Frequently Asked Questions about Step Three

Step 3 is the final step before certification. It means you have completed successfully all of your education requirements, including your student teaching experience and Teacher Work Sample, and you are ready to apply for certification.

Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the Office of Educator Preparation have adopted the Student Teaching Work Sample as the culminating project to verify positive impact on K-12 student learning.

During student teaching, the teacher candidate will prepare a “work sample” in order to provide verification that the students in their classrooms have learned; in other words, that the student teacher has had a positive impact on the students' learning. Your portfolio will be evaluated through the LiveText system.

Also, see the Student Work Sample Template.

The process for securing certification in Pennsylvania is through the Teacher Information Management System on the Pennsylvania Department of Education website.

Application for certification cannot be made until the month of your graduation! You can find more information about the process by viewing the TIMS PowerPoint Instructions.

1. You are required to pay a fee of $200 as of November 1, 2016, to PDE through the TIMS certification system.
2. You are also required to pay a $60 processing fee to IUP through the Marketplace website.

Once you have completed your application and paid your IUP fee to Marketplace, you must send a copy of the TIMS coversheet and Marketplace receipt to:

Office of Educator Preparation
Stouffer Hall, Room 104
1175 Maple Street
Indiana, PA 15705

Or, you may scan/e-mail the receipt to Judy Geesey at jgeesey@iup.edu.

If you have any questions about the process of certification, please contact the Office of Educator Preparation at 734-357-2485.