It is your professional responsibility to maintain your teaching certification. It can take several months for a renewal to process, and we recommend you renew starting 6 months before your expiration date.

There could be significant consequences if your certification lapses including:

• loss of pay: you would be reduced to substitute pay
• loss of credit with TRB: only certified teachers can contribute and receive credit with TRB. You could be faced with a tax bill on money refunded from TRB if you contributed when not certified
• loss of tenure and seniority: under state law, you would lose tenure and require 2 years to earn it back, in addition to being moved to the bottom of the seniority list
• loss of job: the district has the right to let you go and hire a certified teacher in your place.

Maintaining, Renewing and Upgrading(opens in a new tab)

Connecticut State Department of Education Certification Links

• Bureau of Certification
• Maintaining, Renewing and Upgrading CT Educator Certification
• Check your certification here
• Connecticut Educator Certification System (C.E.C.S.)

You can change your last name online. However, you cannot modify your first name, date of birth or gender. If any of this information is incorrect, please send an email message to teacher.cert@ct.gov.

• Connecticut Code of Professional Responsibility for Teachers
• Certification Laws and Regulations
• Administrative Endorsements
• Cross Endorsements
• Interstate Flexibility and Reciprocity
• