How do I get Certified?
Congratulations! You have finished student teaching, and are looking for the next steps. The first official certificate you are eligible for is the Residency Teaching (first issue) Certificate. When all of your requirements are recevied by the Teacher Certification Program, we will initiate your recommendation to OSPI and inform you of your next steps. This is a time consuming process that we check by hand for every item. We greatly appreciate your patience, if you could try your best to refrain from sending e-mails about updates for at least three weeks after your degree has been awarded, it will help us process your recommendation faster.
Certification Process and Requirements
- Please do not apply for any certificates in OSPI until you are told your recommendation has been processed. If you apply early for a teaching certificate, there is a potential of applying for the wrong certificate, not having your application fee refunded, or requiring to contact customer service at OSPI to restart the process.
- The Teacher Certification Program cannot move forward on your certification until your degree has been awarded by CWU. Depending on school district calendars, the last day of your official student teaching may be before grades are due for the quarter. You have to wait until your degree has been awarded, this could take degree checkout 6-8 weeks to complete after grades are posted. After grades are due, our program checks for degree status several times a day to ensure we catch new awards. We appreciate your patience.
- Once your degree is awarded, our program verifies your degree GPA is a 3.000 or higher. If it is below a 3.000, we recalculate your GPA over the last 45 graded quarter credits (whole terms).
- The Teacher Certification Program then checks for the remaining certification requirements.
- Full admission to the Teacher Certification Program.
- Degree Checkout has awarded your degree
- A Degree GPA of 3.0 OR a 3.0 GPA for at least the last 45 graded quarter credits (the total may exceed 45 if an entire quarter is needed to achieve the minimum 45)
- Logged over 450 hours in MyCWU field experience log
- Passed WEST-E and/or NES tests
- Have $0.00 balance on your MyCWU student account
- If you meet all certification requirements, we will recommend to OSPI that you have met the requirements to be issued your teaching certificate. The Teacher Certification Program will then send your CWU e-mail instructions on how to claim your recommendation.
- A few weeks after the end of the quarter, our program will e-mail you specifically what is preventing you from being recommended for your teaching certificate. Your file will stay active with us, until the day you meet all the requirements and we can recommend you! Whether it is a few months or a few years, it won't matter, as soon as you meet the requirements we will recommend your for yor teaching certificate (barring any changes at the state level)!
Residency Teaching Certificate
- Initiated by CWU Teacher Certification Program
- Completion of a bachelor's degree or higher
- Completion of a basic skills test and a content area test
- Completed CWU certification requirements listed above
- For more information on Residency Certificate contact OSPI
You are encouraged to apply for jobs after student teaching, even if you haven't met the certification requirements. You just need to communicate with the school districts you are applying for as they would be the ones to determine if they are going to offer you employment under a limited certificate. CWU has nothing to do with this process. They may be interested in hiring you with a Conditional Certificate or Emergency Substitute Certificate but please note that each district is allowed to have their own requirements.
Finishing Original Endorsements
Have you recently passed the NES/WEST-E test for your minor or second major and want to add that endorsement to your teaching certificate? Complete the Finishing Original Endorsements form to notify us of your request.
This page contains links to websites outside of www.cwu.edu. The views and opinions expressed on unofficial pages of Central Washington University faculty, staff or students are strictly those of the page authors. The content of such pages has not been reviewed or approved by Central Washington University.
Updated 12/19/2022