All teacher preparation programs are carefully monitored by external stakeholders, including the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the U.S. Government‘s Title II (Sections 205 through 208) of the Higher Education Act.

Penn State Harrisburg is proud of its distinctions as an approved provider authorized by PDE to recommend program completers for state certification in the following subject areas:

  • PreKindergarten- Grade 4 (all subjects)
  • Grades 4-8 English/Language Arts
  • Grades 4-8 Mathematics
  • Grades 4-8 Social Studies
  • Grades 7-12 English
  • Grades 7-12 Mathematics
  • Grades 7-12 Social Studies
  • Program Specialist – English as a Second Language PK-12
  • Reading Specialist PK-12
  • Special Education Grades PK-8 (content area certificate required for issuance)
  • Special Education Grades 7-12 (content area certificate required for issuance)

We stand out as the only Harrisburg area provider of educator preparation to be nationally accredited by NCATE (now known as CAEP). Our teacher certification candidates are among the best prepared in the region, and many go on to find employment locally, as well as across the U.S., due in part to the high quality of our faculty and programs.

Pass Rates

The report of pass rates is one of eight (8) annual reporting measures CAEP requires us to share publicly. Shown in the table below are the most recent Pass Rates as calculated by Title II.

Group Number taking tests Number passing tests Pass rate (%) State average pass rate(%)
All program completers, 2018-19 36 27 75 70
All program completers, 2017-18 27 21 78 74
All program completers, 2016-17 31 25 81 79

Important Notes:

  1.  A student is labeled a “pass” if he/she has passed all tests required for a Pennsylvania teaching certification. This includes both the Basic Skills tests and the certification tests.
  2. Federal Title II pass rate calculations ignore our state (PDE) policies that provide alternate qualifying scores on tests:
    • A Composite Scoring Method for tests of Basic Skills permits candidates to qualify for admission with one test score below the passing score if they also have one or more scores above the passing score.
    • A sliding scale for certification tests based on grade point average (GPA) permits candidates to qualify for certification based on a combination of GPA and test score; the higher the GPA, the lower their qualifying test score may be.
  3. When acknowledging PDE’s qualifying score adjustments, Penn State Harrisburg pass rates are much higher than Federal Title II pass pate.
  4. Tests taken after 8/31/19 are not included in the Title II Pass Rate calculations; they will be included in the 2019-20 report. 

Penn State Harrisburg Pass Rates when PDE Qualifying Scores are Counted

Total Number of graduates/completers for 2018-19: 36
Passed all tests according to Title II 27
Qualified via Alternate Scoring Methods 8
Total candidates who qualified for certification 35 of 36 = 97%

Individual test pass rates are not calculated by Title II for any test with fewer than 10 takers. Penn State Harrisburg is proud to furnish passing data on the individual tests required by PDE for certification. Note that the Basic Skills tests are entrance exams, while the other tests are exit tests.

Certification Tests for 2016-17 Completers Number Taking Assessment Number Passing/Qualifying* Pass/Qualify Rate
Basic Skills1 - Reading 27 27 100%
Basic Skills1 - Math 27 27 100%
Basic Skills1 - Writing 27 27 100%
English 4 4 100%
Mathematics 1 1 100%
Social Studies 15 14 93%
Grades 4-8 Subtest Pedagogy 2 2 100%
Grades 4-8 Subtest Eng Lang Arts & Soc Studies 2 2 100%
Grades 4-8 Subtest Math & Science 2 2 100%
Grades 4-8 Subject Concentration: Eng Lang Arts 1 1 100%
Grades 4-8 Subject Concentration: Soc Studies 1 1 100%
PreK-4 Module 1 14 14 100%
PreK-4 Module 2 14 14 100%
PreK-4 Module 3 14 14 100%
AVERAGES     99%
1 Evidence from any/all permissible tests of Basic Skills, i.e., ACT, SAT, PAPA, or Praxis Core