APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply for initial certification evaluation, you must: (1) complete page 1 of the application; (2)
enclose an official transcript of your undergraduate (showing bachelor's degree and date
conferred - required for all endorsements and certificates except career and technical education
teacher endorsements) and graduate transcripts (if applicable); (3) if you hold certification in
another state, submit a copy of your teacher or educational specialist certificate from that state;
(4) list the certificate or endorsement code and the grade level on application; (5) enclose
appropriate non-refundable fee; and (6) include an explanation of questions answered with
"YES".
FEES:
1. Initial Teacher/Educational Specialist Certificate
2. Each Additional Teacher Endorsement (beyond initial
endorsement)
3. Initial Administrators
$100
$35
$200
4. Administrative Portfolios Reviews (In addition to the initial
$200)
$300
Please make check payable to: Treasurer State of Maine. You may also elect to use M/C or
VISA.
FINGERPRINTS:
You may receive an evaluation for a certificate before having your fingerprints taken. However,
prior to being issued any type of Maine certification, you must have your fingerprints taken
through a process approved by the Maine Department of Education. Information regarding
approved fingerprint sites and on-line registration in Maine is available at:
http://www.maine.gov/doe/cert/fingerprinting/index.html
For information regarding the approved process for having fingerprints taken outside of Maine,
please call the Certification Office for an out-of-state fingerprint packet. There is a one-time $55
fee for this process, whether you are fingerprinted in Maine or submit an out-of-state fingerprint
packet.
TRANSCRIPTS:
Send only official college transcripts. The transcript must show your degree and date conferred,
Social Security number (when possible), all courses for which you have received credit, the
registrar’s signature and the embossed seal. We do not accept copies of transcripts, scanned
transcripts, or computer generated grade reports. If you have transcripts from colleges outside the
United States, you must submit a foreign transcript evaluation completed by a company
recognized by this office. Please call us for the forms. All transcripts and degrees must be from
an accredited college, whether the college is inside or outside the USA. If you already hold a
Maine certificate in another area, you do not need to send transcripts that you have sent to us
previously.
EXAMINATIONS:
If you have taken and passed the appropriate assessments, please include score results with your
application package. To register for examinations, contact the Educational Testing Service at
www.ets.org/praxis/me.
"YES" QUESTIONS
1. If you answered, “yes” to Question 1: for each conviction, attach a brief explanation
stating the date and nature of the conviction. If additional information is requested from
the Department of Education, you may need to provide attested copies of the Judgment
and Commitment papers (including probation conditions). These documents may be
obtained from the Clerk of Courts where you were convicted.
2. If you answered, “yes” to question 2 and/or 3: attach an explanation for each situation.
3. If you answered, “yes” on a previous application and there have been no additional
convictions, submit a statement that there have been no new convictions since the
previous “yes” was submitted.
Chapter 115 Part I Section 4.4:
Any bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or required semester hours of academic study shall have
been earned at an accredited four-year institution. For purposes of this rule, an accredited
institution is a college, university, or other post-secondary institution accredited by one or more
of the following:
A. One of the six regional accrediting agencies:
1. The New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
2. The Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
3. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
4. The North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools
5. The Northwest Association of Secondary Schools and Higher Education
6. The Western Association of Colleges and Schools
B. The National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
C. Any other national institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of
Education as an accrediting authority.
WAIVERS and EXCEPTIONS:
1. For initial certification a maximum of six semester hours of course requirements may be
met through documenting, to the satisfaction of the Commissioner, that the applicant has
taught the course at a post-secondary college or university for at least two semesters.
2. A maximum of six semester hours of course requirements may be met through CLEP
Exam(s) with a minimum score of 60 on subject examinations for courses not already
taken.
3. A course requirement may be met through a two-year community college, if a minimum
grade of ‘C-“ was received for the course and the specific course is part of an articulated
agreement with a regionally accredited four-year college or university. The articulation
agreement would be that the specific course would be accepted as a transfer credit
towards a bachelor’s degree at the 4-year college. The certification candidate is
responsible for providing the Department with documentation meeting the criteria.
4. Student teaching may be waived upon documentation of one school year of successful
teaching in Maine in the endorsement area, as long as the Commissioner has granted a
waiver to teach prior to the end of the school year and if the applicant has had a support
team.
TESTING: (Core Academic Skills for Educator (Core) tests will replace Praxis I, PreProfessional Sills Tests (PPST) effective August 2014.
1. Qualifying scores for the Core Academic Skills Tests and Pre-Professional Skills Test
(PPST/PRAXIS I) are as follows:
Core: Reading (5712) 156
PPST: Reading (5710) 176
Writing (5722) 162
Writing (5720) 175
Math
Math
(5732) 150
(5730 175
Maine applicants for initial teacher certification must achieve a composite score of (468) on the
three sections of the Praxis Core and (526) on the three sections of the PPST or a composite
score of (468), with no single score on any section being more than three points lower than the
required score above.
When registering for Praxis I, be sure to include both USM (R3691) and MDOE (R7368) as
score recipients.
3. Out-of-State Certified Teachers and Educational Specialists
Applicants holding a current full teaching certificate from another state who are seeking a
teaching certificate in the same endorsement area in Maine will not be required to take
the PPST or Principles of Learning and Teaching examinations. Provide a copy of the
certificate with your application package.
Applicants holding a current full educational specialist certificate from another state who are
seeking a certificate in the same area in Maine will not be required to take the Principles of
Learning and Teaching examinations. Provide a copy of the certificate with your application
package.
PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS TOGETHER IN ONE
PACKAGE. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE RETURNED. YOUR
PACKAGE SHOULD INCLUDE:
1. A completed and signed application, list the code and grade level on the application
2. Official graduate and undergraduate transcripts showing courses, degree and date
conferred;
3. Foreign transcript evaluation (if applicable);
4. ETS scores, if applicable;
5. Where applicable, a copy of out-of-state teaching certificate, Maine RN license (524),
driver's license and driver education license issued by the Secretary of State (530), or
NCSP or Maine psychologist license (093);
6. Appropriate non-refundable fee; and
7. If you answered yes, your explanation and, if necessary, court documents.
A complete application package will enable the Certification Office to process your application
in a timely manner.