Ongoing assessment through course work, field experiences, and portfolios, continues throughout the duration of preparation at PBU. A student who has met the standards to officially enter a program of certification must maintain those standards or lose “certification program” status.

All course work in all three major areas--Biblical Studies, Arts & Sciences, and Education, must be completed before a student will be granted his/her degree and before the University certification officer will sign and mail the applications for certification. A final overall GPA of 3.0 is required for certification.

Successful development of teacher competencies is evaluated by the School of Education in concert with cooperating teachers who have been a part of a student's field experiences. Teaching skills must be assessed in a real-life classroom. This program is competency-based. PBU uses PDE-430 assessment forms.

Each candidate for State certification must be approved for graduation by the University, must be approved for certification by the School of Education, and must pass the National Teacher's Exam (NTE), now called PRAXIS II. The PRAXIS II exam is not required in order to complete the program. The PRAXIS exam is not required for ACSI certification.

Certification is not automatic. The GPA requirements for applying for student teaching must be maintained. A grade of "C" or above in the Student Teaching I/II experience is required for certification. If a student earns a lower grade, he or she must successfully complete an additional student teaching experience before being recommended for certification. The teacher education faculty must approve each candidate for certification. All students who are enrolled in programs for state certification are required to pass the PRAXIS II exam before being recommended for certification.