Certification Requirements for All Teacher Certifiers

Admission to Teacher Certification Candidacy is required for junior level field experience or 300 level courses that are part of any teacher certification major. When admitted to Lebanon Valley College, all students who intend to pursue an education degree are identified by major. However, they are not yet admitted to Teacher Certification Candidacy.  All students with at least sophomore status who plan to pursue teacher certification should apply Teacher Certification Candidacy when they have met the requirements for admission.  Your academic advisor will assist you with this process.

Character Clearances

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires that students who are preparing to become teachers must be “persons of good moral character.” By Pennsylvania law, Act 114, students preparing to become teachers must provide the following clearances:

• PA Act 34 (PA Criminal Record Check)
• PA Act 33/151 (PA Child Abuse Check)
• FBI Background Check processed as directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education

All of these clearances have processing fees which are the responsibility of the teacher certification student. Results of all three clearances must be submitted as part of the student’s application for admission to the Teacher Certification Candidacy and must be dated within a year of making application. Most students will have already processed clearances to participate in sophomore field experience. The same clearances can be used if they are within a year of the date of application to Teacher Certification Candidacy.

Applicants are also screened by administrative offices and the Registrar’s Office to ascertain that individuals are considered to be in good standing with each office on campus and are in compliance with campus guidelines for personal behavior and academic integrity.

Course Completion

Students must complete:

• FYE 111 or FYE 112 or equivalent writing course
• English Literature Course
• Two college level math courses

GPA Requirements

Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 after 48 completed credits is required for admission to Teacher Certification Candidacy. Students can check GPA using Access.

A GPA of 2.8-2.99 will require a student to demonstrate competency in basic skills (SAT/ACT/CORE Academic/PAPA/PPST).

Certifications

Lebanon Valley College offers a variety of programs leading to teacher certification. All of our teacher certification programs are approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The table below provides the name of each certification area and grade levels, along with the specific exams that are required by PDE for certification. It is important to note that these are the exams that are currently required in PDE.  If you are seeking certification in a state other than Pennsylvania, you may be required to a different set of exams or meet additional certification requirements. For further information about any of our certification programs, please contact Dr. Jennifer Wood Kanupka, Education Department Chair at kanupka@lvc.edu

To avoid extra charges when registering for certification exams, list Lebanon Valley College and the Pennsylvania Department of Education as score recipients. Most are Praxis exams administered by ETS. Exams administered by Pearson are bolded.

Any certification can add grades 5&6 to your certification by taking and passing the Praxis II tests 5154 and 5155. Apply for Grade 5 & 6 as an add-on with a new credential application after your initial certification application is approved.