Career and Technical Education (CTE), K-12 Certificates

Overview

Career and Technical Education (CTE) K-12 certificates are issued in the following CTE certification areas: Agriculture, Business and Marketing, Education and Training, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Careers, and Industrial and Emerging Technologies. The holder is qualified to teach CTE classes in the certification area indicated. Requirements are subject to change and are fully referenced in the Arizona Revised Statutes and State Board of Education Rules.

Reciprocity Information

Please see the Certification Reciprocity Requirements page if you hold a valid, comparable educator certificate in another state or from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

The items listed below are required for the Arizona Department of Education, Certification Unit to complete a substantive review of your application. Submission of these items does not guarantee qualification for the requested Standard CTE certificate.

Application: A completed Application for Certification.
Fee: The fee for this certificate is $60. Note: Certification fees are non-refundable.
IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card: A valid Arizona DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card.
Work Experience Verification: Submission of the Verification of Experience for CTE Form from the appropriate verifying authority.
- Note: Unless otherwise indicated, work experience must be in a business or industry setting, not teaching experience
Official Transcripts: If applicable, have your college or university send your official transcript(s) to the Arizona Department of Education, Educator Certification Unit. If you completed your degree and applicable coursework at an institution outside of the United States, you must submit an evaluation from an Arizona Department of Education approved foreign credential evaluation agency.
Additional Documents: If applicable, submit a copy of one year of your most recent teacher evaluation(s) (Option B) or a copy of the Department-CTE approved industry certification, license, or credential (Option E - Specialized CTE Certificate).

"Allowable Deficiency" means a requirement that must be completed within a specified timeframe after the issuance of a Standard CTE certificate. If the allowable deficiency requirement is not met within the specified timeframe, the Standard CTE certificate shall be temporarily suspended, but the suspension is NOT considered a disciplinary action and the certificate holder shall be allowed to correct the deficiency within the remaining 12-year timeframe of the certificate.

"CTE" means Career and Technical Education.

"CTE Field of Study" refers to one of the following CTE fields of study: Agriculture, Business and Marketing, Education and Training, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Careers, or Industrial and Emerging Technologies.

"CTE Occupational Area" refers to employment relating to a CTE Field of Study as described below.

"Equivalent Department or Board-CTE approved training" means training that has been approved by the Arizona Department of Education(ADE)-CTE office or the Arizona State Board of Education of Education to substitute for the semester hours of courses in professional knowledge in career and technical education. Fifteen clock hours of approved training is equivalent to one semester hour.

"Verified work experience" means written documentation from a current or former supervisor, a current school superintendent, or the Department of Education Career and Technical Education Programmatic State Supervisor indicating that an applicant for a CTE certificate performed work in a business or industry setting related to an approved CTE program occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for detailed instructions on verifying work experience.

Applicants may qualify for a Standard CTE certificate under one of the five options listed below. When reviewing these options, please be aware of the following:

All options require a valid Arizona Department of Public Safety Identity Verified Prints (AZDPS IVP) fingerprint clearance card.
CTE certificates are issued in one of the following CTE fields of study: Agriculture, Business and Marketing, Education and Training, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Careers, or Industrial and Emerging Technologies. Please review the "Glossary of Terms" for detailed information on the occupations that fall under the CTE fields of study.

Option A: Bachelor’s degree in the CTE Area + 240 clock hours of Work Experience

Requirements

The requirements for a Standard CTE, K-12 Certificate under Option A are:

Degree: Official transcripts documenting a Bachelor's or more advanced degree from an accredited institution in the CTE field of study; and
Coursework: Official transcripts documenting thirty (30) semester hours of courses in the CTE field of study; and
Verified Work Experience: Two hundred forty (240) clock hours of verified work experience in the CTE occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for instructions on verifying work experience.

Allowable Deficiencies

Applicants who qualify for a Standard CTE certificate under Option A must meet the allowable deficiency requirements listed below within four years of certificate issuance. For additional information and resources, please visit the Deficiency Removal page.

AZ Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the Arizona Constitution.
U.S. Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the United States Constitution.
Professional Knowledge Secondary Exam: A passing score on the NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary (NT052) exam or qualification for a waiver of the exam.
CTE Professional Knowledge Coursework: Completion of 15 semester hours of college coursework or the equivalent Department or Board-CTE approved training in any of the following areas: principles/philosophy of career and technical education, developmentally appropriate instructional delivery, facilitation and methodologies, instructional technology, instructional design and lesson planning, including modifications and accommodations, assessing, monitoring and reporting progress, the learning environment, including classroom management, teaching students with exceptionalities, or professional responsibility and ethical conduct.

Option B: Valid Arizona teaching certificate + One Year satisfactory Teaching + 240 Clock hours of Work Experience + CTE Coursework

Requirements

The requirements for a Standard CTE, K-12 certificate under Option B are:

Prerequisite Certificate: A valid Arizona Standard teaching certificate for teachers in Birth through grade 12; and
CTE Coursework: Three semester hours of college coursework or 45 clock hours of ADE-CTE approved training in professional knowledge in career and technical education to include any of the following areas: principles/philosophy of career and technical education, developmentally appropriate instructional delivery, facilitation, and methodologies for career and technical education, or instructional technology. Note: ADE-CTE approved training must be approved to substitute for semester hours of college coursework; and
Teacher Evaluation(s): One year of the most recent teacher evaluation(s) approved by a certificated administrator, or the administrator’s designee, in a PreK-12 school setting and issued during the term of the Arizona teaching certificate exhibiting satisfactory performance in the classroom; and
Verified Work Experience: Two hundred forty (240)clock hours of verified work experience in the CTE occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for instructions on verifying work experience.

