Alternative Teacher Certification in Connecticut

Connecticut alternative certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Connecticut State Department of Education — Bureau of Certification publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Apply to an approved Alternate Route to Certification program

   Connecticut ARC programs accept bachelor’s-degree holders from non-teaching fields. The Office of Higher Education’s ARC program requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution (or a CSDE-approved foreign evaluation), an online application, essay, resume, three references, and a $125 non-refundable ARC application fee. There is no waiver for the Praxis II subject test. The 2026–2027 OHE ARC application closed April 30, 2026—check the current cycle dates.

   Source: portal.ct.gov

2. 2

   Complete ARC coursework, practicum, and subject testing

   OHE describes ARC as a weekend program with subject methods, classroom management, special education and Section 504, English learners, and a practicum with TEAM-trained cooperating teachers. OHE ARC does not prepare elementary, art, history/social studies, or special education. Other CSDE-approved ARC providers (including cooperative and regional programs) cover additional shortage fields.

   Source: portal.ct.gov

3. 3

   Obtain the ED 125 and a Connecticut public-school hire

   ARC confirms completion with an official ED 125 Statement of Preparing Higher Education Institution sent directly to CSDE. To apply for the 90-Day Certificate you must be hired by a Connecticut public school or Approved Private Special Education Program in your ARC subject and grade level, full- or part-time.

   Source: portal.ct.gov

4. 4

   Apply for the 90-Day Certificate, then the ten-year Initial

   Use the ED 172 process for the 90-Day Certificate after hire. About two weeks before that certificate ends, apply for the Initial Educator Certificate and any cross-endorsements. OHE states the Initial is valid for 10 years and that TEAM still applies. First-time Initial issuance has no CSDE fee as of October 1, 2025.

   Source: portal.ct.gov

5. 5

   Finish TEAM and advance on the two-tier continuum

   Once you hold Initial and a classroom assignment, TEAM entry and module counts follow the same CSDE rules as traditional completers. Professional certification still requires 50 school months, TEAM, and a master’s degree for teaching endorsements, at the $375 Professional fee.

   Source: portal.ct.gov

OHE ARC and CECS are different front doors. You do not apply to ARC inside CECS. You apply to the program through the Office of Higher Education, graduate, get hired, then use ED 172 / CECS for the 90-Day and Initial certificates. Candidates who create a CECS account first and wait for an ARC admission decision are watching the wrong dashboard.

The no-waiver Praxis II rule is the ARC admissions line people skip. GPA and Praxis Core have waiver paperwork; the subject test does not. Applying in April without a passing Praxis II wastes the $125 ARC application fee. OHE also posts multi-thousand-dollar tuition figures for the program year—those are program costs, not Bureau of Certification fees, and are not used as license fees in this dataset.

Field coverage is a shortage-driven patchwork. OHE’s own ARC description excludes elementary, art, history/social studies, and special education. CSDE still approves other ARC providers for additional areas. A career changer who wants elementary should not start the OHE weekend ARC and assume a cross-endorsement will appear later; they need a provider actually approved for that endorsement.

The 90-Day Certificate is hire-contingent. ED 125 on file at CSDE is not enough. Without a public-school or APSEP assignment in the ARC subject and grade, you cannot start the 90-day clock or the later Initial application OHE tells you to file two weeks before the 90 days end. That sequencing is tighter than traditional completers who go straight to Initial.

Required exams and fees

Connecticut uses Endorsement-specific Praxis (or other CSDE-listed) content assessments; Praxis Core is diagnostic for preparation programs only and is not required to issue a certificate. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Connecticut

ARC and the 90-Day Certificate are Connecticut alternate-route credentials. Teachers already licensed elsewhere should use CSDE’s out-of-state pathways (coursework waiver with 30 months’ experience and/or Interim Initial with testing deferred) on Bureau of Certification pages rather than enrolling in ARC unless they lack a comparable certificate.

Official Connecticut reciprocity guidance