2018 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10 - Education and Culture
Chapter 166 - Teachers and Superintendents
Section 10-145f - Testing for prospective teachers.

(a) Each person formally admitted to a State Board of Education approved teacher preparation program shall take the state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination, prescribed by and administered under the direction of the State Board of Education, unless such person has qualified for a waiver of such test based on criteria established by the State Board of Education. Each person’s essential skills test results shall be used as a diagnostic tool, in accordance with the guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to section 5 of public act 16-41*, for purposes of providing any necessary remedial instruction to such person while he or she is enrolled in such teacher preparation program.

(b) (1) Any person who does not hold a valid certificate pursuant to section 10-145b shall achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area assessment in order to be eligible for a certificate pursuant to said section unless such assessment has not been approved by the State Board of Education at the time of application, in which case the applicant shall not be denied a certificate solely because of the lack of an evaluation on such assessment.

(2) Any person applying for an additional certification endorsement shall achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area assessment in order to be eligible for such additional endorsement, unless such assessment has not been approved by the State Board of Education at the time of application, in which case the applicant shall not be denied the additional endorsement solely because of the lack of an evaluation on such assessment.

(3) On and after July 1, 1992, any teacher who held a valid teaching certificate but whose certificate lapsed and who had completed all requirements for the issuance of a new certificate pursuant to section 10-145b, except for filing an application for such certificate, prior to the date on which the lapse occurred, may file, within one year of the date on which the lapse occurred, an application with the Commissioner of Education for the issuance of such certificate. Upon the filing of such an application, the commissioner may grant such certificate and such certificate shall be retroactive to the date on which the lapse occurred, provided the commissioner finds that the lapse of the certificate occurred as a result of a hardship or extenuating circumstances beyond the control of the applicant. If such teacher has attained tenure and is reemployed by the same board of education in any equivalent unfilled position for which the person is qualified as a result of the issuance of a certificate pursuant to this subdivision, the lapse period shall not constitute a break in employment for such person reemployed and shall be used for the purpose of calculating continuous employment pursuant to section 10-151. If such teacher has not attained tenure, the time unemployed due to the lapse of a certificate shall not be counted toward tenure, except that if such teacher is reemployed by the same board of education as a result of the issuance of a certificate pursuant to this subdivision, such teacher may count the previous continuous employment immediately prior to the lapse towards tenure. Using information provided by the Teachers’ Retirement Board, the Department of Education shall annually notify each local or regional board of education of the name of each teacher employed by such board of education whose provisional certificate will expire during the period of twelve months following such notice. Upon receipt of such notice the superintendent of each local and regional board of education shall notify each such teacher in writing, at such teacher’s last-known address, that the teacher’s provisional certificate will expire.

(4) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection to the contrary, to be eligible for a certificate to teach subjects for which a bachelor’s degree is not required, any applicant who is otherwise eligible for certification in such endorsement areas shall be entitled to a certificate without having met the requirements of the competency examination and subject area assessment pursuant to this subsection for a period not to exceed two years, except that for a certificate to teach skilled trades or trade-related or occupational subjects, the commissioner may waive the requirement that the applicant take the competency examination. The commissioner may, upon the showing of good cause, extend the certificate.

(5) On and after July 1, 2011, any person applying for a certification in the endorsement area of elementary education shall achieve a satisfactory evaluation on the appropriate State Board of Education approved mathematics assessment in order to be eligible for such elementary education endorsement.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section and section 10-145b, the following persons shall be eligible for a nonrenewable temporary certificate: (1) A person who has resided in a state other than Connecticut during the year immediately preceding application for certification in Connecticut and meets the requirements for certification, excluding successful completion of the competency examination and subject matter assessment, if such person holds current teacher certification in a state other than Connecticut and has completed at least one year of successful teaching in another state in a public school or a nonpublic school approved by the appropriate state board of education, (2) a person who has graduated from a teacher preparation program at a college or university outside of the state and regionally accredited, and meets the requirements for certification, excluding successful completion of the competency examination and subject matter assessment, (3) a person hired by a charter school after July first in any school year for a teaching position that school year, provided the person hired after said date could reasonably be expected to complete the requirements prescribed in subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of section 10-145b, and (4) a person who has taught under an appropriate certificate issued by another state, territory or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico for two or more years. The nonrenewable temporary certificate shall be valid for one year from the date it is issued, except the State Board of Education may extend a temporary certificate for an additional two years (A) in the certification endorsement area of bilingual education issued under this subsection to a person who is employed by a local or regional board of education and providing instruction as part of a program of bilingual instruction, as defined in section 10-17e, or (B) to a person described in subdivision (4) of this subsection.

