Four Main Steps to TIMS
Certification Process
 Step 1: Creating an Application
 Step 2: Completing your Application
 Step 3: Mailing the Cover Sheet and
Documentation
 Step 4: Receiving your Certification
Step 1: Creating an
Application
 Logging in to TIMS
 Accessing TIMS
 Creating a New Credential Application
 Background Questions
 Credential Type and Subject Area
 Responding to Questions
 Confirmation Screen
 PPID Notification
 Confirm In-State Certification Application
 View Tests on File
Logging In to TIMS
 Open the PDE Website by typing the following URL
into your browser: www.education.state.pa.us/
 Click Log In on the top left side of the PDE web
page, located just below the PDE search box. You
will be directed to the Welcome Page for the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Enterprise Portal.
Please follow the directions for either Logging In (if
you already have a Username and Password) or
Registering for a Username and Password (if you do
not have one already) Once your login ID and
Password are confirmed, the Home page will be
launched once more, displaying that you are now
logged in.
Accessing TIMS
 You can access TIMS in two ways.
 The first is to continue from the Pennsylvania
Department of Education home
page(www.education.state.pa.us), by selecting the
“Teacher” picture in the middle of the page.
 The second is to select “Certifications” from the left
navigation bar. Then click on the “TIMS” box in the
middle of the screen. Next, click on “Access TIMS”
on the top right hand side of the screen. Click on
“Access the TIMS application by clicking here.”
Creating a New Credential
Application
 To create a new Credential Application, click on
“New Credential Application” from the Home
screen.
Background Questions
 You will be directed to the “Background
Questions” screen where you will be required to
respond to each question. To respond, click the
applicable radio button next to each question. If
you respond “Yes” to any question, click on the
hyperlink, “(If yes, click here for additional
instructions).” If you respond “Yes” to any
question, click on the hyperlink, “(If yes, click here
for additional instructions).” Be sure to click the
affidavit box below the questions. You will then
see a confirmation screen. Click “Yes” to
continue.
Credential Type and
Subject Area
 A new page will open. Click the down arrow next to the
“Select Credential Type” box and select the Credential
type you are requesting. When you choose the
Credential Type, the hyperlink for the “Requested
Certification Subject Area(s)” will be enabled.
 Click on the hyperlink “Click here to select certification
subject area to be requested” and choose the subject
area for the Credential you are requesting. Chose your
Subject Area(s) (you may choose more than one). Note
that you may page through all subject areas by clicking
the page numbers above the “Cancel” button to
choose from additional subjects. When finished, click
“Include Selected Certification Subject Area(s) in My
Application”. You will be directed to the next page
where you will be able to view your selection(s).
Credential Type and
Subject Area
 Instructional I = New/first time teachers registering for credentials in the state
of Pennsylvania. Most students who recently completed their Teacher
Preparation Program will be applying for this credential.
 Instructional II = After you have completed all requirements as specified by
PDE, you may apply to have your Level I certification converted to a Level II
certification. It is the responsibility of each certificate holder to obtain the
Level II certificate before the service life of the Level I expires. This credential
is not approved/issued by the University of Scranton. Attainment of an
Instructional II is strictly between the applicant and PDE.
 Instructional Add-on = Applicants who already hold an Instructional I
credential may add-on additional subject areas by meeting the additional
requirements specified by PDE. A separate application and fee must be
submitted via TIMS for each add-on subject area.
 Certification Subject Area = The University of Scranton strongly suggests that
applicants review the PDE booklet "Professional Educator Certification: Level
I Certification for Pennsylvania Graduates" (PDE >> Certifications >>
Applications & Forms) to see the complete list of Certification Subject Area
codes prior to completing their TIMS application. Failure to select the
correct credential or subject area may delay your application or cause
your application to be denied.
NOTE: If you are applying for dual-certification (two areas: for example, Early Childhood AND
Elementary Education), you MUST check BOTH boxes, as appropriate.
Responding to Questions
 You will be directed to the next page where you
will be able to view your selection(s). Before
continuing, you will be required to respond to a
number of questions. Respond by clicking “Yes”
or “No” using the radio buttons next to each
button. When finished, click “Continue”.
NOTE: if you are applying for dual-certification, be sure to confirm that BOTH Certification Subject Areas
appear in the box labeled "Requested Certification Subject Area(s)."
Confirmation Screen
 You will then see a confirmation screen. Click
“yes” to continue.
PPID Notification
 A notification with your PPID number may
appear. Please be sure to record this number for
your records.
Confirm In-State
Certification Application
 Important Note: Some applicants have reported being
incorrectly routed to the Out-of-State Application. Please
verify that your application is for an In-State Certification.
1. Close out of your application
2. Return to TIMS (www.pa-tims.com)
3. Look under “Certificate/Request Type”. If “Outof-State” appears, you will need to select “New
Credential Application” again to begin a new
application.
View Tests on File
 To view the tests that you currently have on file at
PDE, click “View My Tests on File” from the Home
screen.
View Tests on File
 A new window will open. If you have tests on file,
they will be listed here. In this example, there are
no tests currently on file.
Step 2: Completing Your
Application
 Demographic Information
 Education Information
 Certification Information
 Work Experience Information
 Requirements and Proof Documents
 Application Summary
 Printing the Cover Sheet
Demographic Information
 Complete the requested Demographic
Information then click NEXT to move to step #2.
