Initial to Professional Procedure
An initial certificate is issued for three years. Moving from an initial certificate to a professional certificate requires the completion of two requirements. First, a passing score on the appropriate Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Praxis test must be submitted. Students completing a state approved teacher preparation program must meet the PLT test requirement prior to receiving an initial certificate.Second, the ADEPT formal evaluation requirements are met and the results entered by the local public school district into a teacher's individual database record housed at the Office of Educator Certification. At the conclusion of each school year an automated procedure is activated for teachers with an initial certificate expiring in June of the current year. The process checks for the ADEPT information and for the required PLT test. If the required data is in the file, the initial certificate is automatically changed to professional status. This can be confirmed by checking the Certification Status from the Web site.
If a teacher holding an initial certificate completes the PLT and ADEPT requirements during the school year, the upgrade to the professional certificate can be initiated by the teacher through submission of a Request for Change (1 page pdf) form that can be downloaded from the Web site. We will evaluate your file for the professional certificate once your request is submitted.