Remove Deficiencies from Your Teaching Certificate with Premier Series

Are you a new or relatively new CTE instructor? If so, was your teaching certificate issued with one or more deficiencies?

CTE instructors whose teaching certificates were issued with deficiencies have three years from the date of issuance to remove those deficiencies or the teaching certificate will be temporarily suspended and will not be valid for employment. Don’t let this happen to you!

What’s that? How do you know whether or not you have deficiencies on your teaching certificate?

There are two easy ways to check:

1. Examine the printed teaching certificate you received from the Arizona Department of Education. If anything is listed under the “Deficiencies” heading in the far-right column or at the bottom of the certificate, then you have deficiencies that must be removed within three years of the certificate’s issuance date. Those deficiencies can include:
   • A college course or appropriate examination covering the provisions and principles of the Arizona Constitution
   • A college course or examination covering the provisions and principles of the U.S. Constitution
   • Professional Knowledge Secondary Exam
   • Up to 15 semester hours of approved CTE-related coursework
2. Navigate to the Arizona Department of Education Online Arizona Certification Information System (OACIS) at https://oacis.azed.gov. Enter your first and last name to search for your publicly available certification information. Click the “View” link next to your name to view your certification information. Scroll to the bottom of the page to view a list of deficiencies.

Another question? How do you remove the deficiencies from your teaching certificate?

A highly informative video addressing CTE Teacher Certification can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/onzZNRs1AZc. The “CTE Teacher Certification – A Guide to the First Three Years” video provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the process of becoming CTE certified and removing deficiencies from your CTE teaching certificate. Give it a look.

One last question? Where can you take high-quality courses designed to not only provide you with the skills you need to be successful as a CTE instructor, but also to remove deficiencies from your CTE teaching certificate?

This is where the Premier Series comes in! For information about the Premier Series and to view a calendar of upcoming Premier Series classes (any of which can be used toward the elimination of CTE teaching certificate deficiencies) please visit https://www.acteaz.org/premier-series/.

REMEMBER – You only have three years to eliminate any deficiencies you may have on your CTE teaching certificate. Don’t let your CTE teaching certificate be suspended! Start eliminating those deficiencies today by registering for upcoming Premier Series classes.

If you have any questions about CTE teacher certification or about the Premier Series, please reach out to Robert Waller, ACTEAZ Premier Series Coordinator, at [email protected].