Michigan Teacher Certification
Introductions
and Overview
Provisional Certification
Applying for the Provisional Certificate
Other Kinds of MI Certification
Out of State Certification
Graduate Programs
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Provisional Certificate
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Initial teaching license/credential issued after
successful completion of an approved teacher
preparation program
Valid for up to 6 years during which the holder
is expected to gain experience as a practicing
teacher and continue professional
development through advanced study required
for the next level of certification
Provisional Certification
Requirements
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Bachelor’s degree conferred
Professional education and subject coursework
completed with minimum GPA of 2.5
Teacher preparation program completed, including
internship and internship year courses
MTTC – Basic Skills and subject tests passed
Current CPR/First Aid certification
Completion of MDE Online Survey
Approval of Teacher Prep Institution
MTTC Subject Exams –Minimum
Requirements
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Elementary – Passing Elementary test (#83) leads to
K-5 All Subjects (K-8 All Subjects in Self-Contained
Classrooms) certification
Secondary – Passing MTTC test for teaching major
leads to grades 6-12 certification in subject for most
majors
Secondary - K-12 in Major: Art, Music, Physical
Education, or Communicative Science & Disorders
(Note: if minor test is passed, certification in this
subject will be for grades 6 -12.)
MTTC Subject Exams –Additional
Endorsements
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Additional Endorsements – Pass Additional Subject
Test(s) in addition to completion of coursework
 Elementary: Passing test in major/minors leads to
certification for Grades 6-8
 Special Education: Passing LD or HI test leads to K12 certification
 Child Development: Passing Early Childhood
Education test leads to ZA
 Secondary: Passing test for additional major, minor, or
endorsements such as RX (Social Studies) and DI
(Integrated Science) leads to 6-12 certification
Approved Teaching Areas?
Teaching Endorsement?
Highly Qualified/ “HQ”?
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These almost always mean the SAME thing for
teachers who completed programs after 1991.
 For complete list, search for: “Classes that can
be taught” on MDE website:
www.michigan.gov/mde/
 If your certificate is not endorsed with a subject,
you cannot be “HQ” to teach that subject in
grades 6 and above (for core areas).
 RX and DI endorsements include sub-areas
which the holders are “HQ” to teach.
CPR/First Aid Certificate
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American Heart Association, American
Red Cross and other approved
courses as listed on the MDE website
Must be certified in adult and child
CPR and First Aid
Certification must be valid at the time
you are recommended for teaching
certificate by MSU
Make copies of the card (front and
back) OR certificate – AND SIGN IT.
Then attach to provisional application.
MDE Online Survey
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Link to online survey will be emailed to you by Susan
Dalebout (sdd@msu.edu) with the subject line:
Required MDE Survey.
Takes about 20 minutes to complete
Please only take the survey once!
Must print final (signature) page and include it with
your MSU application (134 Erickson Hall), or your
application WILL NOT be processed.
MAKE COPIES!!! Just in case your sheet gets
separated from your file, you will have another one to
submit
Conviction Disclosure Form
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Do you have a conviction that has already
been reviewed by COE? Indicate type and date of
conviction AND attach copy of letter from Certification Officer
indicating that you could continue in the TE program
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Do you have a conviction that has not been
reviewed by COE? Indicate type and date AND attach
Register of Actions (ROA) or Judgment of Sentence (JOS) from
the court in which you were convicted.
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Complete the form thoroughly, date and sign it (in ink)!
Applying for the Provisional
Certificate
Applying is a two-step process:
 (1) Submit materials required by MSU Certification
Office in a single packet to 134 Erickson Hall, East
Lansing, MI 48824
 (2) Initiate an application with the Michigan Dept. of
Education (MDE) using the Michigan Online Educator
Certification System (MOECS)
 These two steps can be completed in either order or
concurrently; however, both steps must be completed
before the certificate can be issued
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Applying for the Provisional
Certificate
Materials required by MSU Certification Office:
 Provisional Certificate Application
 Conviction Disclosure Form completed and signed (in ink)
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Verification of current MDE-approved adult/child CPR and First
Aid certification
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Applicants with convictions must also submit ROA or letter from MSU
Certification Officer
Applicants must sign both cards and provide copies of both sides of each card
Signature page from online MDE Survey
Verification of name change (if applicable)
Elementary or Secondary Request for Provisional Certificate
without All Endorsements, if applicable
Applying for Provisional Certificate
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Initiating a Certification Application Using MOECS
 See instructions at http://www.michigan.gov/moecs or
http://education.msu.edu/certification/moecs.asp
 List only major/minor/endorsement areas for which courses are
completed AND MTTC tests (and OPT for languages) are passed.
 Online application is automatically routed to MSU Certification
Office for review.
 MSU’s review cannot be completed until all required materials
have been received from applicant and final semester grades are
available. April MTTC test scores will be included.
 When MSU indicates approval, MDE notifies applicant by email
and requires online payment of $160
 Following payment, MDE issues certificate to applicant
Timeline for Application Process
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January-April: candidates may submit single, complete application
packet to MSU Certification Office
January-April: candidates may initiate online MOECS application
May: final semester grades become available and MSU
Certification Office begins to approve online applications
electronically
When MOECS application is approved by MSU, candidate is
notified by MDE by email and prompted to pay online fee
When fee is paid online, certificate is issued and mailed to
candidate by MDE
I Have a Job
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Letter of Good Standing
(late March)
Teacher Fairs,
Applications, Interviews
Provisional Certification
Application Process
Do not begin writing yet!
