Certification
This is the initial instructional certificate issued to new Pennsylvania teachers and is valid for 6 years of service.
What is a Level I Instructional Certificate?
How many Act 48 hours are required during each compliance period for most Pennsylvania educators?
What is 180 hours?
There are four possible overall performance ratings a teacher can receive under Pennsylvania’s evaluation system.
What are Distinguished, Proficient, Needs Improvement, and Failing?
This beverage is the most consumed drink in the world—after water.
What is tea?
This phrase is part of CSIU’s mission and reflects its commitment to education and community impact.
What is “Enriching learning…Enriching lives”?
Unlike Level I, this Pennsylvania teaching certificate is considered permanent, though it still requires ongoing Act 48 professional development to remain active.
What is a Level II Instructional Certificate?
What online system do educators use to track Act 48 hours and compliance status?
What is PERMS (Professional Education Record Management System)?
This performance level represents meeting professional expectations and is the most common rating for effective teachers.
What is proficient?
This ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world’s five oceans.
What is the Arctic Ocean?
These are the five counties where CSIU primarily provides educational services.
What are Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, and Union counties?
If a teacher does not convert their Level I certificate within the allowed timeframe, this happens to their ability to teach in a Pennsylvania public school.
What is the certificate becomes inactive and the teacher becomes ineligible for continued employment?
Which of the following typically does count toward Act 48 hours: district-approved in-service days, PDE-approved coursework, or informal self-study?
What is istrict-approved in-service days and PDE-approved coursework?
(Informal self-study does not count unless formally approved.)
This portion of a teacher’s evaluation includes student performance measures such as PVAAS or locally selected measures, depending on assignment.
What is the student performance measure (SPM) component?
This U.S. state has the most active volcanoes.
What is Alaska?
Name five of the seventeen member school districts
What are Benton Area, Berwick Area, Bloomsburg Area, Central Columbia, Danville Area, Lewisburg Area, Line Mountain, Midd-West, Mifflinburg Area, Millville Area, Milton Area, Mount Carmel Area, Selinsgrove Area, Shamokin Area, Shikellamy, Southern Columbia Area, Warrior Run?
What is the name of the website where you login to process and submit information regarding additional certifications or to convert your certificate?
What is TIMS?
This can happen if an educator fails to meet Act 48 requirements by the end of their compliance period
What is the certificate may be administratively inactive or at risk, affecting employment eligibility?
This online system is used by administrators to collect evidence, score evaluations, and submit final ratings to the state.
What is PA-ETEP?
This planet has the shortest day of any planet in our solar system.
What is Jupiter?
Who is the executive director of the CSIU?
Dr. John Kurelja
Once you convert your certificate, how long is it valid?
What is 99 years?
This official PDE-supported website houses standards-aligned resources, professional learning modules, and instructional tools that districts often use for Act 48–eligible professional development
What is the PDE Standards Aligned System (SAS) website?
These are the four domains of the framework for observation and practice.
What are planning and preparation, classroom environment, instruction, and professional responsibilities?
This musical term tells performers to gradually get louder.
What is crescendo?
Name two of the four core values of the CSIU.
What are service to others, passion for excellence, equity in action, and innovation for growth?