Teach St. Tammany Alternative Certification

• Teach St. Tammany provides a path for college graduates and career experts to become a teacher in our school system in the critical shortage areas of math, science, English, or special education.
• On-the-job training, certification, professional development, and ongoing support are provided while teaching full time and receiving a teacher salary.
• There is no out-of-pocket cost for the program with a three-year commitment to teach in STPPS. 
• Applicants who are accepted in the program and are offered a job through our Job Fair, will go through our Summer Seminar and New Teacher Induction (see Course Schedule), and assume a full-time teaching position at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.
• During the first year of teaching, practitioners will complete residency requirements with Saturday learning sessions (see Course Schedule), complete online program assignments, and receive one-on-one supervision with feedback.
• After successfully completing the residency and other program requirements, the practitioner will receive a teaching certificate.

Education:
Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
Minimum 2.2 GPA

PRAXIS Test:
Praxis I is no longer a requirement for entering the profession and for teacher licensure.

Praxis II (Content Knowledge Exams) must be taken prior to starting the initial training.

• Content area must align with your certification
• Visit https://www.ets.org/praxis/la/requirements to see specific LA requirements for each certification area.

The program is available for individuals interested in teaching the following areas:

• English Language Arts- Grades 4-8
• English Language Arts- Grades 6-12
• Math- Grades 4-8
• Math- Grades 6-12
• Science- Grades 4-8
• Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate)- Grades 1-5 (Participants are required to earn both Elementary 1-5 Certification and Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate) 1-5 Certification and are only eligible to teach Elementary SWE 1-5 positions while in the Teach St. Tammany Program)
• Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate)- Grades 4-8
• Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate)- Grades 6-12

Participation in Teach St. Tammany is free of charge but requires a 3-year employment commitment.

If the candidate leaves STPPS prior to fulfilling the 3-year commitment, they will be charged the following:

• Leave during Year 1: $3,000
• Leave after Year 1: $2,000
• Leave after Year 2: $1,000

Summer Seminar

Dates: June 12 – July 7
Times: 7:30 A.M. – 4:30 P.M.
Location: Treen Technology Center – 2024 Livingston, Mandeville, LA 70448

New Teacher Induction

Dates: July 10 – July 14 (All new reg-ed hires attend 10^th & 11^th) (All new SWE hires attend all days)
Times: 8:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.
Location: TBD

All Teachers Report to Schools

Dates: August 7 – August 8 – Teachers’ Professional Development
Dates: August 9 – Teacher Day
Times: Set by school principal
Location: Practitioners will report to their schools

Student First Day of School

August 10 – Smart Start Day: Student’s Last Name A-L
August 11 – Smart Start Day: Student’s Last Name M-Z

Saturday Sessions

Dates:

August 19
August 26 (SWE ONLY)
September 16
September 23 (SWE ONLY)
October 14
October 21 (SWE ONLY)
November 4
November 11 (SWE ONLY)
January 13
January 20 (SWE ONLY)
February 3
February 24 (SWE ONLY)
March 16
March 23 (SWE ONLY)
April 13
April 20 (SWE ONLY)

Regular Sessions - Time: 8:30 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.
SWE Sessions – Time: 9:30 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.
Location: Treen Technology Center – 2024 Livingston, Mandeville, LA 70448

Am I guaranteed a job in STPPS if I am accepted into the program?
Employment and acceptance in the program are not guaranteed. Participants must secure a position by interviewing with school administrators at job fair.

What will I be eligible to teach?
You will be able to teach in the grade level/subject area you select in your plan of study while enrolled in the Teach St. Tammany program. Once you have selected the certification area you will pursue and take the aligned Praxis II test, you will interview for positions that require that specific area of certification.

After you receive your teaching certificate in your selected certification area, you will be eligible to teach that grade level/subject area only unless you obtain additional certifications after successfully exiting the program and fulfilling your three-year teaching commitment.

The critical shortage areas you can select for your certification area are the following:

• English Language Arts- Grades 4-8
• English Language Arts- Grades 6-12
• Math- Grades 4-8
• Math- Grades 6-12
• Science- Grades 4-8
• Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate)- Grades 4-8
• Students With Exceptionalities (Mild Moderate)- Grades 6-12

What tests do I have to take?

Praxis II (Content Knowledge Exams) must be taken and passed prior to starting the initial training.

The test you take depends on the content area you are going into and are eligible to receive certification in. The shortage areas you may choose from and the aligning content exam(s) you are required to take are below.

• ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS: Grades 4-8 (Praxis Test #5047)
• ENGLISH: Grades 6-12 (Praxis Test #5039)
• MATHEMATICS: Grades 4-8 (Praxis Test #5164)
• MATHEMATICS: Grades 6-12 (Praxis Test #5165)
• SCIENCE: Grades 4-8 (Praxis Test #5442)
• SPECIAL EDUCATION: MILD/MODERATE (MIDDLE GRADES 4-8)
  • Candidates must take or schedule the following prior to May 2, 2022:
    • One of the Middle School Content Praxis Exams (Math, Science, or ELA)
  • Candidate must pass the following while enrolled in the program:
    • Mild Moderate Pedagogy – Special Education: Core Knowledge and Mild to Moderate Applications Praxis exam (Praxis Test #5543)
    • Principles of Learning & Teaching (PLT): Grades  5-9
• SPECIAL EDUCATION: MILD/MODERATE (SECONDARY Grades 6-12)
  • Candidates take or schedule the following prior to May 2, 2022:
    • One of the Secondary Core Content Praxis Exams (Math or ELA)
  • Candidate must pass the following while enrolled in the program:
    • Mild Moderate Pedagogy – Special Education: Core Knowledge and Mild to Moderate Applications Praxis exam (Praxis Test #5543)
    • Principles of Learning & Teaching (PLT): Grades 7-12

How do I schedule a Praxis test?
View the requirements and schedule a test at https://www.ets.org/praxis/la/requirements.