Alternative Route to Teacher Certification

The Alternative Route to Teacher Certification offers Saturday classes, so you can continue working while completing the program. You will also participate in a mentored internship program within your school district and be well prepared to take the edTPA exam. There are four routes that students can take in this flexible and affordable program — each route has been developed to suit students in unique life circumstances.

• Route 1: For students who are employed by school districts as “classified instructional employees,” or paraprofessionals who have an associate degree. Students taking Route 1 will be enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Education.
• Route 2: For students currently employed by a school district who have a bachelor’s degree.
• Route 3: For students who have a bachelor’s degree, who are not employed by a school district, but have documented career expertise in a subject-matter shortage area such as special education, English language, or math.
• Route 4: For students with a bachelor’s degree who are employed by a school district at the time of application and hold a conditional teaching or emergency substitute certificate.

Admission Requirements

• Passage of the WEST-B statewide basic skills exams
• Completion of the WEST-E/NES subject matter assessments required by RCW 28A.410.220 (3) for the endorsements being sought
• District or building validation of qualifications, including one year of successful student interaction and leadership as “classified staff” for Routes 1 and 2.

Program Details

Routes 2, 3, and 4 prepare students to teach and create curriculum in shortage areas such as math, English language learner (ELL), and special education.

CityU’s Alternative Routes to Teacher Certification are offered at our Everett, Tacoma, and Vancouver, Washington, locations. On-site portions of these programs start in summer quarter and are offered on the weekends.

CityU’s Alternative Route to Teacher Certification programs primarily serve Western Washington, although we are able to accommodate candidates and districts in Eastern Washington. If you work in one of five school districts – Bellevue, Lakewood, Marysville, Mukilteo, or Seattle, you may be eligible to receive grant funds to help pay your tuition and other expenses.

CityU has been awarded a Startalk grant, funded by the National Security Agency (NSA), to assist in increasing the number of fluent speakers of Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese earning teacher certificates in the state of Washington, with initial certificates earned through our Alternative Routes program in one of the shortage areas that we regularly offer. Along with matriculating through our program, candidates receive additional instruction in methods and hands-on teaching of Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Portuguese.