Becoming Certified to Teach

Onboarding

After you have been accepted into Teach For America Connecticut, the onboarding process will begin. This process is designed to ensure you are prepared to meet the requirements for the Alternative Route Certification (ARC) program and are ready for the classroom on day one. Onboarding involves a lot of pre-work, including passing tests that are required for certification.

Overview of Requirements  

• Pass all Praxis examinations required of your teaching assignment area by June 1, 2022.
• Provide four copies of their official degree-conferred transcript from an accredited college or university
• Enroll and complete course requirements at Relay Graduate School of Education
• Full participation in and completion of all aspects of the Teach For America summer training program
• Full participation and completion in all aspects of regional training and development

Testing

All certification or MAT seeking corps members must pass their tests by June 1, 2022, or else you risk getting emergency released from the corps. We strongly recommend that you take the test(s) as soon as possible and be prepared to have to take them more than once, so you can focus on other important work to prepare to work in CT. Register for a Test Guide here. We have a strong staff to support you throughout this process! 

If you don't meet the minimum score on an exam, we recommend that you retake the tests as soon as possible!

• For the ETS Praxis II exams, you have 21 days between tests.
• For the Pearson Foundations of Reading exam, you have 45 days between tests.

You must take the certification exams required here in CT, even if you've taken other teacher certification exams in the past. The only exception is if you took the Pearson Foundations of Reading exam in North Carolina, Mississippi, Wisconsin, or New Hampshire.

Certification

If you are not already certified to teach in Connecticut, you must go through Teach For America Connecticut's Alternative Route to Certification (ARC) program. An ARC program is a non-traditional teacher preparation program designed to certify people who have not completed a formal teacher preparation program at a college or university, but who wish to become a classroom teacher. 

Completing certification coursework through out partnership with Relay GSE is a requirement for the ARC program.

If you have already completed a teacher preparation program, you do not need to enroll in the ARC program. But you do need to make sure that you hold a valid Connecticut teaching certificate before the first day of school and to pass all of the required certification tests accordingly. Our team will work with you to ensure you know what needs to be done!

Master's Degree Option

We offer an optional master's degree option through our partnership with Relay GSE. Should you choose to pursue your master's through Relay, this coursework will count towards your degree, but applying for the Relay Master's program is optional.

Costs & Financial Aid

These costs reflect tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year. Tuition costs are subject to change. 

• Certification-only program: $12,000 
• Master's degree Program: $24,000 

Historically, our corps members have been eligible to receive AmeriCorps Awards (approximately $6,345 for each year in the corps) and many have applied their first-year award towards their certification coursework tuition. Although we anticipate that our corps members will be eligible for AmeriCorps Awards, these awards are not guaranteed for the year over year, as Teach For America applies for these grants on a yearly basis.