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of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

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    Department of Education

    Get Certified to Teach in Pennsylvania

    Log in to TIMS to apply for your PA educator certification, access your personal TIMS dashboard, view and update personal information, print a copy of your PA educator certificate, and perform additional functions as a current or future educator.

    Log in to TIMS
    Check your application status

    Current processing times

    Processing times once your application reaches awaiting evaluation status:

    • In State Level I Certificates: less than 2.5 weeks
    • In State Level II Certificates (Instructional and Ed Spec): 4 weeks
    • Out of State Level I Certificates (Instructional and Ed Spec): 7 weeks
    • All Speciailty Certs Other than In State/Out of State Level: 6 weeks
    • Add On Certifications: 2.5 weeks
    • Emergency Certification (All Types): less than 1.5 weeks

    Contact us

    Here's how you can contact the Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher Quality for answers to your questions. You may also call the certification services team at: 717-PA-TEACH (728-3224) or 717-787-3356. 

    Education certification

    For questions about new and current certification applications, email us. Include your name, PPID number or date of birth, application ID, and a detailed description of your question.

    Send an email

    Staffing

    For questions about school staffing, policies, requirements, or certificate validity, email us. Include your name and title, school district, educator's PPID number, course name or description, and a detailed description of your question.

    Send an email

    Higher education

    For questions about higher education teacher preparation programs, email us. Include your name, college or university, and a detailed description of your question.

    Send an email