Alternative Teaching Certification in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania supports several commonly used alternative routes into teaching. This guide to alternative teaching certification in Pennsylvania covers the Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) Passport to Teaching program, the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate, and the Emergency Permit. Requirements vary by pathway. A bachelor’s degree is generally required, except for Career and Technical candidates who can qualify through occupational experience alone.
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Pennsylvania doesn’t require every teacher to complete a traditional education degree before entering the classroom. The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) supports several commonly discussed alternative routes into teaching, including a temporary staffing mechanism for schools facing an immediate vacancy. Each pathway works differently depending on your degree, your subject area, and whether a school district already wants to hire you. Below, we break down the current education, exam, and experience requirements for the Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, the ABCTE Passport to Teaching program, the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate, and the Emergency Permit.
Use the links below to jump to the pathway that fits your background.
- Instructional Experience-Based Certificate requirements
- ABCTE Passport to Teaching requirements
- Career and Technical certification and the Emergency Permit
- Background check requirements
Instructional Experience-Based Certificate Requirements
Education Requirements
The Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, formerly called the Teacher Intern Certificate, requires at least a bachelor’s degree in an area where the state offers teacher certification. PDE lists a 3.0 minimum GPA as the standard for entry into an approved Experience-Based program, though individual providers may have related admissions provisions. Beyond that, the approved program provider reviews your transcripts and determines whether you need additional general-education or subject-area coursework. Once accepted, you enroll through a participating college or university and remain continuously enrolled while teaching under the certificate. Check PDE’s current certification page for the list of approved providers.
Exam Requirements
Pennsylvania no longer requires a single universal basic-skills test for certification. A preparation provider may still use Praxis Core, PECT, or PAPA basic-skills testing as an alternative admissions route for applicants with a GPA between 2.8 and 2.99. Separately, before your Experience-Based certificate is issued, you must pass the current PDE-required test or tests for your intended certification area. Requirements vary by certificate and may include Praxis or PECT assessments, so confirm the exact assessment against Pennsylvania’s current testing requirements for your subject.
Experience Requirements
You’ll need to complete at least 12 weeks of supervised teaching as part of your program, in addition to working in a school district under your certificate. Qualifying long-term substitute service may count toward this requirement, but day-to-day substitute service does not. The certificate itself is valid for five years of service and is nonrenewable, so plan your coursework and testing timeline with that window in mind.
ABCTE Passport to Teaching Program Requirements
Education Requirements
The ABCTE route requires a bachelor’s degree and certification in one of several PDE-recognized areas: English 7-12, Mathematics, General Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies 7-12, Grades PK-4, and Special Education PK-12. Point Park University in Pittsburgh remains the only PDE-recognized institution offering this program in Pennsylvania. Once you’ve earned your Passport to Teaching and secured employment, you receive a Temporary Teaching Permit valid for one calendar year while a mentor supervises your progress. Coursework during that year includes two continuing education seminars and two graduate-level education pedagogy courses. Once you finish, you apply for Level I certification.
Exam Requirements
Candidates generally complete the American Board’s exams and earn the Passport to Teaching before the teaching phase begins. However, current Point Park materials allow candidates to sign an early-admission waiver and start coursework before passing every exam. Either way, the Passport to Teaching and required exams must be complete before your Temporary Teaching Permit and teaching phase start.
Experience Requirements
No prior classroom experience is required to enroll. Once your Temporary Teaching Permit begins, current program materials call for a minimum of 60 consecutive days of full-time, full-day teaching in your certification area, within the one-calendar-year permit period.
Other Alternative Pathways in Pennsylvania
Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate
Pennsylvania also offers the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate, formerly called the Career and Technical Intern Certificate, for career-changers with occupational experience in a trade or technical subject area. A bachelor’s degree isn’t required for this pathway. Candidates generally need one of the following: four years of wage-earning occupational experience; two years of that experience plus a bachelor’s degree; four years of full-time postsecondary teaching in the occupation; or, for applicable firefighter and EMT certification areas, four years of volunteer experience. That experience must be verified through an authorized university. Candidates must also be accepted into a state-approved career and technical preparation program, pass the appropriate Occupational Competency Assessment, and receive the university’s recommendation. The certificate is valid for five calendar years from issuance and is nonrenewable.
