Teacher Education Program Admissions Requirements
When you are accepted to Pitt-Bradford, you may declare education as a major but you are not considered a teacher education candidate until you have been officially admitted into a teacher certification program. You must be formally admitted into a certification program by the end of the semester in which you will complete 60 credits.
Due to Pennsylvania regulations for teacher education programs, if you are transferring more than 60 credit hours to Pitt-Bradford you must provide evidence of basic skills competencies in mathematics, reading and writing. If you have more than 60 credit hours and have not passed a basic skills assessment, please contact Ms. Jody Randolph at jar1@pitt.edu or Dr. Jonathan Chitiyo at chitiyoj@pitt.edu.
You must meet certain criteria and provide some items before you can be officially admitted into a teacher education program:
- Successfully complete a minimum of 48 credits
- Successfully complete basic skills requirement*
- Achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0. You can be provisionally admitted with a 2.8 GPA.
- Successful completion, with at least a grade of C- in the following courses: Introduction to Education and Instructional Design
- Provide copies of current clearances
- Provide Tuberculin Test (TB Test) results
- Provide a Career Goals Statement
- Provide three Letters of Recommendation
Submission of application does not guarantee admission into the Teacher Education Program. Your application will be reviewed by all Education Program faculty. An audit of your academic progress will also be completed. Your admission to the program will be dependent on the evaluation of your professional and academic dispositions.
The PA Department of Education requires all undergraduate certification candidates to pass basic skills assessments. Candidates can meet the basic skills requirement with any of the options below. Effective March 2016, scores can be combined from different testing vendors. Post-baccalaureate candidates are not required to provide proof of passing basic skills assessments.
*Special Announcement: "Act 55 of 2022 signed into law by Governor Wolf on July 8, 2022, requires the Secretary of Education to waive the requirement to satisfactorily complete the assessment of basic skills required under section 1207.3 and 22 Pa. Code 49.18(c) (relating to assessment) for three years from July 8, 2022 through July 8, 2025. This applies to all students who enter preparation programs during this period as well as otherwise qualified candidates for licensure who make application during this period." According to the PA Department of Education, the waiver does not apply to those students who have less than a 3.0 GPA.
Tests for the basic skills requirement generally cover 11th grade content. We recommend the tests be completed as close as possible to the first year of college.
Score requirements are shown below and are also on the PA Department of Education's website. Also available on that page is a calculator for determining if composite scores qualify.
If a student has qualifying SAT scores, a report must be submitted to the Education Program. We do not have access to scores that are sent to the Pitt-Bradford Admissions Office. A report can be downloaded from the College Board website.
If you choose to take the Core Academic Skills Tests through ETS, are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and are receiving financial aid, you may be eligible for a fee waiver. Please visit the ETS website at this link: Core Fee Waiver.
If you choose to take the PAPA modules through Pearson, are currently enrolled in an undergraduate program and are receiving financial aid, you may be eligible for a fee waiver. Please visit the Pearson website at this link: PAPA Fee Waiver.
Basic Skills Assessments
Alternate Basic Skills Assessments for all Certificates
| Test Name | Minimum Score Per Section | Test Vendor |
|---|---|---|
|
SAT Critical Reading, Math & Writing |
Old Scores: New Scores effective 2/29/16: |
College Board |
|
ACT English, Writing & Math |
Old Scores: New Scores effective 8/31/16: |
ACT |
Pre-Service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA)
| Test Name | Qualifying Score | Minimum Composite Score | Test Vendor | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
PAPA Reading - #8001 |
220 |
193 |
$37 |
|
|
PAPA Mathematics - #8002 |
193 |
176 |
$44 |
|
|
PAPA Writing - #8003 |
220 |
192 |
$37 |
|
|
All three modules |
$110 |
|||
|
If the sum of reading, math and writing modules total 633 or higher AND each module's score meets the minimum composite score above, the basic skills requirement has been met. |
||||
Core Academic Skills for Educator Tests
| Test Name | Qualifying Score | Minimum Composite Score | Test Vendor | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Core Reading - #5713 |
156 |
148 |
$90 |
|
|
Core Mathematics - #5733 |
142 |
132 |
$90 |
|
|
Core Writing - #5723 |
162 |
158 |
$90 |
|
|
Core Combined - #5752 |
Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined |
$150 |
||
|
If the sum of reading, math and writing modules total 460 or higher AND each module's score meets the minimum composite score above, the basic skills requirement has been met. |
||||
ENG 0101 and ENG 0102 at Pitt-Bradford
Effective October 29, 2021, students who receive a grade of B or higher (A+, A, A-, B+, B) in BOTH English Composition I and English Composition II at Pitt-Bradford will meet the basic skills requirement for both reading and writing. Transfer credits do not apply.
