YES, you must complete three (3) years of satisfactory service under a Level I certificate to qualify for a Level II certificate. Any service completed before obtaining a Level I certificate (e.g., Emergency Permit, student teaching) will not count towards obtaining a Level II certificate. Moreover, you must have received an annual satisfactory (SAT) rating for a given year of service to qualify.   

NO, you can "mix-and-match" service BUT you will need to make sure that you have [a] completed the full induction program in one district and [b] received a SAT rating each year of service. Moreover, each year of service does not have to be in a Pennsylvania public school district; you can perform service in a Pennsylvania charter school, Approved Private School (APS), licensed religious and/or independent school, or even employment via an Intermediate Unit to qualify. For a complete list of acceptable institution types, please visit the PDE website by clicking HERE.  

YES, you can work part-time, BUT remember that you must complete three (3) years of equivalent full-time service on a Level I certificate. For instance, if you work half-time (0.5), you must complete six (6) years of service as a half-time employee to qualify for Level II certification. Likewise, if you are a substitute teacher, you can only count the years of service you were the teacher-of-record. At Southern Lehigh SD, the only substitute permitted to serve as the teacher-of-record is a Long-Term Substitute (i.e., one working at least 70 school days). In any case, the service must be performed on a Level I certificate; service performed while holding an Emergency Permit does not qualify.

To obtain a Level II certificate, an employee must complete 24 post-baccalaureate credits. Additionally, at least six (6) of the required 24 post-baccalaureate credits must be relevant to your certification area and/or designed to improve your professional practice. Post-baccalaureate credits, by definition, are those obtained after an undergraduate degree. Thus, undergraduate-level credits obtained during your Bachelor's degree studies, including those obtained from a community college, will not satisfy this requirement. Moreover, credits obtained at a graduate-level professional school (e.g., medical school, dental school, law school) will not count unless the coursework is relevant to your certification area. Likewise, continuing education units (CEUs) do not count towards the Level II education requirement.

Southern Lehigh SD has a two-year, PDE-approved Educator Induction Program (EIP) that is required for all incoming teachers, new and veteran. [Note that beginning SY2024-25, PDE now requires all induction programs to be at least two (2) years long.] PDE regulation also requires that the EIP have a mentorship component between the first-year teacher (Instructional or Education Specialist) and a Professional Employee during the entire EIP. Upon completion, the Southern Lehigh SD will certify that the educator completed the EIP at the time of the Level II application.

YES, Teachers must serve as Temporary Professional Employees (TPE) for three (3) years and and have received a satisfactory (SAT) rating during the last four (4) months of the final year. Prior to 1996, the TPE period was only two (2) years. [See 24 P.S. § 11-1108(b)(2)]

YES, you can not "mix-and-match" the required three (3) years of TPE service, including the induction period and your evaluations; they must all occur within the same school district. [See 24 P.S. § 11-1108; Official Opinion of the Attorney General No. 73-1, 61 Pa. D.&C.2d 770 (Jan. 8, 1973)]

YES, you can take whatever leave for which you are eligible (e.g., Family & Medical Leave Act leave). HOWEVER, you must complete the equivalent of three (3) service years as a TPE. Thus, if you were on FMLA leave for one semester during your third year as a TPE, you will not be eligible for tenure until after the first semester of your fourth year of service. [See Pookman v. Upper St. Clair Twp. School District, 483 A.2d 1371 (Pa. 1984)]

YES, you can work part-time, BUT remember that you must complete three (3) years of equivalent full-time service as a TPE. For instance, if you work half-time (0.5), you must complete six (6) years of service as a half-time employee to qualify for PE status. (See States v. Punxsutawney Area School District, Teacher Tenure Appeal No. 10-85, School Law Information Exchange, Vol. 23,No. 73 (1986)]

Likewise, if you are a substitute teacher, you can only count the years of service in which you were the teacher-of-record. At Southern Lehigh SD, the only substitute permitted to serve as the teacher-of-record is a Long-Term Substitute (i.e., one working at least 70 school days). [See Kielbowick v. Ambridge Area School Board, 668A.2d 1128 (Pa. Cmwlth. 1995)]

NO, TPEs become PEs only if they have been rated satisfactory (SAT) by the Chief Administrative Officer (usually the Superintendent of Schools) during the last four (4) months of their TPE period with the same school district. Assuming this is the case, the TPE employee will be promoted to a PE by the Board of School Directors at a public meeting via vote. Afterwards, the employee will receive not only a written notification but also a PE contract. [See 24 P.S. § 11-1108(b)(3)]