Teacher Education and Certification Information
- Teacher Education and Certification Information
- Praxis I and Praxis II Examinations
- Certification Application Process
Teacher Education and Certification Information
Trinity’s teacher education programs are nationally accredited and state approved and meet certification requirements of the District of Columbia. The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).
At the Graduate level, the School of Education offers specializations in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, special education, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).
The School of Education also offers an undergraduate major in education that prepares students for certification in elementary education.
Teacher certification (licensure) is granted by the state education authority and may be recognized through reciprocity by other jurisdictions. Successful completion of all program components and awarding of the degree, plus qualifying scores on the Praxis I and II examinations lead to eligibility for state teacher certification by the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). This certification is accepted by numerous other jurisdictions, sometimes with conditions or other requirements. [See http://www.nasdtec.org/agreement.php] It is the responsibility of the candidate to obtain up-to-date information on certification requirements in the states he or she wishes to teach.
Praxis I and Praxis II Examinations
The Praxis examinations, administered by the Educational Testing Service, are used by D.C. Public Schools as part of their teacher certification process. The Praxis I examination measures reading, writing, and computational skills vital to all teacher candidates. The Praxis II examinations measure prospective teachers’ knowledge of the subjects they will teach, as well as how much they know about teaching that subject and is usually taken in the last semester of course work. Students are responsible for arranging to take these tests and have their scores reported to Trinity as well as appropriate certification agencies. Further information is available from ETS, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 or online at http://www.ets.org. Trinity’s school code is RA5796. See Trinity’s Policy about Praxis Examinations.
Certification Application Process
The School of Education assists graduates in obtaining the initial standard license. For specific instructions, see the School of Education’s webpage on The Process for Obtaining an Initial Standard License.