Merry Gunnett
Director of Academic Services
ACSI
Note: Please see Certification page for the most up-to-date information.
ACSI teacher and administrator certification may seem like an overwhelming task when you first look into the process, but if you keep a few key principles in mind you should be able to succeed without being confused, frustrated, or overwhelmed:
- Read the application form and other information thoroughly. Never assume!
- Follow each instruction carefully and completely.
- Plan ahead. Currently the ACSI Certification Department has over 45,000 teachers and administrators in its system. Normal turnaround time to receive a certificate is approximately three weeks. You can have the process rushed for an additional $25 fee.
- Do not hesitate to call and ask for clarity on any question with regard to certification prior to applying or renewing. Well-intentioned people may have given you inaccurate information; check with the people who have been trained to assist you.
- Make sure that you use a current application, and include the appropriate application fee (currently it is $45 in U.S. funds for one certificate).
- Please check the appropriate level and type of certificate that you wish to receive. For example, if you are applying for a secondary teaching certificate, you must list what subject area(s) you are requesting to have on your certificate. Please also note that when you list a subject area, you should have the appropriate amount and type of course work for that subject area.
- Remember: If you check more than one type of certificate, you must submit the appropriate fee for two or more certificates.
- Include all necessary materials for evaluation, the application fee, and the application when you are applying. If you are renewing, you must include the documentation that shows you completed your renewal requirements. (The credit evaluation form that came with your certificate is vital. It explains your renewal requirements.) Sending piecemeal or incomplete items only delays the process.
- If you are personally sending transcripts (instead of having the educational institution send them directly to ACSI), please make sure your name, the name of the college/university, its location, the degree earned, and date of degree are legible and unaltered. In order for transcripts to be accepted by ACSI, please note that the colleges and universities must be accredited by a regional accrediting body, by AABC, by TRACS, or by a CHEA-recognized accrediting body. Or the institution must be recognized or approved by ACSI for transcripts to be accepted.
- If you are sending Continuing Education Units (CEUs), make sure they are from an ACSI-approved CEU provider and on the appropriate CEU form. CEUs for renewals must be earned after the date of issuance of the certificate that you are renewing.
- If you have lost your credit evaluation form, which lists renewal requirements and which accompanied your certificate, you may request a copy of it by sending a letter and a $5 processing fee.
- Check under Educators on this website for all the latest certification information.
- Encourage your school administration to designate a person on your campus as the resident expert on certification. Have that person contact ACSI in order to be listed as the contact person, to get all the latest information, and to learn about maintaining certification records.
The ACSI Certification Department is here to serve you, not to make certification more difficult. While it may seem we are demanding much from you, the requirements are set only in the best interest of the children you have been given the responsibility to educate and nurture for His glory. Please feel free to contact the Certification Office with any questions you may have.
ACSI Certification Principles for Success 6.3