Educator Certifications
Connecticut has a three-tiered certification continuum that recognizes the progression of a teacher’s professional career and issues three certificates: the initial educator, the provisional educator, and the professional educator.
INITIAL EDUCATOR CERTIFICATE
Validation Type
3 years. May be reissued 5 times (upon application)
Requirements
Complete CT assessment requirements AND ONE of the following:
- graduate from an approved CT teacher preparation program;
- or meet certification requirements through evaluation of a transcript and have 20 months successful teaching
- experience in the area for which certification is sought; or meet NASDTEC Interstate Contract requirements; or
- graduate from an approved teacher preparation program in another state and meet certification requirements through transcript evaluation
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR CERTIFICATE
As of July 1, 2016, in order to advance from a provisional to a professional certificate, a Connecticut teacher must have completed a master’s program at a higher education institution that has a national or regional accreditation.
A guide to the difference between regional and national accreditation.
Validation Type
5 years
Requirements
30 months of appropriate, successful experience in CT teaching under a provisional certificate and the completion of a master’s degree.
IMPORTANT 2024-2025 CERTIFICATION CHANGES
CEA Certification Update
Public Act 24-41 made significant changes to educator certification and created the Connecticut Educator Preparation and Certification Board (CEPCB) to develop standards for regulations/legislation on educator certification and preparation. A summary of the major certification changes is below. Please also see Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) “Cert Alerts” on the new law and more specific guidance.
Effective July 1, 2024
- Expansion of secondary (grades 7–12) teaching endorsements
- Cross-Endorsements
Effective July 1, 2025
- Expanded elementary endorsements
- Elimination of Provisional Certs
- New Professional Cert Requirements
- Impact on Initial Cert
PROVISIONAL EDUCATOR CERTIFICATE
Validation Type
8 years
Requirements
Meets requirements for Initial Educator Certificate AND ONE of the following:
- has successfully completed the TEAM program (if available in endorsed area) and has 10 months successful teaching experience under the Initial Certificate;
- has 30 months of successful teaching experience (within the past 10 years) at a public or approved non-public school out of the state of CT, in the area in which certification is sought
State Certification Links
DON’T LET YOUR CERTIFICATION EXPIRE
Keeping your certification up to date is your responsibility and not the responsibility of the school district in which you were hired. Even if you do not have the full amount of money necessary to renew your certificate before it expires, you should still send in the $50 application fee and the required paperwork at least six weeks in advance of your certificate’s expiration date in order to be sure that your certificate is renewed in a timely manner. Your employment depends on it.
If you move or change your email, you should send the State Department of Education a notification for their files. The best way to make sure that the SDE has your current contact information is to create a certification account. You can also update your information by sending an email to teacher.cert@ct.gov
TEVAL
Educator Evaluation 2024-25: What You Need to Know
Your district has a new evaluation plan this year, and it’s important to understand how its new requirements may impact you. Your district’s new plan is based on Connecticut’s educator evaluation and support guidelines passed by the State Board of Education last year. Your district may have created its own plan, adopted the state model plan, adopted a different model, or created a hybrid version. While plans may differ significantly from one district to the next, all must still conform to state requirements and offer the same protections to teachers. This PowerPoint presentation provides an overview of the state requirements and protections that must be included in your plan. Local leaders are encouraged to customize this presentation to include the specific requirements from your district’s unique plan and to contact Kate Field at Katef@cea.org with any questions.