Teacher Education Programs – Certification Information

Teacher Education Programs

Trinity’s teacher education programs are nationally accredited and state approved and meet certification requirements of the District of Columbia. The School of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

At the Graduate level, the School of Education offers specializations in early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, special education, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

The School of Education also offers an undergraduate major in education that prepares students for certification in elementary education.

Teacher Certification

Teacher certification (licensure) is granted by the state education authority and may be recognized through reciprocity by other jurisdictions. Successful completion of all program components and awarding of the degree, plus qualifying scores on state-determined teacher licensure examinations lead to eligibility for state teacher certification by the District of Columbia Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). This certification is accepted by numerous other jurisdictions, sometimes with conditions or other requirements. (See www.nasdtec.org/agreement.php.) It is the responsibility of the candidate to obtain up-to-date information on certification requirements in the states he or she wishes to teach.

State Required Examinations

The Praxis examinations, administered by the Educational Testing Service, are used by D.C. Public Schools as part of their teacher certification process. The Praxis I examination measures reading, writing, and computational skills vital to all teacher candidates. The Praxis II examinations measure prospective teachers’ knowledge of the subjects they will teach, as well as how much they know about teaching that subject and is usually taken in the last semester of course work. Students are responsible for arranging to take these tests and have their scores reported to Trinity as well as appropriate certification agencies. Further information is available from ETS at www.ets.org. Trinity’s school code is RA5796. See Trinity’s Policy about Praxis Examinations.

Students seeking teacher certification must pass the examinations required by the D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education (O.S.S.E.) and a nationally-based background check. For details concerning the Praxis II/Principles of Learning and Teaching Examinations and other licensure requirements, see the O.S.S.E. website.

Certification Application Process

The School of Education assists graduates in obtaining the initial standard license. For specific instructions, contact the School of Education at 202-884-9555 or EDU@trinitydc.edu.