To become a math teacher in Pennsylvania, you need a bachelor’s degree, a state-approved educator preparation program and passing Praxis scores. You then apply for an Instructional I certificate through TIMS. High school (grades 7-12) candidates take Praxis Mathematics (5165). Pennsylvania no longer requires a basic skills test.
Pennsylvania certifies math teachers in two bands: grades 4-8 (middle level) and grades 7-12 (secondary). The band you pick decides which Praxis tests you take. The basics match teacher certification requirements for math in most states, but Pennsylvania’s tests, scores and certificate levels are its own.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) issues certificates through its Division of Certification Services. The State Board of Education sets the rules in 22 Pa. Code Chapter 49. Here are the four steps to become a math teacher in Pennsylvania, current as of October 2026.
- Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Complete an Approved Math Program
- Pass Pennsylvania’s Math Certification Tests
- Apply for Your Instructional I Certificate
- Convert to a Level II Certificate
Step 1. Earn a Bachelor’s Degree and Complete an Approved Math Program
Choose Your Grade Band
A Mathematics 7-12 certificate covers secondary courses from general math and algebra through calculus, statistics and personal finance, per PDE’s staffing guideline CSPG 50. A Grades 4-8 certificate with a mathematics concentration covers middle-level classrooms. If you want to teach algebra II or calculus, aim for 7-12.
Meet the Program Admission Standard
Approved programs admit students under 22 Pa. Code Chapter 354, which sets a 3.0 GPA standard. A 2.8 GPA can also work if you add qualifying scores on Praxis Core or the PECT Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA). Ask your program which other testing options it accepts. That’s the only place a basic skills test still matters.
Your program ends in student teaching, a full classroom placement under a mentor teacher. Pennsylvania has more than 100 colleges and institutions with PDE-approved programs, and PDE lists them on its approved certification programs page.
If You Already Have a Bachelor’s Degree
You don’t need to start over. PDE recognizes three routes for degree holders, and each one ends with a certificate application in TIMS.
| Route | How It Works | When You Start Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Post-baccalaureate or master’s certification program | An approved provider reviews your transcripts. You complete the missing education coursework and student teaching, then pass the Praxis content tests. | After you finish the program and pass your tests |
| Experience-Based certificate | You enter a PDE-approved Experience-Based program, which requires a 3.0 GPA, and pass all required tests. Your provider verifies your enrollment in TIMS. | Only after PDE issues the certificate. It’s valid for 5 years of service while you finish the program. |
| American Board (ABCTE) Passport to Teaching | You pass the American Board’s own pedagogy and mathematics tests, get hired, then complete a mentoring year through Point Park University. | During the mentoring year, on a one-year Temporary Teaching Permit. Secondary math only. |
Act 47 of 2025 renamed the old intern certificate the Experience-Based certificate, and the state now issues it free. It stays valid only while you give satisfactory service to your employing school and stay enrolled in your program. PDE’s Experience-Based FAQ covers the details.
On the American Board route, you must land the teaching job before you apply for the permit. The Point Park year includes mentoring visits, two continuing education seminars and two graduate pedagogy courses, at your own cost. PDE’s New Educators page explains each route.
If You’re Certified in Another State
PDE announced on August 6, 2026 that Pennsylvania had joined the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. If you hold a comparable professional-level license from a member state, PDE reviews your application under the Compact rules automatically. Those applicants are exempt from Pennsylvania’s tests. PDE decides comparability when it reviews your application, and a license that isn’t comparable gets reviewed under a different pathway.
Outside the Compact, you skip testing only if you meet four conditions in the state that certified you:
- A current professional-level certificate that matches the Pennsylvania certificate in content and grade scope
- An approved preparation program that included student teaching
- Passing scores on that state’s content tests
- Satisfactory service in your two most recent years of teaching in that area
Missing a condition but holding a comparable certificate and two years of experience? You take Pennsylvania’s content test. You must meet the standard passing score on that route, because PDE doesn’t accept the GPA method there. A comparable National Board certificate also qualifies, with no tests required. Finished an approved program elsewhere but lack the certificate or the experience? PDE then checks whether your state belongs to the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement. Start with PDE’s Out-of-State Educators page.
If you’re also weighing jobs south of the state line, Maryland’s math teacher certification requirements set their own tests and passing scores. Compare both before you decide where to apply.
Step 2. Pass Pennsylvania’s Math Certification Tests
Pennsylvania dropped its basic skills requirement. Act 55 of 2024 ended it permanently as of July 1, 2025, after a three-year waiver that began in 2022. You don’t need PAPA or Praxis Core unless your program uses one for admission.
Most candidates who finish a Pennsylvania-approved program must pass these ETS Praxis tests. Out-of-state, Compact, National Board and American Board routes follow different rules. Your band decides your tests:
- Grades 7-12: Praxis Mathematics (5165). Pennsylvania doesn’t require the Fundamental Subjects test (5511) for this certificate.
- Grades 4-8 Mathematics: the Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Core Assessment, taken combined (5152) or as three modules: Pedagogy (5153), English Language Arts and Social Studies (5154), and Mathematics and Science (5155). You also take the Subject Concentration: Mathematics test (5158).
Two exceptions apply in grades 4-8. If you already hold a Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 certificate, you generally add mathematics by passing 5158 alone. PK-4 certificate holders adding grades 4-8 skip Module 1 (5153), and so do candidates dual-enrolled in PK-4 and 4-8 programs.
