Please note that ADE offices will be closed in observance of Veterans Day on Monday, November 11th, 2019.
Normal Certification hours will resume on Tuesday, November 12th.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new Certification Director, Michelle Brady. Ms. Brady comes to us with 18 years of experience in education. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Arizona State University, a Post-Baccalaureate in Secondary Education, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from the University of Phoenix. Ms. Brady brings her experience as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal and principal to the Department of Education.
On April 29, 2019, the Board of Education approved a rule change to the Standard School Counselor Certificate. Under the revised rule, applicants may qualify for the certificate if they have a master’s degree and one of the following:
Applicants who qualify for the Standard School Counselor Certificate with a graduate program in counseling, social work, psychology, or academic advising, or with a Board of Behavioral Health Examiners license, must also complete both of the following allowable deficiency requirements within three years:
A Standard School Counselor Certificate with allowable deficiencies will be temporarily suspended if the certificate holder does not correct the deficiencies within three years; however, a suspension for failure to meet allowable deficiency requirements is not considered a disciplinary action and the certificate holder may correct the deficiencies within the remaining timeframe of the certificate.
Certification applications frequently require a verification form, letter, or request from an appropriate administrator in a school district or charter school. To ensure compliance with State Board rules and prevent delays in the processing of applications, please review the guidance document which outlines the required signature for verification and request forms.
Please contact the Certification Unit if you have any questions. Thank you for your service to Arizona students.
The Arizona Department of Education would like to announce the 2019 Southern Arizona Education Job Fair on March 2, 2019, and the 2019 Arizona Statewide Education Job Fair on March 9, 2019. Please go to the free participation registration page to complete our registration. These annual fairs are held exclusively for K-12 Districts and Charter School in support of their recruitment efforts.
These events are designed to help schools fill certified and non-certified positions and potential candidates to connect with community partners. The following community partners are already registered to attend our Arizona Education Job Fairs; they will be there to provide information about programs and resources:
Teachers/Educators are reminded to bring copies of their resume to the Arizona Job Fairs. Districts and charters from Arizona will be interviewing candidates and collecting resumes for at least the following open positions: teachers, paraprofessionals, administrative assistants, bus drivers, maintenance, and administrators.
House Bill 2253 removed the two-year limitation on the employment of foreign teachers who are participating in a teacher exchange program and working under a J-1 or Q-1 visa. In response to this new legislation, the Board approved the following changes to the Standard Foreign Teaching Certificate:
Teachers who are currently certified with a Standard Foreign Teaching certificate may continue to use the certificate until its expiration. Standard Foreign Teaching certificate holders may apply for the new International Teaching Certificate if they are continuing to participate in a teacher exchange program.
The Board approved changes to the exam requirements for the Standard Professional Mild/Moderate Disabilities, Moderate/Severe Disabilities, and Early Childhood Special Education certificates. A transition period was also approved which will allow applicants to use either the previous exams or the new exams if their application is submitted on or before October 1, 2019. The table below illustrates the new exam requirements.
The Board approved the following changes to the Guidance Counselor Certificate:
(Phoenix, Ariz., March 14, 2018) – Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas today proudly announced the launch of the Arizona Department of Education’s (ADE’s) AzEDCert Educator Portal. The new online tool will allow teachers six months away from having their certifications expire, as well as those whose certifications have lapsed within the last year, to apply for renewal from the comfort of their homes.
“I am delighted that our hardworking certified teachers and administrators will no longer have to make the inconvenient trek to Phoenix to renew their certifications,” Superintendent Douglas said. “We should do whatever we can to simplify the administrative processes of becoming an educator, while keeping our standards for educators as high as possible. I am extremely proud of our Certification Unit and our IT (Information Technology) Division for making this portal a reality for our educators.”
There are currently over 15,000 educators with active certificates who would be eligible to apply for renewal utilizing this new system. Not only would teachers and administrators no longer need to apply in person or via mail for this service, Arizona certified educators can now view their certification information on-line via the portal.
The AzEDCert Educator Portal also boasts many other features. The system will send e-mail reminders to educators who are eligible to renew prior to their certificates expiring, as well as provide e-mail alerts that update them on the status of their application throughout the process.
The cost for renewals will remain at $20 per certificate, but a $2 online convenience fee will be added per application submitted via the portal. In addition, ADE’s Certification Unit will continue to accept applications in-person and by mail.
The on-line system will not only add convenience for educators applying for renewal, but also increase the Department’s efficiency in processing applications. Additional services and features that provide further convenience with applications and other services to educators are also forthcoming.
More information about the AzEDCert Educator portal can be found on the Certification Unit’s webpage at http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/.
The Board recently initiated rulemaking procedures for the following changes to Teacher Certification rules:
The proposed rules are posted on the State Board’s website at https://azsbe.az.gov/rules.
There is a public hearing in regard to these open rules on January 3rd, 2018. Please see the posting on the State Board’s website at https://azsbe.az.gov/public-meetings.
Additionally, there is an upcoming Certification Advisory Committee meeting on January 5th, 2018. Please see the posting on the State Board’s website at https://azsbe.az.gov/public-meetings.
A number of significant Certification rule changes are now in effect due to the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 1042, SB 1057, and amendments to Board of Education Certification rules. This document provides a summary of the changes to Certification rules and requirements that are in effect as of August 9, 2017.
Unless otherwise specified, all educator certificates will be issued and renewed for twelve years.
