Instructional Experience-Based Certification

Pennsylvania’s teacher Experience-Based certification is a professional certificate that entitles the holder to fill a full-time professional teaching position. The Experience-Based certification program is an alternate route to PA teaching certification. The Instructional Experience-Based Certification Graduate Program prepares students to become Level 1 Instructional, certified teachers in Pennsylvania for PK-4, Special Education PK-12, or Grades 7-12 secondary areas in: General Science, Math, Social Studies, or English content areas through an alternative certification program.

Preparing future and current teachers is fully in keeping with Arcadia’s mission to provide a personal and integrative learning experience for students. These routes to certification are in response to a recent certification path option for aspiring teachers, which allows those individuals who have already taken and passed their *teaching certification licensure tests* and who have a BA, and an offer of employment from a school/district, to apply in to a graduate teacher certification program with reduced coursework (reflecting the main areas tested, which they have passed), and as long as they are in a certification preparation program. This certification pathway differs from a much-used pathway to certification which involves school districts applying for “emergency certification” for teacher candidates as they pursue traditional graduate certification prep. programs; however, “emergency certification” permits expire after 3 years, forcing these individuals to change employment and/or positions. Also, many “emergency-certified” teachers have difficulty passing the licensure tests, which further complicates their ability to continue in their position past three years.