit the application in TIMS.
All applicants must apply for the appropriate credential type:
- Supervisory 76 (all Supervisory)
- Administrative I 75 (Principal PK-12)
- Administrative 78 (Career and Technical Administrative Director)
- Letter of Eligibility 90 (Superintendent, IU Executive Director)
After completing the payment selection and successfully SUBMITTING your application in TIMS, you will be provided a link to the application cover sheet. First, upload all applicable documents possible. Follow
directions for submitting transcripts. If documents cannot be uploaded or sent electronically, include the cover sheet with the documents and mail to the address indicated on the cover sheet.
All certification requirements including testing should be met for all subject areas applied for before submitting the required documentation for review.
Electronic payment (see
Application Fees) accepted in TIMS.