To become a math teacher in Arizona, you need a bachelor’s degree, an IVP fingerprint clearance card and an Arizona Department of Education teaching certificate. Most math teachers hold the Secondary (6-12) certificate. A math degree can replace the subject exam, and career changers can teach while they finish an approved program.
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Certification Unit issues every teaching certificate in the state. You’ll pick a grade band first: the Secondary certificate covers grades 6-12, and the Middle Grades certificate covers grades 5-9. Arizona has several certification pathways, and four of them matter most for math teachers, so compare them in Step 1 before you enroll anywhere. If you’re still weighing states, start with the national certification requirements.
Here’s how to become a math teacher in Arizona in five steps.
- Choose a Route and Complete Your Preparation
- Pass or Waive the Arizona Math Exams
- Get Your IVP Card and Apply for Certification
- Clear Deficiencies and Add Grade Bands
- Renew Your Certificate Every 12 Years
Step 1. Choose a Route and Complete Your Preparation
Every route starts with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. The traditional route adds a teacher preparation program approved by the Arizona State Board of Education. It includes at least 12 weeks of student teaching in grades 6-12, which Arizona calls a capstone experience.
Under Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-610, one year of verified full-time teaching in grades 6 through postsecondary can stand in for the capstone. Two years of full-time teaching in those grades, plus approved professional education coursework, can replace the preparation program itself. ADE’s program finder lists every Board-approved program.
Three other routes fit career changers who already hold a degree. The big difference is whether you’re paid to teach while you train:
| Route | Who It Fits | How It Works | Certificate You Earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional program | Undergraduates and post-baccalaureate students | Coursework plus 12 weeks of student teaching | Secondary (6-12) or Middle Grades (5-9) |
| Alternative teaching certificate | Degree holders with a teaching job offer | You teach under contract while enrolled in a Board-approved program | Alternative Teaching, then standard |
| Classroom-based | Degree holders hired by a district or charter school that runs an approved program | You train on the job as a paid employee. Teachers of tested subjects such as math need two years in the classroom first | Classroom-Based Standard Teaching |
| Subject-matter expert | Math degree holders, college math instructors and math professionals | No subject exam. Most applicants get two years to pass the professional knowledge exam | Subject Matter Expert (6-12), math only |
Teaching on an Alternative Certificate
The Alternative Teaching certificate (ADE also lists it as the teaching intern certificate) lets you sign a full teaching contract while you’re enrolled in a Board-approved preparation program. It’s valid for one year. You can extend it yearly, for free, for up to two more years if your program confirms you’re making progress. If you haven’t met the subject knowledge requirement in Step 2, ADE can still issue it, just without math listed as your area. You can’t hold this certificate more than once in five years.
The Subject-Matter Expert Certificate
If you have a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate in math, look at the Subject Matter Expert certificate first. It’s valid for 12 years and exempts you from the subject knowledge exam and the Constitutions requirement. Three years teaching college math, including the last two in a row, also qualifies you and waives the professional knowledge exam. So do five years of verified math-related work experience.
Everyone outside the college-teaching group gets two years to pass the professional knowledge exam. All applicants get two years to finish approved ethics training, and you’ll sign ADE’s social media and cell phone use attestation when you apply. The trade-off is scope. The certificate covers math only, and ADE won’t add other approved areas or endorsements to it, apart from the full SEI, ESL and bilingual endorsements.
The classroom-based route depends on your employer. Only districts and charter schools approved by the State Board can run one, and they must employ you while you train. Under A.R.S. 15-553, if you teach a course covered by Arizona’s statewide assessment, the certificate comes only after two years in the classroom. Your school must also submit data showing your students reached grade level or average growth.
Step 2. Pass or Waive the Arizona Math Exams
Arizona’s exams run through the Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments (AEPA) and National Evaluation Series (NES) program. You need two: a professional knowledge exam and a math subject knowledge exam. Middle Grades applicants can take either the Secondary exam or Professional Knowledge: Elementary Education (NT051).
| Exam | What It Covers | Passing Score | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional Knowledge: Secondary Education (NT052) | Required professional knowledge exam for Secondary (6-12) | 220 | $145 |
| Mathematics (NT304) | Every math course in grades 6-12 | 220 | $119 |
| Mathematics (Middle Grades and Early Secondary) (NT105) | Middle school math plus courses such as Algebra I and Geometry | 220 | $119 |
| Middle Grades Mathematics (NT203) | Math in grades 6-8 | 220 | $119 |
| Constitutions of the United States and Arizona (AZ033) | The Constitutions requirement, if you don’t have approved coursework | 240 | $75 |
Scores and fees are from the AEPA/NES test pages as of October 2026. Your math exam decides which courses you can teach. Under ADE’s teaching-assignment guidelines, only the Mathematics approved area (NT304) covers upper-level courses such as Algebra II and trigonometry.
When You Can Skip an Exam
A.R.S. 15-533 gives you several ways around the math subject exam. You don’t need it if you have any of these:
- A bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in math or a subject ADE accepts as relevant
- Three years teaching college math, including the last two consecutive years
- Five years of math-related work experience, verified in writing
Teaching experience works too, but the grade band matters. For the Secondary certificate, ADE waives the professional knowledge exam after three years of full-time teaching in grades 6-12. The math subject exam needs three years of full-time math teaching in grades 9-12.