Applicants who meet all applicable teacher preparation and exam requirements may now qualify for a twelve-year Standard teaching certificate. Two years of full-time teaching experience during the valid term of a Provisional certificate will no longer be required.
SB 1042 establishes a new Subject Matter Expert Standard Teaching certificate for grades 6-12. The Subject Matter Expert Standard certificate requires a valid Arizona Department of Public Safety IVP fingerprint clearance card and one of the following:
Individuals who qualify for a Subject Matter Expert Standard certificate are exempt from the Subject Knowledge exam, Arizona Constitution, and U.S. Constitution requirements. The Subject Matter Expert Standard certificate does require a passing score on the Professional Knowledge Secondary exam within two years from date of issuance, unless the applicant qualifies for the certificate with three years of postsecondary teaching experience.
SB 1042 provides new options for Certification applicants to meet Arizona Educator Proficiency Requirements. The new options to meet the Professional Knowledge, Subject Knowledge and Administrator exam requirements are outlined below.
Applicants may now qualify for a waiver of a Professional Knowledge exam requirement with one of the following:
Applicants may now qualify for a waiver a Subject Knowledge exam requirement with one of the following:
Applicants may now qualify for a waiver of Administrator exam requirement with one of the following:
Certificates will no longer be subject to earlier expiration due to allowable deficiencies. Instead, a certificate with allowable deficiencies will be suspended if the certificate holder fails to complete the deficiency requirements within the allowable timeframe. A suspension for failure to meet deficiency requirements is not a disciplinary action and the certificate holder will be allowed to correct the deficiencies within the remaining timeframe of the certificate.
The requirements for the Specialized Secondary Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) certificate have changed. The new requirements for the Specialized Secondary STEM certificate are as follows:
Legislation under Senate Bill (SB) 1057 provides a new option for educators to qualify for renewal of a Standard certificate. Under this new option, Educators who hold a renewable certificate which has expired for at least two years, but not more than ten years may qualify for renewal if they are in good standing and meet the following requirements:
The Board adopted additional Certification rule changes related to the Elementary certificate, Emergency Teaching certificates, Teaching Intern certificate, and Certification Reciprocity rules.
The Elementary certificate will now be valid for Kindergarten through grade 8 instead of grades one through eight. Teachers who hold the Elementary certificate will no longer need an Early Childhood certificate or endorsement to teach kindergarten.
The Board approved two changes to the Emergency Teaching Certificate rule:
A passing score on the appropriate Subject Knowledge exam will no longer be required for applicants to qualify for the Teaching Intern certificate. Additionally, Teaching Intern certificates will be issued for two years and may be extended yearly for two more consecutive years at no cost to the applicant.
Teaching Intern program graduates will need to pass the appropriate Professional Knowledge and Subject Knowledge exams, or qualify for a waiver of the exam requirements, in order to qualify for a Standard Professional Teaching certificate.
Provisional CTE certificates will no longer be issued. Instead, applicants may qualify for a Standard CTE certificates with the allowable deficiencies of Arizona Constitution, U.S. Constitution, the Professional Knowledge Secondary exam, and the required semester hours of CTE education courses. Individuals who qualify for a Standard CTE certificate with deficiencies must complete all requirements and remove the allowable deficiencies within three years. If a Standard CTE certificate holder fails to correct the allowable deficiencies within three years the certificate will be temporarily suspended and will not be valid for employment. Please note that a suspension for failure to meet the allowable deficiency requirements is not a disciplinary action and the certificate holder may correct the deficiency within the remaining timeframe of the certificate.
The Board modified the renewal requirements to allow documentation of a current professional license as a counselor, social worker, psychologist, or speech pathologist to be used in lieu of proof of the required clock hours of professional development activities. Additionally, the renewal rule has been updated to specify that awareness training regarding human trafficking of children will be accepted toward the required professional development hours for renewal.
The Certification Reciprocity rule now allows individuals to qualify for a comparable endorsement or Other Professional certificate if they hold a comparable certificate or endorsement from another state and are in good standing with that state.
Click here to view/download this as a PDF.
Just a reminder that the Certification walk-up window closes at 4:30. Beat the back-to-school rush and renew your certification early in the day!
Although we are aware of recent legislation that will impact certification requirements for current and future educators in Arizona, at this time we are not able to advise applicants on the details nor are the requirements currently in effect.
“Upon receiving the Governor’s signature, a bill is sent to the Secretary of State where it becomes an act, receives a chapter number for publication in the Arizona session laws, and is codified into the Arizona Revised Statutes. The new law takes effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns, or immediately if it is an emergency bill.”
SB 1042 and SB 1057 were not emergency bills. As a result, should the legislature adjourn in early May as expected, the new legislation would go into effect sometime in early August.
Please review our website at http://www.azed.gov/educator-certification/ for updates and more information as it becomes available.
The Tucson Certification office will be open following the monthly schedule below:
| Months | Days Open (8am to 4pm) |
|---|---|
| January through May | First three Wednesdays of the month |
| June, July and August | Every Wednesday and Thursday |
| September through December | First three Wednesdays of the month |
Only same-day services (quick services) will be provided. All other services must be sent to the Phoenix Certification Office.
The Tucson office accepts personal checks, money orders or cashier’s checks made payable to the ADE only.
Same-day services include:
Physical Address: 400 West Congress Street, Room 223. Tucson, Arizona, 85701.