Where are you going to be this summer, after midMay?
What will your name be?
How can you be reached this summer, after mid-May?
What is your permanent (reliable for mail, bills,
important documents) address?
Use your @msu.edu email address OR your preferred
email address
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Provisional Certificate is Either
Elementary or Secondary
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Elementary – one major (Lang. Arts, Social Studies)
OR
Elementary – two minors
OR
Elementary – two majors (Child Dev, & Lang Arts,
Special Education & Language Arts)
Secondary – one major and one minor OR
Secondary – K-12 major (Art, Music)
Do you have an additional endorsement (beyond above)?
Provisional Certificate w/o
All Endorsements
The “Sign Off” or “Waiver” form:
 Needed if elementary and not ready to be
certified in one or more of your teaching majors,
minors, or additional areas (Child Dev, Special
Ed, or extra/optional endorsement areas)
 Needed if secondary and not ready to be
certified in your minor or additional major/minor
 World languages: MTTC AND OPT must be
passed to be recommended for certification.
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Other MI Certifications
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Professional Certification
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Renewal of the Provisional Certificate
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Renewal of the Professional Certificate
Professional Certificate
Michigan’s advanced teaching license/credential:
NOTE that the requirements for earning the Professional
Certificate are in the process of changing but the details
are still being worked out by the MDE. Check the
College of Education’s website under “Certification”,
May/June 2012. Here’s what we understand so far:
 Valid for 5 years; must be renewed every 5 years
 Need three years of ratings as “effective” or “highly
effective” teaching in your certified area(s) AND,
 Completion of 3 credit course in reading instruction and
diagnosis*** (TE 846 at MSU)
***this course may count towards some masters programs
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or toward renewing your certificate.
Renewal of the Provisional
Certificate
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First Renewal – Valid for up to 3 years
Watch for changes. The current requirements are:
Need 9 recent and relevant semester hours on planned
program after initial certification and recommendation
from teacher preparation institution
Second Renewal – Valid for up to 3 years
Need 18 recent and relevant semester hours on
planned program after initial certification and
recommendation from teacher preparation institution
Third Renewal – Requires sponsorship by school and
approval of Michigan Department of Education
Renewal of Professional Certificate
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Valid for up to 5 years
The following may be changing. Check our
website. The current requirements are:
Need 6 semester hours of coursework that
contributes to your professional development, 18
state board approved continuing education units
(SB-CEUs) or a combination of both
Obtain directly from Michigan Department of
Education (does not require recommendation
from teacher prep institution)
Out of State Certification
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Need valid certificate from Michigan
May obtain temporary authorization or provisional certificate to
teach in another state initially
Likely to need institutional recommendation form verifying
completion of approved teacher preparation program signed by
our Certification Officer (134 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI
48824)
May require specific information about your pre-internship and
internship experiences (e.g., where you taught, grade
levels/subjects, etc.). If form requires this information, send
information with form and your request (do not fill it in on form)
Out of State Certifications (Con’t)
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It’s possible that another state may question your preparation in
one or more areas. If a letter addressing a perceived deficiency is
required, you will need to provide the Certification Officer with
syllabi for the course(s) in which you believe the relevant material
was covered. Keep your syllabi, as some states require a
syllabus from the specific course/year/semester/section taken by
the candidate.
If you know that you will be applying for certification in another
state, please include out-of-state forms with your application for
the provisional certificate submitted to the MSU Certification
Office.
Graduate Programs
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Check out prospective graduate programs via internet
or publications
Determine deadlines and requirements
Apply early – some programs have enrollment
limitations and DO FILL UP.
Graduate Programs at MSU have 5 year completion
limitation
- Degree must be completed within 5 years of 1st course used
toward the degree (e.g., FS11 in TE801/802, then must finish MA
in US16)
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Graduate Programs
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MA in Teaching and Curriculum/MATC at MSU
- 9 credits of 800 level TE course work MAY BE transferable from
Graduate Certification (GC) level, AFTER admission to the
graduate program, providing University policy and time limits are
met.
- Endorsements available within MATC for in ESL, K-12; or
Reading Specialist, K-12.
(Those with ESL minors can extend to K-12 ESL through MATC!)
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Other Master’s Programs at MSU
http://education.msu.edu/academics/masters/
-You negotiate whether any of the 800 level courses taken during
the internship year under GC level enrollment are applicable.
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Other Master’s Programs outside of MSU
-You negotiate whether any of the 800 level courses taken during
internship can count on another institution’s masters programs.
Graduate Programs
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800 level coursework taken FOR INITIAL
(PROVISIONAL) certification can not be used
for renewal of provisional or the professional
certificate
Other Master’s coursework and/or 300 level
and above coursework TAKEN AFTER INITIAL
(PROVISIONAL) certification, on a “planned
program”, can be used for renewal of expired
provisional certificate for approximately 5 years
(coursework must be recent and relevant).
MSU Resources
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MSU College of Education Home Page
http://www.education.msu.edu
- contains valuable information now and for the future,
including certification requirements for MI and other
states, Michigan MDE, NCLB and MEA resources
MSU e-mail account
- retain after graduation
MSU College of Education Alumni Association
See: http://www.msualum.com/careers/