Emergency Permit
An employing Pennsylvania public school entity, not a private agency, can request an Emergency Permit after advertising a position and finding no fully qualified, properly certified applicant. A bachelor’s degree is generally required. The permit can cover a vacant position, long-term substitute service, or day-to-day substitute service, not just one specific advertised opening. The employing school entity initiates or authorizes the need, and the candidate then submits the request through Pennsylvania’s TIMS system at the entity’s direction. An Emergency Permit ordinarily runs from the first day of the month it’s issued through the last day of that school year’s summer school, and it can be reissued only when applicable PDE conditions are met. A Type 01 reissuance requires the candidate to show progress in a state-approved certification program. The permit is temporary and isn’t itself an Instructional I certificate.
Criminal History Background Check Requirements
Employment in a Pennsylvania school system is subject to state clearance requirements, including a Pennsylvania State Police Request for Criminal Records Check, Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Certification through the Department of Human Services, and a Federal Criminal History Record Information (CHRI) check. Your college program or employing school will walk you through the fingerprinting and application process for each. Clearance documents are submitted to PDE only when required by the TIMS coversheet or when an applicant answers “yes” to a background-related question, so confirm with your program or district exactly what your situation requires.
Choosing the Right Pathway
Your background usually points you toward one route over another. If you already have a bachelor’s degree and want the broadest subject-area flexibility, the Instructional Experience-Based Certificate covers the most ground. If you’re set on teaching a specific subject through ABCTE, Point Park’s program gives you a defined timeline once your Temporary Teaching Permit begins. If you’re coming from a skilled trade or technical field, the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate is built around the occupational experience you already have, and it doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree at all. The Emergency Permit isn’t really a choice you make in advance. It’s a temporary staffing mechanism a district requests when a position is vacant and no certified candidate is available, and it isn’t itself a certification pathway. If you’d rather pursue the traditional route instead, you can review all Pennsylvania teacher certification pathways, including the traditional degree-based path.
Long-term substitute service is relevant to more than one pathway here. If you’re weighing an Emergency Permit or you’re already working as a substitute while you plan your next step, it’s worth reviewing Pennsylvania’s separate substitute teaching license requirements to understand how that credential fits alongside these certification routes.
For questions specific to your situation, contact PDE’s Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality, Division of Certification Services. PDE recommends email given high call volume: reach applicant certification questions at [email protected], or call 717-PA-TEACH (717-728-3224) or 717-787-3356. Questions about educator-preparation programs go to [email protected]. You can also contact the participating college or university for your chosen pathway to confirm current course sequencing and application deadlines.
Frequently Asked Questions
What alternative pathways to teacher certification does Pennsylvania offer?
This guide covers four commonly discussed routes: the Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, the ABCTE Passport to Teaching program, the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate, and the Emergency Permit, which functions as a temporary staffing mechanism rather than a full certification pathway.
Do I need a bachelor’s degree to qualify for alternative certification in Pennsylvania?
For most pathways, yes. The Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, ABCTE, and the Emergency Permit generally require a bachelor’s degree. The Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate is the exception: candidates can qualify through four years of occupational experience without a bachelor’s degree, or two years of experience if they hold one.
Can I teach while I complete my alternative certification requirements?
Yes, on every pathway. Instructional Experience-Based candidates teach under that certificate, ABCTE candidates teach under a Temporary Teaching Permit once their permit period begins, and Career and Technical candidates teach under their certificate while completing program requirements.
How long is Pennsylvania’s Instructional Experience-Based Certificate valid?
It’s valid for five years of service and is nonrenewable, so candidates need to complete their approved program and testing requirements within that window.
- Pennsylvania offers several alternative certification routes—the Instructional Experience-Based Certificate, ABCTE, the Career and Technical Experience-Based Certificate, and the Emergency Permit — each fitting a different background and timeline.
- A bachelor’s degree isn’t required for every pathway — Career and Technical candidates can qualify through occupational experience alone, while the other routes generally require a bachelor’s degree.
- You teach while you certify — every pathway lets you work in a classroom under a provisional certificate or permit while finishing coursework and exams.
- Background clearances apply across every pathway — Pennsylvania State Police, child abuse history, and federal criminal history checks are required. However, documents go to PDE only when the situation calls for it.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Pennsylvania, including alternative certification options, application requirements, and timelines for your chosen path.