Allowable Deficiencies

Applicants who qualify for a Standard CTE certificate under Option B must meet the allowable deficiency requirements listed below within four years of certificate issuance. For additional information and resources, please visit the Deficiency Removal page.

AZ Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the Arizona Constitution.
U.S. Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the United States Constitution.
Professional Knowledge Secondary Exam: A passing score on the NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary (NT052) exam or qualification for a waiver of the exam.
Subject Knowledge Courses: Completion of nine semester hours of subject knowledge courses in the CTE field of study.

Option C: 6000 clock hours of work experience

Requirements

Option C requires six thousand (6000) clock hours of verified work experience in the CTE occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for instructions on verifying work experience.

Allowable Deficiencies

Applicants who qualify for a Standard CTE certificate under Option C must meet the allowable deficiency requirements listed below within four years of certificate issuance. For additional information and resources, please visit the Deficiency Removal page.

AZ Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the Arizona Constitution.
U.S. Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the United States Constitution.
Professional Knowledge Secondary Exam: A passing score on the NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary (NT052) exam or qualification for a waiver of the exam.
CTE Professional Knowledge Coursework: Completion of 15 semester hours of college coursework or the equivalent Department or Board-CTE approved training in any of the following areas: principles/philosophy of career and technical education, developmentally appropriate instructional delivery, facilitation and methodologies, instructional technology, instructional design and lesson planning, including modifications and accommodations, assessing, monitoring and reporting progress, the learning environment, including classroom management, teaching students with exceptionalities, or professional responsibility and ethical conduct.

Option D: Bachelor’s degree, cte Teacher Preparation Program, 240 Clock hours of Work Experience

Requirements

The requirements for a Standard CTE, K-12 certificate under Option D are:

Degree: A Bachelor's or a more advanced degree from an accredited institution (college or university);
CTE Teacher Preparation Program: Completion of a teacher preparation program in the CTE field of study from a Board-approved educator preparation program, or from an accredited institution offering substantially similar training, that addressed the following topics in career and technical education and any others required by law: Principles/philosophy of career and technical education, instructional design and lesson planning, including modifications and accommodations; the learning environment, including classroom management; developmentally appropriate instructional delivery, facilitation and methodologies; assessing, monitoring and reporting progress; teaching students with exceptionalities; professional responsibility and ethical conduct.
Verified Work Experience: Two hundred forty (240) clock hours of verified work experience in the CTE occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for instructions on verifying work experience.

Allowable Deficiencies

Applicants who qualify for a Standard CTE certificate under Option D must meet the allowable deficiency requirements listed below within four years of certificate issuance. For additional information and resources, please visit the Deficiency Removal page.

AZ Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the Arizona Constitution.
U.S. Constitution: Completion of a college course or a passing score on the approved exam covering the United States Constitution.
Professional Knowledge Secondary Exam: A passing score on the NES Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Secondary (NT052) exam or qualification for a waiver of the exam.

Option E: Standard Specialized CTE

Requirements

The requirements for a Standard Specialized CTE certificate are:

Subject Matter Expertise. Demonstration of expertise in the CTE area through one of the following:
- A Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral degree in the CTE field of study; or
- A Bachelor’s or more advanced degree and completion of 24 semester hours of coursework in the CTE field of study; or
- An Associate’s degree in the CTE field of study; or
- An industry certification, license, or credential in the CTE field approved by the Arizona Department of Education CTE Program Specialist or CTE Program Services Director. Please see the Certification Resources on the ADE-CTE website to download the current Specialized CTE Industry Certification list; or
- Verification of experience teaching courses in the CTE field of study for the last two consecutive years, and a total of at least three years, at one or more accredited postsecondary institutions.
Verified Work Experience: Five (5) years of verified work experience in the CTE occupational area. Please see the Verification of CTE Occupational Experience form for instructions on verifying work experience.

The Standard Specialized CTE certificate does not have allowable deficiency requirements.

Documents Requiring Submission by the Verifying Authority

Official Transcripts: Transcripts that are uploaded through the educator portal or emailed by the applicant are not official and will not be accepted. Official transcripts and foreign credential evaluations must be submitted as follows:
- Electronic official transcripts must be submitted directly by the college or university to [email protected] or through Parchment.
- Paper official transcripts must be in a sealed envelope and mailed by the college or university to Arizona Department of Education - Certification Unit; PO Box 6490, Phoenix, AZ 85005-6490
- Foreign credential evaluations must be sent directly by the approved foreign credential evaluation agency to [email protected] or mailed to the Arizona Department of Education - Certification Unit
Out-of-State Exam Score Reports: If you are using out-of-state exams, include a copy of the out-of-state score report with your application and have exams verified as follows:
- Forward the "Verification of Out-of-State Exams" form to the state agency that accepted the exam. This form must be completed and submitted by an official with the state agency.
- If you are using Praxis exam(s), have your scores reported by ETS to the Arizona Department of Education (8517)
Verification of Occupational Experience: Please request that the verifying authority complete and submit the Verification of Experience for CTE Certificates Form directly to the Arizona Department of Education, Certification Unit.

Accepted Photocopies from the Applicant

AZDPS IVP Card: Submit a photocopy of the Arizona DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance card.

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Pursuant to section 41-1093.01, Arizona Revised Statutes, an agency shall limit all occupational regulations to regulations that are demonstrated to be necessary to specifically fulfill a public health, safety, or welfare concern. Pursuant to sections 41-1093.02 and 41-1093.03, Arizona Revised Statutes, you have the right to petition this agency to repeal or modify the occupational regulation or bring an action in a court of general jurisdiction to challenge the occupational regulation and to ensure compliance with section 41-1093.01, Arizona Revised Statutes.