(d) Any person who is first issued a certificate valid after July 1, 1989, or who is reissued a certificate after July 1, 1989, shall, except as otherwise provided in this subsection, be required to achieve a satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment not later than the end of the second year of teaching in a public school if hired prior to January first or, if hired on or after January first, not later than the end of the second full school year of teaching following the year in which such person was hired in order to retain the certificate. The commissioner (1) may waive the requirement that such satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment be achieved upon a determination that such assessment is not valid for the person’s teaching assignment, or (2) upon a showing of good cause, may extend the time limit for the assessment for a period of time not exceeding two years. The requirement of a clinical assessment shall not apply to any such person who has completed at least three years of successful teaching in a public school or a nonpublic school approved by the appropriate state board of education during the ten years immediately preceding the date of application or who successfully taught with a provisional teaching certificate during the year immediately preceding an application for a provisional educator certificate as an employee of a local or regional board of education or facility approved for special education by the State Board of Education. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the State Board of Education may reissue an initial educator certificate to a person who held such certificate and did not achieve a satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment provided the person submits evidence demonstrating significant intervening study and experience, in accordance with standards established by the State Board of Education.

(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person who holds a valid teaching certificate that is at least equivalent to an initial educator certificate, as determined by the State Board of Education, and such certificate is issued by a state other than Connecticut in the subject area or endorsement area for which such person is seeking certification in Connecticut shall not be required to successfully complete the competency examination and subject matter assessment pursuant to this section, if such person has either (1) successfully completed at least three years of teaching experience or service in the endorsement area for which such person is seeking certification in Connecticut in the past ten years in a public school or a nonpublic school approved by the appropriate state board of education in such other state, or (2) holds a master’s degree or higher in the subject area for which such person is seeking certification in Connecticut.

(P.A. 85-532, S. 1, 2; P.A. 86-147, S. 1, 2; P.A. 87-464, S. 5, 8; 87-499, S. 9, 10, 34; P.A. 88-273, S. 3, 4, 8, 9; 88-360, S. 19–21, 63; P.A. 89-137, S. 6–8, 13, 14; 89-251, S. 68, 203; P.A. 90-325, S. 2–5, 32; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 3, 117; P.A. 93-353, S. 19, 34, 52; P.A. 94-245, S. 4, 46; P.A. 95-259, S. 15, 32; P.A. 96-214, S. 9; 96-244, S. 13, 57, 63; P.A. 03-76, S. 13, 14; 03-174, S. 2; June 19 Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-1, S. 3; P.A. 11-85, S. 7; P.A. 13-122, S. 16; P.A. 14-187, S. 42; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 338; P.A. 16-41, S. 4; P.A. 17-14, S. 3; 17-68, S. 2.)

*Note: Section 5 of public act 16-41 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force and effect according to its terms.