Education Information
 Click "Add New" to enter your education
information.
 Note: you do not need to enter every institution
you have attended. Only enter institutions from
which you have received a degree
(undergraduate/graduate) and/or from which
you are requesting verification for completing
your Education Preparation Program in order to
receive your Teacher Certification (e.g. University
of Scranton). Be sure to include the institution
from which you received your Bachelor’s degree.
Education Information
Designate Your Education
Preparation Program
 To designate the University of Scranton as your Education Preparation
Program, follow these steps:

Use the search (“Click here to search”) to find University of Scranton
 Select the correct Certification Officer: Vanessa Ann Talarico
 Enter your degree received from the University of Scranton (Bachelor’s,
Master’s).
 Enter your subject area. If your area is not identified/available, pick a
subject area closest to your area.
 Enter your Educator Prep Program from the available search options.
Note: even if you completed your program as a post-bach or master’s
student, you may need select “undergraduate” as the Program Level in
order to see your program listed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: if you are unsure which subject area or prep program you
need to indicate, please contact the Certification Officer at 570-9415810. If you select the incorrect program or certification, your application
will be delayed or denied.
 Progam Level Type = “Traditional”
 If you are applying to two areas of certification (e.g. Elementary and
Special Education), please make sure both are chosen.
 Make sure you enter your final GPA (from your University of Scranton
transcript; Do NOT guess or estimate.)
 Answer YES to both statements beginning with “I authorize the listed
institution to view my current application.” Failure to follow these steps will
prevent the University of Scranton from approving your
application. IMPORTANT: if you answer NO to these questions, the University
of Scranton will be unable to provide verification of your program
completion to PDE.
Type in the name of the Education
Institution you wish to add and click
“Search”.
Click “select” for the
institution you wish to
choose.
Certification Information
 f you are applying for your first teaching
certification, you are NOT required to complete
this step and should click NEXT to continue your
application. This section should ONLY be
completed by those who already hold an
Instructional I or Instructional II teaching
certification in Pennsylvania or another state and
are applying for an ADDITIONAL certification.
Work Experience
Information
 You should NOT include work performed as part
of your Practicum or Student Teaching
experience or other educational-support-related
positions such as a substitute teacher or
teacher’s aide. You only need to complete this
section if the credential you are applying for
requires a minimum number of years of work
experience to meet PDE requirements (example:
Principal, District Superintendent). All other
applicants should leave this section blank and
click NEXT to continue.
Requirements and Proof
Documents
 Review this screen to see the requirements for this
credential and any documentation that will
need to be submitted. If any documents can be
uploaded to PDE at this time, an upload link will
appear. Click NEXT to continue to the Summary
page.
Health Certificate
Verification
 A U.S. licensed physician, physician’s assistant or
nurse practitioner must sign the Health Certificate in
order to complete your application. The Health
Certificate section is not required if the applicant
holds, or has held, a PA certificate including an
Intern Certification, Emergency Permits or
Temporary Teaching Permits.
 There is a place on the final print out where you can
have your Physician, physician’s assistant or nurse
practitioner sign to complete the PDE required
Health Certificate. You may also submit a copy of
PDE form 338G (pdf) with your physician’s signature.
It is strongly suggested you retain a copy of all
paper documents that you submit to PDE.
Application Summary
 Review your application information carefully. If
there are any corrections that need to be made,
do so BEFORE you submit this application. Once
you are certain that all information is correct,
click "Proceed to Submit." You will then be
directed to enter payment information and
complete your final submission step. You MUST
complete the final submission before your
application is submitted to PDE and made
available to the University of Scranton for
verification/endorsement.
Before continuing, you must scroll down the page,
review the “Code of Conduct” and certify your
information by clicking on the boxes. You may then print
this Application by clicking on “Print” or proceed with
the application by clicking on “Proceed to Submit”. Click
on “Proceed to Submit”.
You will be directed to the “Payment Processing and
Application/Request Submission” Screen.
Following the directions on the screen, complete the
payment information and click on “Process
Payment and Submit Application”.
Printing the Coversheet
 The cover sheet can be printed by selecting the
“Click here to print the coversheet” link as
identified above or from the dashboard after
application is submitted. You will see the
following message pop up.
A two page document will open in PDF format. Review BOTH
pages of the document as it provides detailed instructions for
submitting required documentation. It is important that you read
and follow all directions closely as this will help ensure that your
application is processed as quickly as possible. Providing the
cover sheet, which includes bar codes are used to identify and
process your application within TIMS.
Step 3: Mailing the Cover
Sheet and Documentation
 On the next slide is the second page of the cover sheet
which provides specific information regarding the
requirements for the credential or credential update for
which you are applying.
 The last column “Application Requirements” identifies the
requirements, while the “Acceptable Documents” column
indicates the possible proof items that would demonstrate
that you meet the requirements.
 To facilitate receipt of the documents and document
scanning, these items are categorized in first column,
“Document Category”.
 Below the grid are IMPORTANT instructions on how to
submit the documentation to meet the requirements for
the credential being requested.
Step 4: Receiving Your
Certification
 Once your PDE application has been approved,
you will be able to return to TIMS and print out
your certification. No paper copies will be mailed
to you. Schools and educational institutions from
whom you are seeking employment will then be
able to login to TIMS to verify your certification
credentials.