We do NOT have an alternative option for the mathematics requirement at this time.
The PAPA and Core modules are computer-delivered tests. For study guides, practice tests and location information go to the following links:
PAPA - www.pa.nesinc.com
Core - www.ets.org
To purchase additional preparation materials: Fee-Based practice test information
Applications for Admission to a Certification Program in Teacher Education:
Application for Admission to Certification Program
Post-Baccalaureate Admission Form
For specific course requirements by major, you can open one of the following degree completion (advising) forms. Your advisor will use one of these forms to keep track of your progress, but you are ultimately responsible for knowing the program requirements.
Graduation from the program does not automatically result in teacher certification. An application for a Pennsylvania Instructional I Certificate must be submitted once a final transcript has been generated and all PECT or Praxis II exams are passed.
We know you are going to be in a hurry to apply for certification, but there are many things that must be done before you can apply:
- You must complete student teaching and all courses needed for your degree and certification area.
- You must have a 3.0 GPA (this applies to both baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate students). If you find yourself with less than a 3.0 GPA, make an appointment with the program director to discuss alternative certification routes.
- You must pass all required PECT or PRAXIS II exams and provide a copy of the official scores.
- WE must have current clearances on file for you.
The PECT tests are computer-delivered. Please go to this link for study guides, practice tests and location information www.pa.nesinc.com.
The Praxis tests are also computer-delivered. Please go to this link for study guides, practice tests and location information www.ets.org.
All certification candidates can find information for qualifying test scores on this document: GPA Qualifying Test Scores
Early Level Education majors who must take the PECT modules may qualify for a fee waiver from Pearson. If you are currently enrolled and are currently receiving financial aid, use this form
It is your responsibility to submit the application for certification once all requirements are met.
Applications for certification are completed online through the PA Department of Education's Teacher Information Management System (TIMS). Effective November 1, 2016, the application fee is $200.
To learn how to use TIMS, applicants should go to the PA Department of Education's website for a link to a video.
Once you apply for certification through TIMS, we will be able to see that your application is ready for our endorsement. We will not endorse your application until we have all required documents in your permanent file.
If you want some help with navigating the process, please contact Jody Randolph at 814-362-5056 or via email at jar1@pitt.edu to arrange an appointment.
If you want to search for open teaching positions in Pennsylvania, you can search for career opportunities on the PA Department of Education's website.
Once you receive your certification, if you have a need to inactivate it, you may request a voluntary inactive certificate status by submitting an application online via TIMS.
Licensure Pass Rates
For compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act, following is information about licensure pass rates for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Institutional pass rate percentages are not provided by Educational Testing Service (ETS) or Pearson Testing for content areas where fewer than 10 students take the test. In addition, students can pass certification exams by meeting cut rate scores based on a 3.0 GPA or by using qualifying scores based on GPAs which are above or below 3.0. The pass rates that appear on the Title II Report are based solely on those who passed certification exams using the cut rate score.
The table below is a breakdown of the 2022-2023 results for our institution for each certification area that had test takers and takes into account those who passed via the qualifying scores based on GPA. Four of our completers have not attempted certification exams: one plans to pursue NYS certification; two are in graduate school; one has not given a reason.
| Certification Area | Test | # of Test Takers | Passed with Cut Rate Score | Passed by GPA Qualifying Score | Institutional Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grades PK-4 |
PECT 1 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
100% |
|
Grades PK-4 |
PECT 2 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
100% |
|
Grades PK-4 |
PECT 3 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
100% |
|
Health and Physical Ed PK-12 |
Health and PE Content |
1 |
1 |
100% |
|
|
Health and Physical Ed PK-12 |
Fundamental Subjects |
1 |
1 |
100% |
|
|
Social Studies 7-12 |
Social Studies Content |
2 |
1 |
1 |
100% |