Certification

Puget Sound ESD processes between 30-40% of all certification applications in Washington State each year! We strive to provide the best service possible to school districts, post-secondary institutions, and educators, both in-state and from around the world. Friendly and knowledgeable assistance with applications and materials is also provided--free of charge!

ESD 121's certification department assists applicants in determining which application(s) may be appropriate to complete in order to obtain or maintain a Washington State certificate as a teacher, administrator or educational staff associate. Applicants submit their completed paperwork to the ESD certification office for review and issuance of a temporary permit, when applicable. The first 180 day permit allows the applicants to then seek and accept employment while OSPI's certification office continues to review the application for final requirements, testing results, etc. A second 180 day permit may be issued by OSPI automatically, if necessary.

• Types of certificates in Washington include:
• Teacher
• Administrator (principal, superintendent and program administrator)
• Educational Staff Associate
• School counselor and school psychologist
• Speech language pathologist or audiologist, school nurse, occupational therapist, physical therapist or school social worker

To meet the requirements for a full time residency teaching certificate or a "regular" substitute certificate, an applicant must be at least 18 years of age, have earned a Bachelor's degree (or higher) and have completed an approved college/university teacher education program that included student teaching from a regionally accredited college or university. Or, if the applicant did not complete a traditional program, he/she must provide verification of an out of state regular teaching certificate and be able to verify three years of out-of-state teaching experience. If the applicant does not meet the criteria described above, he/she may be eligible for a limited certificate; please contact the certification office at the ESD for additional information.

Fingerprinting is a Washington State requirement for all individuals who have regular, unsupervised access to children within the P-12 system, including those seeking certificates, those employed in a certified or classified position, or for tutoring. Fingerprinting may be done at any one of the nine ESDs in the state of Washington. (See fingerprinting below for more detailed information on this process at Puget Sound ESD).

Endorsements (designated teaching areas) can be added to teaching certificates by following one of three pathways. There are numerous requirements under each of these three pathways, please go to: http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/teacher/Endorsement.aspx or http://www.pesb.wa.gov/educators for further explanation.

The residency certificate is followed by the professional certificate, which requires successful completion of either the ProTeach Portfolio or via National Board (NBPTS) certification. For information go to: http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/Teacher/procert-program.aspx or http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/NationalBoard.aspx.

More information about Washington certification, as well as the application materials, can be found at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction website. For Educational Staff Associates, please see: http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/ESA/NotCertified.aspx  For Administrators, please see: http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/Administrator/NotCertified.aspx

Fingerprinting Services

PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to print for any reason other than for education in the State of Washington. Fingerprinting for any other reason, including federal or FBI background checks for other states or other agencies, will need to be done elsewhere. For more information on obtaining an FBI background check for other purposes, please visit: www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/background-check

If you are planning to apply for a Washington State teaching certificate or employment at any P-12 public school, contact Puget Sound ESD's certification office as a first step. We utilize a state-of-the-art digital livescan fingerprinting system with instant transmission to the Washington State Patrol.

Due to the large amount of school districts we support in our territory, Puget Sound ESD offers the fingerprinting service by appointment ONLY Mondays through Thursdays. Appointments are usually available from 8 am to 4 pm but tend to fill up quickly, and also be approximately 1-3 weeks out. Don't delay! Please contact (425) 917-7600, or for fastest service, email us at fingerprinting@psesd.org with questions, or to schedule an appointment. Please give a morning or afternoon preference, if possible. If you make an appointment via email, please be sure to give your phone number (in case we need to reach you for any reason) and the reason for which you need to be fingerprinted. The fee for this service is $68.50. Once your appointment has been set, we will email to you an appointment confirmation and the fingerprinting instructions for you to review prior to your visit here.

To be fingerprinted at Puget Sound ESD, you will need:

• An appointment!
• To complete a demographic form with basic information about you.
• Photo ID (driver's license or passport, etc).
• Appropriate fee payment. Cash (change can be made), checks, money orders and Visa/ Mastercard are all accepted (American Express is NOT accepted)! Please know that the cardholder must be present and able to also provide his/her own photo ID in order for you to be printed here that day, for security reasons.
• Approximately 15 minutes of your time. No need to come early for your appointment, as that time is reserved for you only.
• Someone to care for small children brought with you.

We strive for quality prints taken on every customer, and make every effort (sometimes heroic!) to present clear prints to the WSP/FBI; however, some individuals will just not have the print quality that the WSP/FBI needs for clearance. For more information on Washington State fingerprinting requirements, including FAQ and rejected print procedures, please visit OSPI's Office of Professional Practices web site.

For more information on Certification & Fingerprinting contact:
Jan Mathsen or Sherri Ehrenheim at certification@psesd.org, 425-917-7600.

We look forward to serving you!