How to Become a Teacher in Connecticut: Tests, Fees and Routes

By the Transforming Education editorial team. Every fact on this page was checked against the source linked beside it on November 7, 2026.

No degree yet: the traditional route

For high school students, college students and anyone without a bachelor's degree. You earn the degree and the teacher preparation in one program.

Approved educator preparation program

Candidates complete a State Board of Education approved educator preparation program at a regionally accredited college or university and pass the content area assessments required for their endorsement. They then apply to the Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification for the 10-year Initial Educator Certificate. Applications are filed online through the Connecticut Educator Certification System (CECS) or by mail with form ED 170A.

1. Meet the admission requirements of a Connecticut approved educator preparation program
2. Complete the approved preparation program for the endorsement area
3. Pass the required content area assessments for that endorsement
4. Apply online through CECS or by mail and pay the $50 nonrefundable application review payment
5. Send official sealed or electronic transcripts to the Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification

Source: portal.ct.gov

Bachelor's in another field: the alternative route

For people who already hold a bachelor's degree in a subject other than education.

Alternate route programs (noncredit, post-baccalaureate)

Connecticut's guide to approved programs lists noncredit alternative programs for people who already hold a bachelor's degree, offered by the Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) program of the CT Office of Higher Education, Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) and Charter Oak State College. Candidates admitted to an approved program must have passed the Praxis Core Academic Skills Test (or present SAT or GRE scores, or hold a valid Connecticut certificate) and have at least a B- undergraduate grade point average. Districts may also request a Durational Shortage Area Permit for a candidate with a bachelor's degree and at least 12 semester hours in the subject who is enrolled in a required preparation program.

1. Earn a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution
2. Pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills Test or present acceptable SAT or GRE scores
3. Apply to and complete a state approved alternate route program
4. Pass the content area assessments for the endorsement
5. Apply for the Initial Educator Certificate through CECS

Source: portal.ct.gov

Changing careers into teaching in Connecticut

If you already have a bachelor's degree and some years in another job, start with the alternative route described above. It is built for people who did not study education. The 3 programs below are on the state's approved list.

For pay context, the median annual wage for high school teachers in Connecticut was $80,970 in May 2025, according to the BLS OEWS state estimates. If your background matches a subject on the state's shortage list, that list is further down this page.

State-approved alternative certification programs

Programs shown are a selection from the state's approved list, checked November 7, 2026. "Online" reflects what the program or the state says about its coursework; teaching practice is always in a real school. The full, current list is on the agency's approved-program page.

Licensed in another state

For teachers who hold a license from another state and want to teach in Connecticut.

Enhanced Reciprocity and out-of-state applicants

Educators who hold a valid certificate from an enhanced reciprocity state or territory (including Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island) that is minimally equivalent to Connecticut's Initial Educator Certificate can apply for a ten-year Initial Educator Certificate in the closest comparable endorsement. Applicants from all other states apply with verification forms for out-of-state tests, preparation and experience, and coursework may be waived under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement after an approved program or 30 months of full-time experience within 10 years. All out-of-state applicants start at the Initial level, and 20 school months of successful experience in the last ten years may exempt them from the TEAM induction program.

1. Check whether the current certificate is from an enhanced reciprocity state
2. Apply online through CECS or on paper and pay the $50 application review payment
3. Submit form ED 711 for out-of-state tests and form ED 125 from the preparing institution
4. Submit form ED 126 if claiming more than 20 months of out-of-state experience
5. Send official transcripts to the Bureau of Educator Standards and Certification

Source: portal.ct.gov

Required tests, codes and qualifying scores

Connecticut uses Praxis, Pearson (Foundations of Reading, Early Childhood) and ACTFL for teacher licensure. The table lists the core tests by license area, with the qualifying score and fee exactly as the source publishes them. Which tests you take depends on the license area you are seeking, so check the full list for your subject before you register.

Scores and fees change. Confirm both on the testing company's page before you register.

Fees, background check and license validity

Background check

Not published by the state; check with the agency.

Your first license

License: Initial Educator Certificate. It is valid for 10 years. Interim initial certificates (3-year nonrenewable with a testing deferral, or 1-year with coursework deficiencies) may be issued at the Initial level. Advancing to the 10-year Professional Educator Certificate requires at least 50 school months of service in a Connecticut public or approved nonpublic school, meeting TEAM requirements and meeting degree and coursework requirements. Source

Renewal

Professional Educator Certificates are renewed online through CECS or with form ED 179 at no cost, and documentation of continuing education units is not required. CEUs were repealed as of July 1, 2012, and districts must instead offer at least 18 hours of professional development per year. An Initial Educator Certificate may be renewed if the educator has not served under it, and one-year extensions are possible for educators who served but have not yet met advancement requirements. Requirement: No CEU documentation required; districts offer at least 18 hours of professional development per year. Source

Teacher pay in Connecticut

Elementary teachers in Connecticut earned a median of $80,600 a year in May 2025, $16,630 above the national median of $63,970. Half of teachers in each occupation earn more than the median and half earn less. What you earn in a given district depends on its salary schedule, your experience and any graduate credits.

Annual wages, cross-industry estimates, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025 state tables, retrieved through the BLS Public Data API on November 7, 2026. Special education teachers are shown separately; our guide to the online master's in special education covers the add-on and initial-license options.

Teacher shortage areas, 2026-27

Connecticut reported these subject areas to the US Department of Education as teacher shortage areas for the 2026-27 school year.

• Career and Technical Education: Industrial Technology (statewide)
• English as a Second Language: Bilingual Education, English as a Second Language (statewide)
• Mathematics (statewide)
• Science (statewide)
• Social Studies (statewide)
• Special Education: Speech and Language Impairment (statewide)
• Support Staff: Library/Media Specialist, Psychologist (statewide)
• World Languages: Any World Language (statewide)

Source: US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas report, retrieved November 7, 2026.