Navigating Education Degree and Middle School Endorsement Requirements in Alabama

Teaching is a profession that shapes children for tomorrow’s opportunities and helps equip them to successfully navigate life. As an educator, you get to experience the satisfaction of making a difference in others’ lives. Alabama has recently taken action to improve teaching in the state in math and science, offering financial incentives to attract new talent. Before you can serve in public school classrooms in Alabama, you need to be certified. Here is an overview of the process and helpful resources with more information.

The Certification Process

There are four basic parts of the process of getting certified to teach in Alabama.

Enroll in a Teacher Education Program

The path to becoming a teacher begins with learning. You will need to have completed at least a bachelor’s degree in a program approved by the Alabama State Department of Education. These programs will provide instruction in the principles of teaching and allow you to specialize in a particular subject matter, like math or history, for secondary school teaching. The specifics of each program will differ, including the subject areas they cover. Consider the area of teaching you’d like to pursue and make sure the program you’re applying to offers it. The state collects information about the performance of students from each program, which can be a helpful reference.

Gain Classroom Experience

As part of the university program in which you enroll, you’ll also be required to spend some time in the classroom. This will include a student teaching internship where you’ll have the chance to put what you’re learning into practice in a supervised environment. Enrollment in an Alabama-approved teacher preparation program will include field experiences and internships coordinated, overseen, and assessed by the college or institution. As a candidate for either Class B or alternative Class A certification, you must participate in extensive field experiences, with the majority occurring in P-12 schools. At least half of your field experiences will occur in your desired teaching field. After completion of your field experiences, you will be required to complete an internship during which you will have a hands-on classroom opportunity. As a teaching candidate in Alabama, your internship will involve working full-time for one semester in the teaching field for which you are seeking certification. To ensure that you get appropriate experience, you will assume full-time teaching responsibilities for a minimum of five consecutive days. Candidates pursuing degrees in Class A and Class AA programs also are required to complete field experiences.

Pass Tests

Alabama requires those applying for certification to pass two kinds of tests. The first is called Praxis Subject Assessments, which are designed to test for both general teaching skills and subject-specific knowledge. If you want to be certified to teach math, for instance, you’ll need to pass a Praxis test in that subject area. The other assessment Alabama requires is the Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). This test is given at the end of your college program in education. It is an evaluation of a portfolio of your work that you create during your student teaching internship. The aim is to verify that you have the skills necessary to effectively teach in an actual classroom setting. Depending upon the area of teaching you wish to pursue, you may also need to pass the Foundations of Reading test. You will need to pass a set of required certification exams, called the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP), as required by the Alabama State Board of Education. The first exam required in the AECAP is the Educational Testing Services (ETS) Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests. Since this exam is required for admission to a Class B or Alternative Class A program, candidates should have passed this exam early in their educational careers. Within six months of being eligible for certification, you must pass the appropriate Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching assessments from ETS, as well as the corresponding Praxis II subject assessments in any teaching field or area of instructional support for which you will be applying.

The Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) consists of 3-4 tasks (depending on your program): planning 3-5 lessons, video recording yourself teaching these 3-5 lessons, and collecting student work from these 3-5 lessons.

Apply for Certification

The Alabama State Department of Education is responsible for certifying teachers. Upon successful completion of your degree program, your institution will recommend you for approval to the Department of Education. You will need to make sure you have completed the above components, submitted your official transcripts, and completed a few other items like a background check. You can dig into the details on the state’s site. The Educator Certification section of the Alabama State Department of Education issues teaching certificates. All candidates for teacher certification in Alabama must submit to a background check from the Alabama Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including fingerprinting by an approved third-party contractor. You also must ensure that the Educator Certification section receives official educational transcripts sent from your college or university and official electronic test scores sent from the testing organization. A recommendation for certification submitted directly from an Alabama college or university also is required. All students must complete the proper application form for Alabama certification. Applicants must meet requirements in effect on the date the application for Alabama certification and the application fee are received in the ALSDE Teacher Certification Section of the Office of Teaching and Leading.

Middle School Endorsement Requirements

To become a secondary school teacher in Alabama, you can pursue certification in Secondary Teaching Fields (Grades 6-12). Your educational preparation will include the study of a comprehensive field in English language arts, general science, or general social studies. You must complete a minimum of 32 semester hours in the academic major, with at least 19 semester hours of upper-level credits. Secondary School teachers in Alabama must complete at least two Praxis II examinations, including Principles of Learning and Teaching 7-12 and one Content Knowledge exam relative to your major area of study.

Additional Certification Information

Out-of-State Certification

Coming from out of state? You’ll first need to be certified in another state. For most states, that will mean going through a similar process as that described above, including earning a bachelor’s degree, participating in an internship, and passing examinations. Assuming you are already certified in another state, you will need to provide this certification along with official transcripts for all your coursework. There are a few other possible routes to certification in Alabama that are less common but may apply to you. Teachers who earned certification in another state may be able to take advantage of teaching reciprocity agreements in Alabama to expedite their certification there. Alabama grants full reciprocity to valid professional educators who have certifications issued by other states only when the original certificate is in an area, at a grade level, and at a degree level in which Alabama offers comparable professional certification. No specific coursework is required. Applicants may choose from three options with regard to assessment requirements. Certification applicants who possess an out-of-state certification that does not reflect a degree level may be eligible for a Supplement VER to determine if the applicant who is eligible for Alabama certification via reciprocity may be eligible for an advanced level of certification in that area. Considerations include whether the candidate completed an advanced degree level P-12 educator preparation program in the area for which certification is being requested. Eligible out-of-state programs must have required at least 30 hours of graduate credit.

