The Teacher Certification Office is housed in Black Hall, room 228. The office is responsible for processing and updating the applications to the Teacher Certification Program, handling edTPA, WEST-B, WEST-E, ACTFL, and NES scores, processing fingerprint clearance, clearing candidates for field experiences and student teaching, and processing the teaching certificate upon successful completion of the Teacher Certification Program. Candidates wanting to pursue the Washington State Residency Teaching Certificate will begin their journey with this office. The staff in the Teacher Certification Office will assist in providing accurate information to teacher candidates who may have questions regarding the programs, prerequisites, fingerprint clearance, WEST-B, WEST-E, NES, ACTFL, certification, job opportunities, and much more. Please stop by our office or contact us if you have any questions.

Liability Insurance: CWU teacher candidates who enroll in any course that requires the candidate to work with P-12 students on or off campus, must submit proof of educator liability insurance. CWU offers the required insurance to students for $9.13. Please complete the online Professional Liability Insurance Enrollment form. The liability insurance is valid September 1 - August 31 of each year. The CWU Teacher Certification Office receives notification when a teacher candidate has purchased the required insurance.

Washington is moving from the state content assessment (WEST-E) to the National Evaluation Series (NES) exam has been implemented in the following endorsement areas:

• Art (test code 503)
• Biology (305)
• Chemistry (306)
• Computer Science (315)
• Early Childhood Education (101)
• Earth and Space Science (307)
• Elementary Education Subtest 1 (102)
• Elementary Education Subtest 2 (103)
• English Language Arts (301)
• Essential Components of Elementary Reading Instruction (104)
• General Science (311)
• Mathematics (304)
• Middle Grades Mathematics (203)
• Middle Grades General Science (204)
• Music (504)
• Physics (308)

Candidates who are pursuing one of the above endorsement areas and who have not yet passed the WEST-E exam, must take and pass the new NES exam for certification purposes. If you have passed only one subtest of the WEST-E exam in Elementary Education, you will only need to take and pass the NES subtest exam in which you have not yet passed.  Register for West E or NES.

The CWU Teacher Certification Office provides vouchers to help offset some of the costs associated with becoming a Washington state teacher. If you qualify for financial aid (as determined by the CWU Financial Aid Office), please check out the following voucher applications:

edTPA Voucher ($300)

WEST-B Voucher (up to $155)

WEST-E Voucher (up to $155)

NES Test Fee Waiver Form

Mission Fulfillment is Central!

The mission of Central Washington University is to prepare students for enlightened, responsible, and productive lives; to produce research, scholarship, and creative expression in the public interest; and to serve as a resource to the region and the state through effective stewardship of university resources.