Pennsylvania has two levels of certification.  The initial certificate, Level I, is valid for six service years, during which time you must complete established requirements.  Upon completion of those requirements, a Level I may be converted to a Level II certificate.  If not converted, the initial Level I certificate lapses, and you may not be employed in a Pennsylvania public school.

If you have been teaching in Pennsylvania on a Level I certificate for three to six years and have earned 24 post-baccalaureate credits, you may be eligible to apply for a Level II certificate assuming the following conditions are met: 

• Six of the 24 post-baccalaureate credits must be associated with your area(s) of certification and/or must be designed to improve professional practice
• You must have three years of satisfactory service on a Level I certificate, verified by the chief school administrator of the employing school entity
• You must have completed a PDE induction program verified by the chief school administrator of your employing entity

For specific questions and more information concerning what service counts toward a Level II certificate, please reference the links below:  

PDE Level II Questions and Answers

CSPG 7 Level II (Permanent) Certification

HOW TO APPLY FOR LEVEL II CERTIFICATION

Your application for Level II certification must be submitted through the TIMS Educator Online Certification System.

• Login to TIMS, complete your application online and pay the required fee (note: if using TIMS for the first time, register by clicking the link in the lower left corner).
• Submit any required documentation directly to PDE (i.e. cover sheet and official transcripts).
• Ask your supervisor to complete the PDE 427 Instructional I to Instructional II Assessment and submit it to Human Resources.
• Once Human Resources receives the completed and signed PDE 427 Assessment, we will certify your work history and completion of Induction in TIMS.
• Once your Level II certification is issued, email Human Resources (leboeufa@slsd.org) so we may update your personnel file. PDE does not notify the school.

Please contact the Human Resources Department with any questions regarding certification.