Provisional Certificates

Alabama awards alternate teaching certification in the form of Provisional Certificates. An Alabama school district superintendent or administrator may request a Provisional Certificate in a Teaching Field (PCTF) for an individual who will be employed full-time in a teaching field during the completion of their requirements for a Class B Professional Educator Certificate in that specific field. PCTFs are available for grades K-12 and 6-12 and are issued for one scholastic year. While holding a valid PCTF, an individual must complete three full years of full-time teaching experience in the teaching field within the four scholastic years from July 1 of the scholastic year of the first PCTF. An individual must apply for Class B Professional Educator Certificate by October 1 of the calendar year during which the third PCTF expires or lose the right to seek certification via this approach. Alabama also offers alternate teaching certifications for candidates unconditionally admitted in a state-approved Alternative Class A program, state-approved Class A program, or Class AA program of Special Education.

Teach for America

Teach for America, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting education equality in the United States, places teachers in nine school districts in Alabama. Participation in Teach for America involves a rigorous application process in which the organization recruits recent college graduates who represent leadership qualities. Qualifications include the completion of a bachelor’s degree. Teach for America members live and work in the urban districts of Birmingham, Huntsville, and Montgomery and the rural towns of Greensboro, Marion, Selma, and Uniontown. More than 91 percent of the students served by Teach for America in Alabama are low income.

Transitioning into Teaching

While Alabama does not have a specific program for transitioning into teaching, alternate teaching certificates can help candidates achieve certification via a non-traditional route. Certification specialists in the Alabama State Department of Education can help professionals transitioning into teaching determine the requirements they will need to become a certified teacher.

Teacher Shortage Areas

Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education identifies Teacher Shortage Areas (TSA) by state. As an incentive to encourage certifications in these subjects, you may qualify for deferment, reduction, or cancellation of student loans if you pursue certification in a TSA in Alabama.

Additional Certifications

With completion of the required criteria, you can apply to earn specialty certifications in one or more of several concentrations. Specialty certifications are valuable for teachers who want to specialize in specific age groups or academic subject areas.

Early Childhood Education

A specialty in early childhood education qualifies you to teach students ranging from preschool to grade three. Candidates for this certification in Alabama must complete an educational program that includes at least 32 hours of study in a teaching field with a minimum of 19 semester hours of upper-division credit. To earn a specialty certification in Early Childhood Education, a candidate in a Class B program must earn at least 12 semester hours of acceptable credit in each of the following academic subjects: English, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Three Praxis II exams are required for certification in Early Childhood Education.

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Elementary School Teacher

Certification as an elementary school teacher in Alabama prepares you to teach grades K-6. To earn this certification, you must complete an educational program that includes at least 32 hours of study in a teaching field with a minimum of 19 semester hours of upper-division credit. A candidate in a Class B elementary school program must earn at least 12 semester hours of acceptable credit in each of the core academic subjects: English, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Candidates for Elementary School certification must successfully complete six Praxis II assessments.

Substitute Teacher

You do not need the same teacher certification as full-time teachers to work as a substitute teacher in Alabama. Substitute teacher certification must be requested by a county/city school superintendent or an administrator of a non-public school directly to the Education Certification Section. The requirements for substitute teacher certification include the same background check and fingerprinting required of all teaching certifications.

Physical Education

You can earn certification in physical education (PE) by completing the same educational requirements for either elementary or secondary education, depending on the age group you intend to teach. State-approved educator preparation programs offer curriculum to prepare you to teach physical education.

Special Education

Special Education Certification in Alabama is offered under several specializations: Collaborative Special Education (Grades K-6); Collaborative Special Education (Grades 6-12); and Early Childhood Special Education (Grades P-3). Required Praxis II assessments vary by specific Special Education Certification. All certifications require the completion of Principles of Learning and Teaching, either K-6 or 7-12 and Special Ed: Core Knowledge and Apps. Elementary Special Education certifications also require the completion of testing in Elementary Ed: Multiple Subjects.

English as a Second Language

To earn certification in teaching English as a second language in Alabama, you must qualify to earn the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) (Grades P-12) teaching certificate.

School Administrators

Certification for School Administrators in Alabama is awarded by the Instructional Leadership certification. To qualify for unconditional admission to an Instructional Leadership Program, you must have a Class B Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or a valid Class A Professional Educator Certificate in a teaching field or instructional support area. Minimum professional experience includes three years of full-time acceptable experience in a P-12 setting, with at least one year of full-time P-12 teaching experience.

Important Points to Remember

Alabama teaching certificates are the legal responsibility of the Alabama State Department of Education. Colleges and universities cannot issue professional certificates.
In order to be recommended for a professional teacher's certificate, candidates must complete a state-approved program. It is the candidate's responsibility to initiate the application for the initial certificate.
Candidates who expect to teach in states other than Alabama are responsible for knowledge of licensure requirements of those states.
The initial Class B and Class A certificates are valid for five years. Individuals who allow their certificates to lapse for more than 6 months will be required to renew their certificates, obtain another background clearance, and meet requirements of the Alabama Professional Teacher Testing (APTT) program for issuance of a renewed certificate or license.
Applicants must meet requirements in effect on the date the application for Alabama certification and the application fee are received in the ALSDE Teacher Certification Section of the Office of Teaching and Leading.
A number of alternative approaches to certification are available for individuals who are highly qualified in their field but have not completed a college teacher education program.
Admission, retention, and completion requirements for teacher education programs are governed by policies and procedures of accrediting/approval agencies (CAEP, SACSCOC, ALSDE, etc.) and ASU. Accordingly, the requirements and procedures indicated here are subject to change at any time. Candidates must consult with their COE advisers to ensure meeting the most recent requirements and procedures. Candidates are responsible for obtaining the most current set of requirements from the COE academic adviser. Although governed by the academic catalog under which an individual enters ASU, candidates are subject to any and all changes by the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE).

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