Teacher Certification Pathways (TCP)
Teacher Certification Pathways (TCP) offers three distinct paths for people who hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university to earn a Pennsylvania Instructional I certification.
In 1985, the Pennsylvania Department of Education approved the Wilson College Teacher Intern Pathway (TIP). Wilson offers TIP certification in: early childhood (Pre-K-4) education; English/language arts, mathematics, science or social studies at the middle (4-8) level; in English, biology, chemistry, mathematics or social studies at the secondary (7-12) level; and Pre-K-12 special education; Spanish; business, computer and information technology; or health and physical education.
While offering the same certifications as TIP, the Teacher Online Pathway (TOP) was created in 2018 to provide an online and accelerated pathway that is accessible statewide. The certification program requires successful completion in three areas: course work, state testing and the student/intern teaching practicum component.
The Foreign Language Intern Pathway (FLIP) was created in 2017 to offer Pre-K-12 certification in the following: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish. To enter this pathway, the FLIP student must have passed all state testing and be employed as a foreign language teacher. Once admitted to the program, the student is eligible for the intern certificate issued by the state of PA, allowing the student to complete student teaching while employed.
In 2018, the Education Division decided to offer secondary, business, and Spanish certifications online. The Teacher Online Pathway (TOP) was created to meet the needs of students who lived beyond an 80-mile radius. In addition, it was designed to be an accelerated path to certification, providing an opportunity for students to complete the program in a year to a year and a half. In 2019, TOP was expanded to include Early Childhood, Middle Level, all Dual and Health & Physical Education certifications.
Wilson College offers the traditional post-baccalaureate route to Pennsylvania Instructional I certification: application, acceptance, student-specific program design, coursework, standardized state testing and student teaching, which rounds out the program, resulting in achievement of the state-issued certificate. An alternate route may also be taken.
The concept of the intern certificate was developed to provide an alternate route to certification for an Instructional I certificate. The Wilson Teacher Certification Pathways, in compliance with PDE guidelines, has incorporated this option into the program. The student can begin his/her prescribed program of study once accepted, but must pass state-required testing and secure professional paid employment to obtain the intern certificate which is valid for three years. The intern student can complete student teaching while employed, and will receive continuous, long-term supervision while simultaneously taking the academic coursework required for the Instructional I certification.