Guide to Assessments for Educator Certification in Connecticut

How To

Assessment Providers
Company Name Website Phone
ETS Praxis II: www.ets.org/praxis
Praxis Core: https://www.ets.org/praxis/about/core/
CAT: www.ets.org/sls/states/ct
800-772-9476
Special accommodations: 866-387-8602
Pearson www.ct.nesinc.com 413-256-2896
ACTFL www.languagetesting.com 800-486-8444

Special Accommodations

Candidates with learning/physical disabilities, or whose first language is not English, may be eligible for special testing accommodations. Information on how to apply for special accommodations or document the circumstances requiring accommodation may be obtained from each testing company.


Social Security Number: Score Reporting

When registering for any test, you must provide your Social Security number to ensure your scores are reported correctly to the State Department of Education. Candidates who have taken one of the specific tests listed above outside Connecticut should request that the testing agency send a score report to the Connecticut State Department of Education. (For Praxis tests, the ETS recipient code is R7050.)


Test Preparation

Test preparation materials such as detailed test descriptions, sample questions with answers, practice tests and test-taking strategies may be available on the websites of the testing companies. In addition, the regional educational service centers (RESCs) below may offer test preparation assistance:

RESC LOCATION PHONE
ACES Hamden 203-498-6800
CES Trumbull 203-365-8912
CREC Hartford 860-247-2732
EASTCONN Hampton 860-455-0707
EdAdvance Litchfield 860-567-0863
LEARN Old Lyme 860-434-4800 ext. 355

Assessments taken by educators certified outside of Connecticut

Assessment Deferral for Out-of-State Applicants

Out-of-state applicants who meet all certification criteria except Connecticut assessment requirements may be issued a nonrenewable interim certificate with a deferral for the required tests. The deferral will be for three years for educators with less than two years of appropriate teaching experience. Applicants are eligible for an interim certificate only once, regardless of whether they work under the certificate. To maintain certification and obtain subsequent certificates, the applicant must complete all required tests before the expiration date of the certificate. All applicants who are eligible for a deferral of testing requirements will automatically be issued an interim certificate once all requirements other than testing have been met. Note: Deferrals are not available to candidates who previously have been issued a Connecticut certificate with a testing deferral, or who hold a valid Connecticut educator certificate.

Assessment Exemptions for Out-of-State Applicants

Effective July 1, 2009, amended as of July 1, 2013, out-of-state educators may be exempt from Board-approved assessment requirements, including Praxis II subject knowledge tests, Pearson tests, and/or ACTFL OPI and WPT, if they meet the following criteria:

Hold a valid certificate in another state that is equivalent to at least a Connecticut initial educator certificate AND have one of the following:

  1. Three years of successful appropriate experience in the same state (outside CT) in the endorsement requested within the past 10 years; OR
  2. A master’s degree in the academic subject area for which Connecticut certification is being requested (e.g. mathematics, biology, chemistry, etc). Please note that pedagogical degrees in the subject area (e.g., physical education, elementary education, special education, etc.) do not meet the requirements of the exemption.
ED 711: Verification of Out-of-State Educator Certification Tests

If you passed an educator certification test required in another U.S. state or territory, the institution of higher education, department of education, or other authorized agency that required the test may complete and submit the Verification of Out-of-State Educator Certification Tests form (ED 711) to this office. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) will determine if your test result qualifies as equivalent, in order to waive a Connecticut assessment. The authorized agency must mail the completed form directly to:

Connecticut State Department of Education
Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification
P.O. Box 150471
Hartford, CT 06115-0471