Connecticut Administration/Principal Certification
The Connecticut State Department of Education issues two types of administrative certificates for school administrators who wish to serve as assistant principals, principals, assistant superintendents, deputy superintendents or superintendents:
- The Intermediate Administration or Supervision Certificate
- The Superintendent of Schools Certificate
Education Requirements
Initial Educator Certificate-Intermediate Administration or Supervision:
- You must have a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- You must complete 18 additional semester hours of graduate coursework
- You must complete at least a 15-semester hour of graduate credit planned program of education in educational administration/leadership and receive a recommendation from the institution where the program was completed. Classes must include:
- Psychological and pedagogical foundations of learning
- Program monitoring and curriculum development
- School administration
- Personnel supervision and evaluation
- Contemporary educational problems and solutions from a policy-making perspective
- You must complete at least 36 clock hours in special education coursework
Learn more about the graduate school process. Contact schools offering educational administration degree programs in Connecticut.
No additional coursework is necessary to move from an Initial Certificate to a Provisional Certificate, but you must fulfill induction and experience requirements (see below).
To move from a Provisional Certificate to a Professional Certificate, you must complete another 30 semester hours of graduate coursework.
Initial Superintendent of Schools Certificate:
- You must have a master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution
- You must complete 30 additional semester hours of graduate coursework
- You must complete at least a 30 semester hour graduate credit planned program of education in preparation of superintendents of schools and receive an institutional recommendation, with classes including:
- Psychological and pedagogical foundations of learning
- Program monitoring and curriculum development
- School administration
- Personnel supervision and evaluation
- Contemporary educational problems and solutions from a policy-making perspective
- You must complete at least 36 clock hours in special education coursework
To move from an Initial to a Provisional Certificate, no additional education is required but you must complete induction and experience requirements (see below).
To graduate from a Provisional Certificate to a Professional Certificate, no additional education is required but you must complete induction and experience requirements (see below).
Examinations
Initial Educator Certificate – Intermediate Administration or Supervision:
- You must pass the Connecticut Administrator Test (CAT) and receive at least three passing scores and one conditional score on the four modules of the test
To move from an Initial to a Provisional Certificate, you must complete the induction period and corresponding assessment of your performance.
Initial Superintendent of Schools Certificate:
No additional examinations are necessary to receive an Initial Superintendent of Schools Certificate. To move from an Initial Certificate to a Provisional Certificate, you must complete the induction period and corresponding assessment of your performance.
Experience Requirements
Initial Educator Certificate-Intermediate Administration or Supervision:
- You must have 50 months of teaching/educational service experience in an approved Connecticut public or nonpublic school or in an approved out of state school.
- One year of an internship in school administration and supervision may be accepted to satisfy this requirement.
To graduate from an Initial to a Provisional Certificate, you must complete 10 months of experience under your Initial Certificate.
To graduate from a Provisional to a Professional Certificate, you must complete 30 months of experience under your Provisional Certificate.
Initial Superintendent of Schools Certificate:
- You must have a total of 80 months of teaching/educational service experience
- At least 50 of those months must have been served in an approved Connecticut public or nonpublic school or in an approved out of state school
- At least 30 of those months must include full-time administrative or supervisory experience in an approved Connecticut public or nonpublic school or in an approved out of state school
To graduate from an Initial to a Provisional Certificate, you must complete 10 months of experience under your Initial Certificate.
To graduate from a Provisional to a Professional Certificate, you must complete 30 months of experience under your Provisional Certificate.
Document and Application Requirements
When you have completed the necessary requirements for your Initial Certificate, complete Form ED170A, Short Form Application for Connecticut Initial Educator Certificate. Mail it and the supporting documents below to Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification, P.O. Box 150471 – Room 243, Hartford, CT 06115-0471:
- Form ED126-Statement of Professional Experience, completed by your supervisor
- Form ED125-Statement of Preparing Higher Educational Institution, completed by an administrative official at your college
- Official, sealed transcript(s) listing your degrees and required coursework
- Copies of score reports of examinations taken.
- Application fees.
Criminal History Background Check
All school employees in Connecticut must undergo a criminal history record check, including fingerprinting. The school district that employs you will give you the necessary forms and direct you to the nearest fingerprinting location. A list of Connecticut fingerprinting services may be found here.
The State Police Bureau of Identification and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will check your fingerprints. The results of your criminal history background check will be reported directly to the school district that employs you. You must submit to additional criminal background checks every three years for as long as you work for a Connecticut school district.
Contact Information
Contact Connecticut colleges and universities for more information on the education administration/leadership preparation programs they offer.
For more information about becoming a certified Connecticut administrator, contact the Certification Office of the Connecticut State Department of Education at (860) 713-6969.
