All Phoenix corps members become certified to teach within two years through participating in a certification program. Phoenix corps members teach under a Teaching Intern certificate for two years and then receive a provisional certificate, provided they have fulfilled all coursework and testing requirements.
While the requirements are rigorous, the benefits are immense. Some of our partner school districts offer signing bonuses to new teachers, and the Department of Education offers a $5,000 Transition to Teaching grant to secondary and special education corps members on the first day of their third year of teaching.
| Costs to Begin Teaching |
|---|
| Testing: $155 (plus $150-250 during the two-year commitment, depending on placement) |
| Processing: $112 |
| Up-front Certification Program Cost: $0 |
| Costs to Maintain Emergency Credential |
|---|
| $4,000-14,000 (varies according to program) |
All corps members must enroll in a teacher preparation certification program and work toward state provisional certification during their two-year commitments. Below are the current partner programs through which Phoenix corps members maintain their highly qualified status and gain full certification and a possible master's degree. (All corps members teaching in a high school placement are required to enroll in Arizona State University due to state certification law. Teachers already certified to teach in another state are not required to enroll in a certification program, but are required to test.)
Corps members have a choice of two certification programs:
1. The College of Teacher Education and Leadership at Arizona State University offers a combination certification and master's degree program for elementary, secondary, and special education teachers. Costs range from $10,000 to $12,000 over the course of two-years of study. Courses meet one night per week for five hours.
2. Rio Salado College offers online courses leading to elementary, secondary, and special education certification. Costs range from $4,000 to $5,000, and the time commitment is between two and four hours per week. Rio Salado partners with a university to transfer credits toward a master’s degree option upon completion of the two year teacher certification program.
For both programs, corps members can apply for financial aid, and currently are able to apply their AmeriCorps education awards, which amount to $4,725 per year, toward tuition or loans after their first year of teaching.
Corps members must take and pass the Arizona Educator's Subject Knowledge test in their content area before teaching. In addition, corps members take the AEPA Professional Knowledge exam and the United States and Arizona Constitution tests during their two years. Applicants assigned to Phoenix will receive further information about these exams once they are accepted.
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