Passing similar exams in another state also counts. If you took Praxis, check ADE’s 2018 out-of-state equivalents list. It matches Praxis Mathematics (5165) to the Arizona math exam. Middle School Mathematics (5164 or 5169) matches Middle Grades Mathematics. Confirm your exam with ADE before you apply, and have ETS send your scores to ADE using code 8517.
The Constitutions Requirement
Arizona requires new teachers to show knowledge of the U.S. and Arizona Constitutions, through approved college coursework or the AZ033 exam. If this is the only thing you’re missing, A.R.S. 15-532 lets ADE issue your certificate and give you three years to finish it. Teachers whose main subject is history, government or civics get one year. Subject Matter Expert certificate holders are exempt.
Step 3. Get Your IVP Card and Apply for Certification
Start the fingerprint card early. Every Arizona teacher needs an Identity Verified Prints (IVP) fingerprint clearance card from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS). Apply through the DPS Public Services Portal and choose the IVP card, because a non-IVP card won’t meet ADE’s requirement. DPS lists the current fee and sends fingerprinting instructions. Cards are valid for six years.
Then apply to ADE online through the My Certification Portal. Have these ready:
- A copy of your IVP card
- Official transcripts, sent by your college directly to [email protected]
- Passing exam scores, or proof of a waiver from Step 2
- An institutional recommendation, if you finished an approved Arizona program
- The $60 application fee as of October 2026, per ADE’s Secondary certificate page
Once you’re certified, your district’s salary schedule sets your pay. Our Arizona math teacher salary page covers what Arizona schools pay math teachers.
Step 4. Clear Deficiencies and Add Grade Bands
Arizona no longer issues a provisional certificate that you convert later. ADE issues a standard certificate valid for 12 years, and it can carry deficiencies. Which deficiencies are allowed, and the deadline, depend on the certificate. On the Secondary certificate, you have three years to clear these:
- U.S. and Arizona Constitutions coursework or exam
- Professionalism and ethics training
- Reading intervention and dyslexia training, where required
Miss the deadline and ADE suspends the certificate until you finish. That suspension isn’t disciplinary, and you can clear it any time in the certificate’s remaining term.
Teaching Middle School Math
To teach math in grades 5-9, you have two options. You can earn the Middle Grades (5-9) certificate through a middle grades program with 12 weeks of student teaching in grades 5-9. If you already hold a Secondary or Elementary certificate, you can add the Middle Grades 5-9 endorsement instead. It takes six semester hours of middle grades education: one course in early adolescent psychology and one in middle-grade curriculum. You also need a grades 5-9 practicum or one year of full-time teaching in those grades.
Don’t confuse this with the Mathematics Specialist K-8 endorsement. It’s built for math coaches and interventionists, and it doesn’t authorize you to teach a single-subject math class.
Step 5. Renew Your Certificate Every 12 Years
Your standard certificate is valid for 12 years. Renew it online through the My Certification Portal, ideally before it expires.
Renewal takes 15 clock hours of professional development for each year of the certificate term. That’s 180 hours for a 12-year certificate, and district in-service training counts. You also need a valid IVP card to renew, so renew the card with DPS before it lapses. If your certificate has already expired, ADE has separate renewal options for certificates expired under two years and for those expired two to ten years. The renewal page lists both, plus the activities that count.
Moving to Arizona From Another State
Under A.R.S. 15-501.01(D), you need three things: a valid teaching certificate from another state, good standing there and an IVP card. With those, ADE issues you a comparable standard certificate, and you don’t take any Arizona exams. You’ll still have three years to meet the Constitutions requirement. If you’re still choosing between neighboring states, compare how Nevada, New Mexico and Utah handle math certification before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you teach math in Arizona without an education degree?
Yes. A math degree qualifies you for the Subject Matter Expert certificate, which skips the subject exam and the Constitutions requirement but covers math only. With any bachelor’s degree and a job offer, you can also teach on an Alternative Teaching certificate while you finish a Board-approved program.
Do you need the NES math exam if you have a math degree?
No. Under A.R.S. 15-533, a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in math meets the subject knowledge requirement. You still need the professional knowledge exam (NT052) unless you have three years of full-time teaching in grades 6-12 or qualify another way.
How long is an Arizona teaching certificate valid?
A standard certificate is valid for 12 years. To renew it, you need 180 hours of professional development over the term and a valid IVP fingerprint card.
Can you teach math in Arizona while you’re still in a preparation program?
Yes. The Alternative Teaching certificate lets you teach under contract while you’re enrolled in a Board-approved program. It’s valid for one year and can be extended twice. A classroom-based program through your district or charter school also trains you on the job.
Can you transfer a teaching certificate from another state to Arizona?
Yes. Under A.R.S. 15-501.01(D), you need a valid teaching certificate from another state, good standing there and an IVP card. With those, ADE issues you a comparable standard certificate, and you don’t take any Arizona exams. You still have three years to meet the Constitutions requirement.
- Exams: Secondary applicants take Professional Knowledge: Secondary (NT052) and Mathematics (NT304), but a math degree replaces the subject exam.
- Your exam sets your courses: Only the Mathematics approved area covers upper-level courses such as Algebra II and trigonometry.
- Career changers: The Subject Matter Expert and Alternative Teaching certificates let degree holders reach the classroom without a second bachelor’s degree.
- IVP card and renewal: ADE won’t issue or renew a certificate without a valid DPS IVP card, and renewal takes 180 hours of professional development every 12 years.
If you already hold a math or engineering degree, your real choice in Arizona is when you train: before you’re hired, or while you’re on a district contract. The schools listed here include online options that fit around a full-time teaching job.