History: P.A. 86-147 in Subsec. (b) deleted reference to professional knowledge assessment, added testing requirements for permanent and lapsed or revoked certificate holders and persons applying for additional certification endorsement and set deadline for development of subject area assessment, added Subsec. (c) to provide for a nonrenewable temporary certificate, added Subsec. (d) re professional knowledge clinical assessment, added Subsec. (e) which had been part of Subsec. (b) and made other technical changes; P.A. 87-464 added Subdiv. and Subpara. designations in Subsec. (b) and in Subsec. (c) provided for nonrenewable temporary certificates for graduates of out-of-state teacher preparation programs; P.A. 87-499 in Subsec. (b) provided an exception to the testing requirements for applicants for certificates to teach skilled trades and trade-related subjects and in Subsec. (d) deleted “provisional” and made the Subsec. apply to all certificate holders, counted the 10 years from the date of application rather than date of employment under provisional certificate, substituted July for May and provided that the time limit for assessment may be extended by “one year” rather than by “not more than one year”; P.A. 88-273 inserted new Subsec. (b)(3) re standard certificates for and the reemployment of holders of certain lapsed provisional certificates and re annual notification by state department of education of provisional certificates which are to expire in the subsequent 12 months, and renumbered old Subdiv. (3) as Subdiv. (4), amended Subsec. (c) to provide for the issuance of a nonrenewable temporary certificate pursuant to Subdiv. (2) for the 1988-1989 school year and in Subsec. (d) substituted July 1, 1989, for July 1, 1988; P.A. 88-360 in Subsec. (a) substituted “scores on all components, in one administration of the” for “score on each component of any one” state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination and made a technical change, in Subsec. (b)(1) substituted “scores on all components, in one administration, of the” for “score on each component of any one” state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination and in Subdiv. (3) (now (4)) of Subsec. (b) substituted “subjects for which a bachelor’s degree is not required” for “skilled trades and trade-related subjects” and in Subsec. (e) substituted “all fees” for “a fee”, specified that the competency examination be that administered by the state board of education, provided that the fees be at a level not to exceed the administrative costs but need not be at a level to meet all such costs and added provisions re the competency examination fee, registration fees and waivers of fees; P.A. 89-137 in Subsec. (b)(2) substituted December 1, 1990, for May 1, 1990, as the date before which the state board of education shall complete the development of subject area assessments, in Subsec. (b)(3) added Subpara. (A) designation, deleted the provisions granting a standard certificate to certain persons whose provisional certificates had lapsed and concerning the reemployment of such teachers and treatment of the lapse period, specified the circumstances under which the commissioner of education may issue a new certificate to a teacher whose certificate has lapsed, specified the circumstances under which the lapse period is not a break in employment and is used for calculating continuous employment, required superintendents to notify teachers of the expiration of provisional certificates and added new Subpara. (B) re the granting of a provisional teaching certificate to certain persons 65 years of age or older, in Subsec. (b)(4) permitted the commissioner of education to waive the competency examination requirement for applicants for certificates to teach skilled trades or trade-related or occupational subjects, and in Subsec. (d) permitted the reissuance of an initial educator certificate to certain persons who did not achieve a satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment; P.A. 89-251 set the fee for the competency examination at not less than $48 and increased the fee for retesting from $10 to $12; P.A. 90-325 in Subsec. (b)(1) with an exception made the subdivision apply to any person who does not hold a valid certificate and provided that a satisfactory evaluation on a subject area assessment not be required if the assessment has not been approved by the state board of education, rather than if it has not been developed, in Subsec. (b)(2) provided that a satisfactory evaluation on a subject area assessment for eligibility for an additional endorsement not be required if the assessment has not been approved by the state board of education, rather than if it has not been developed, in Subsec. (c) removed the limitation that nonrenewable temporary certificates for graduates of out-of-state teacher preparation programs be issued only for certain years and in added Subsec. (d)(1) to allow the commissioner of education to waive the requirement of a satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment if the assessment is not valid for the person’s teaching assignment and provided that the requirement not apply to certain persons who taught with provisional teaching certificates; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 amended Subsec. (e) to provide the fee shall be not less than $75 for competency examination and subject area assessment for the elementary level and to delete references to board discretion regarding assessment of fees; P.A. 93-353 amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions concerning the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores or those of an equivalent test and amended Subsec. (b)(3) to make the Subdiv. applicable on and after July 1, 1992, to remove the requirement that the teacher have held the certificate “while employed by a local or regional board of education or a facility approved for special education by the state board of education or on authorized leave from such a board of education or facility”, to divide Subpara. (A) into (A) and (B) and to delete the existing Subpara. (B) which was obsolete, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 94-245 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to provide that on and after January 1, 1995, satisfactory scores in all components of competency examinations need not be achieved in one administration and to substitute an examination administered “under the direction of” the board for an examination administered “by” the board, effective June 2, 1994; P.A. 95-259 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to apply the existing requirements to tests administered on or before March 31, 1995, and to add new requirements for tests administered after said date, also in Subsec. (b) added the provisions dealing with non-English versions and amended Subsec. (c) to change the time frame for the validity of nonrenewable temporary certificates, effective July 6, 1995; P.A. 96-214 added Subsec. (c)(3) re person hired by a charter school after July first in any school year; P.A. 96-244 amended Subsec. (c)(3) to change the eligibility requirement for the temporary certificate for persons hired by a charter school and amended Subsec. (d) to extend the time for achievement of a satisfactory evaluation on a professional knowledge clinical assessment from within “one” to “two” years and made a technical change, effective July 1, 1996; P.A. 03-76 made technical changes in Subsecs. (b)(3) and (c), effective June 3, 2003; P.A. 03-174 amended Subsec. (d) by differentiating between teachers hired prior to January first and teachers hired on or after January first re timing of evaluation, substituting a two-year extension for a one-year extension in Subdiv. (2), and making a technical change, effective July 1, 2003; June 19 Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-1 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b)(1) by eliminating provisions re components and Scholastic Aptitude Test and English competency testing requirements, adding provision re establishment of waiver criteria, and making conforming changes, amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision in Subdiv. (1) re testing requirement waiver for out-of-state school administrators and deleting obsolete provisions in Subdivs. (2) and (3), amended Subsec. (c) by deleting provisions re temporary nonrenewable certificate and added Subsec. (f) re testing requirement waiver for out-of-state teachers, effective July 1, 2009; P.A. 11-85 amended Subsec. (b) by adding Subdiv. (5) requiring that applicants for certification in elementary education endorsement area achieve a satisfactory evaluation on appropriate mathematics assessment, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 13-122 amended Subsec. (f)(1) by adding “or service” and replacing “subject” with “endorsement”, effective July 1, 2013; P.A. 14-187 deleted former Subsec. (e) re regulations establishing testing fees and commissioner’s ability to waive fees and redesignated existing Subsec. (f) as Subsec. (e), effective June 11, 2014; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (c) by adding exception re two-year extension of temporary certificate in bilingual education, effective July 1, 2015; P.A. 16-41 amended Subsec. (a) by deleting provisions re person to achieve satisfactory scores on or qualify for a waiver from state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination and adding provision re results on such examination to be used as diagnostic tool for purposes of remedial instruction, and amended Subsec. (b)(1) by deleting former Subpara. (A) re person to achieve satisfactory scores on or qualify for a waiver from state reading, writing and mathematics competency examination, deleting Subpara. (B) designator, and deleting provision re person holding valid school administrator certificate in another state, effective July 1, 2016; P.A. 17-14 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provision re unless person has qualified for waiver from test and adding “essential skills test” re results used as diagnostic tool, effective July 1, 2017; P.A. 17-68 amended Subsec. (c) by adding Subdiv. (4) re person who has taught under appropriate certificate issued by another state, and amending same by designating existing provisions re additional two year extension of temporary certificate as Subpara. (A), adding Subpara. (B) re person described in Subdiv. (4), and making technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2017.