Thank you for inquiring
about initial certification in the State of
Maine.
Here is some general information about the Initial
Application Process. Anyone reading this letter
should have an application packet on hand. To
request an application packet go to http://www.maine.gov/education/cert/request.htm
FEE:
There is a nonrefundable
fee (Statute Title 20-A Section 130007) for
certification in Maine, whether you are eligible
or not for certification. (1) one or more
Teacher endorsements - total fee of $50.00.
If you already hold a teaching certificate
in Maine, you do not have to submit a fee
for another teacher evaluation;
(2) educational specialist
- $50.00 each; and each administrator certificate
- $100.00. If paying by check, please make
check payable to: Treasurer State of Maine.
You may also elect to use M/C or VISA. If
you currently hold a Maine teaching certificate,
there is no fee for an additional teacher
endorsement.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
To apply for initial certification,
you need to: (1) complete both sides
of the enclosed application; (2) attach
a copy of your undergraduate (showing bachelor's
degree and date conferred - required for all
endorsements and certificates except vocational
education teacher and nurse) and graduate
transcripts (if applicable); (3) demonstrate
a passing score on the PPST *; (4)
if you are in another state, submit a copy
of your teaching
certificate from that state; (5) put
the certificate or endorsement code and the
grade level on the bottom of the application;
(6) appropriate fee; and (7)
explanation of questions answered with "YES".
FINGERPRINTS:
You may receive an evaluation
for a certificate before having your fingerprints
taken. However, prior to being issued any
type of Maine certification, you must have
your fingerprints taken through a process
approved by the Maine Department of Education.
Information regarding approved fingerprint
sites and on-line registration in Maine is
available at https://www10.informe.org/cgi-bin/dps/fingerprint/select_type.pl
or by calling the Certification Office. For
an approved process for having fingerprints
taken outside of Maine, please call the Certification
Office for a fingerprint package.
TRANSCRIPTS:
Send only official college
transcripts. The transcript must show your
degree and date conferred, social security
number, all courses for which you have received
credit, the registrar’s signature and
the embossed seal. If you have transcripts
from colleges outside the United States, you
will need to submit a foreign transcript evaluation
completed by a company recognized by this
office. Please call us for the forms. All
transcripts and degrees must be from an accredited
college, whether the college is inside or
outside the USA.
*EXAMINATION:
Administrator and educational
specialist certificates do not require an
additional examination for initial certification.
*TEACHER EXAMINATION
All applicants for
initial teaching** certificates must demonstrate
that they have achieved a passing
score on the Pre-Professional
Skills Test (PPST) as follows:
Reading 176
Writing 175
Math 175
**Vocational certificates
require the PPST; passing scores are as follows:
Reading 173
Math 172
Writing 168
If you had your scores
reported to this office, you need not include
them with your transcript. Individuals who
have taken and not passed or have not taken
the PPST, may be eligible for a one-year conditional
certificate and should submit all other materials
for an evaluation to determine eligibility.
To register for the examination you will need
to contact the Educational Testing Service
at 609-771-7395 for an application booklet.
"YES" QUESTIONS
If you answered yes to
Question 1: for each conviction, attach a
brief explanation stating when and what the
conviction was. In all likelihood, if the
conviction is more than three years older
than the final discharge from the Criminal
Justice system (end of all incarceration,
completion of parole, completion of probation,
community service, and payment of fines),
attested court documents will not be requested.
Exceptions to this time limit include convictions
relating to harm to children. If further information
is requested, you will need to provide attested
copies of the Judgment and Commitment papers
(including probation conditions). These documents
may be obtained from the Clerk of Courts where
you were convicted. This includes OUI and
negotiating a worthless instrument.
If you answered yes
to question 2 and/or 3: attach an explanation
for each situation.
If you answered ‘YES”
on a previous application and there have been
no additional convictions, submit a statement
that there have been no new convictions since
the previous ‘YES’ was submitted.
PLEASE SUBMIT ALL OF
YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS TOGETHER IN ONE
PACKAGE. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE RETURNED.
YOUR PACKAGE SHOULD INCLUDE:
(1) A completed and signed
application, list the code and grade level
on the bottom of the application;
(2) Graduate and undergraduate
transcripts showing courses, degree and date
conferred;
(3) Foreign transcript
evaluation (if applicable);
(4) PPST scores, if they
were not reported directly to this Department
by the Educational Testing Service;
(5) Where applicable,
a copy of out-of-state teaching certificate,
RN license (524), driver's license and driver
education license issued by the Secretary
of State (530), or NCSP or Maine psychologist
license (093);
(6) Appropriate fee; and,
(7) If you answered yes,
your explanation and, if necessary, court
documents.
A complete application
package will enable the Certification Office
to process your application in a timely manner.
