Instructional Experience-Based Certification

The Instructional Experience-Based Certification pathway is a work-based route: candidates secure a paid full-time or long-term substitute position as the teacher of record in their certification area while enrolled in a PDE-approved program to complete required coursework for Instructional I certification.

In contrast, traditional student teaching is the final clinical component of a typically 4-year baccalaureate or 2-year post-baccalaureate preparation program that requires a minimum 12-week, full-time unpaid placement.

This pathway is often a great fit for post-baccalaureate candidates who are ready to move into teaching while completing a preparation program. This especially includes career-changers with strong content-area expertise, long-term substitutes or paraprofessionals who already have substantial classroom experience, and other adults who need a work-based, earn-while-you-learn route.

At KU, teacher candidates must complete their supervised clinical experience within a 50-mile radius of the university.

This 50-mile radius typically covers Berks County plus nearby portions of the counties that border it, such as Lehigh, Schuylkill, Montgomery, Chester, Lancaster, Luzerne, and Lebanon. Depending on the exact school location, the 50-mile range can also extend into nearby parts of Philadephia County, Delaware County, and the Lehigh Valley region (Northampton and sometimes Carbon Counties) and Upper Bucks County.

1. Enroll in a PDE-approved EBC program and secure a full-time contract or long-term substitute position in the appropriate certification area(s).
2. Complete all required certification testing.
3. Submit KU's EBC application.
4. Submit PDE's EBC application in TIMS.
5. KU will verify your program enrollment in TIMS.
6. Once PDE issues the Experience-Based Certificate, you may begin in the teaching role while you continue coursework.
7. After you complete all program requirements, KU recommends you for Instructional I certification.

To apply in TIMS for PA Instructional Experience-Based Certification:

1. Access your TIMS account via your personal Keystone Login credentials.
   
   • If you have not previously created a Keystone Login, you will need to register for one.
2. Complete your TIMS profile.
3. From your TIMS dashboard select “New Credential Application” under “Applications in Process,” and choose the appropriate credential type and subject area(s).
4. Answer the prompts and submit the application.
5. TIMS will forward the application to KU's certification officer for verification of your enrollment, and PDE finalizes its review.

It is possible to be employed on an Emergency Permit when starting EBC program requirements, but it’s important to understand that Emergency Permits are a separate staffing process with their own rules: you can’t begin teaching as the teacher of record until the Experience-Based Certification is issued; however, a district may request an Emergency Permit so you can substitute in the interim while waiting for the certification to be issued.