The 5158 test runs 2 hours with 60 questions, and ETS provides an on-screen scientific calculator.
How Pennsylvania’s Qualifying Scores Work
These standard passing scores come from the ETS Pennsylvania requirements page as of October 2026:
| Grade Band | Test (Code) | Standard Passing Score |
|---|---|---|
| 7-12 | Praxis Mathematics (5165) | 159 |
| 4-8 | Pennsylvania Grades 4-8 Subject Concentration: Mathematics (5158) | 173 |
| 4-8 | Grades 4-8 Core Assessment modules (5153, 5154, 5155) | A separate score for each module |
PDE’s GPA allowance can change the score you need. It uses the GPA from the degree tied to your preparation program. PDE’s chart lists a qualifying score for each GPA band. The allowance doesn’t change your pass or fail result on the test itself. Experience-Based and add-on applicants can use their highest degree GPA or most recent GPA.
Find your exact qualifying score in the Certification Test and Score Requirements chart on PDE’s Certification Testing page before you register. Tests taken in Pennsylvania report to PDE automatically. If you test remotely or out of state, ask the test administrator to send your scores to PDE.
Step 3. Apply for Your Instructional I Certificate
You apply online through the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS). You can apply from the first of the month you complete your program. Your application needs:
- Your program’s recommendation, confirming your degree and completed approved program
- Your test scores, sent by the test administrator
- Answers to the background and good moral character questions in TIMS
If you answer no to every background question, you don’t send clearance documents with your application. A yes answer means mailing clearances, a letter of explanation and other documents with your TIMS coversheet, as PDE’s application guide explains. School employment clearances are a separate process, covered on PDE’s clearances page.
You can track your application in your TIMS account. An approved application earns you a Level I Instructional certificate, called the Instructional I. To see what the job pays, our Pennsylvania math teacher salary page breaks down wages across the state.
Step 4. Convert to a Level II Certificate
Many teachers earn their Level II credits through a master’s degree such as an M.Ed. or M.A.T., but you don’t have to. PDE requires 24 semester credits earned after your bachelor’s degree, at the graduate or undergraduate level. At least 6 must be in your certificate’s content area or in courses that improve professional practice. Act 48 hours don’t count toward the 24.
Your Instructional I is valid for six years of service in Pennsylvania schools, counted as service years, not calendar years. It can’t be renewed. You must hold the Instructional II before your sixth service year ends, or the Level I lapses. Finishing the requirements isn’t enough. To convert, you need:
- Three years of satisfactory service in a Pennsylvania public school entity
- Completion of a PDE-approved induction program
- The 24 post-baccalaureate credits
- A Level II recommendation from your school entity on Form PDE 427A (the Summative Evaluation Form for Classroom Teachers)
Induction is the support program for new teachers, and your employing school entity must provide a PDE-approved one. Induction completed in another state doesn’t count. PDE’s Level I to Level II page and CSPG 7 spell out which credits qualify.
After you convert, Act 48 keeps your certificate active. You complete 180 hours of continuing education or 6 college credits every five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a basic skills test to teach math in Pennsylvania?
No. Act 55 of 2024 permanently ended the basic skills requirement as of July 1, 2025. Praxis Core and PAPA now serve only as an optional admission route. It’s for program applicants with a GPA of at least 2.8 but under 3.0.
Can I teach math in Pennsylvania without an education degree?
Yes. With a bachelor’s degree, you can complete a post-baccalaureate program or teach on an Experience-Based certificate while you finish one. Both require the Praxis content tests. For grades 7-12, the American Board route uses its own pedagogy and subject-area assessments. A one-calendar-year Temporary Teaching Permit and required mentoring follow.
What’s the passing score on Praxis Mathematics (5165) in Pennsylvania?
ETS lists a standard passing score of 159 as of October 2026. PDE’s GPA allowance can change the qualifying score you need, based on the GPA from your preparation program’s degree. Check PDE’s Certification Test and Score Requirements chart for your GPA band.
Do I have to take Pennsylvania’s tests if I’m certified in another state?
Not always. A comparable license from a Compact member state is exempt from testing. So is a certificate that meets all four of PDE’s out-of-state conditions. Otherwise, with a comparable certificate and two years of experience, you take the content test at the standard passing score.
What happens if my Instructional I certificate runs out?
It lapses after six years of service if you haven’t obtained an Instructional II. You can’t renew a Level I certificate. Plan your 24 credits and induction early so PDE issues your Level II before your sixth service year ends.
- Grade band first: Grades 7-12 candidates take Praxis Mathematics (5165), and grades 4-8 candidates take the Core Assessment plus Mathematics (5158).
- No basic skills test: Act 55 of 2024 ended the requirement as of July 1, 2025.
- Scores and GPA: ETS lists 159 for 5165 and 173 for 5158. PDE’s GPA allowance can change the score you need.
- Degree holders have options: A post-baccalaureate program, the Experience-Based certificate or the American Board route can lead to an Instructional I.
- Six service years: Obtain your Level II with three years of service, induction and 24 post-baccalaureate credits before your Instructional I lapses.
Already hold a degree in math or engineering? Compare programs on whether they offer an Experience-Based track, which lets you teach while you finish. The schools listed here include online certification programs that fit a working schedule.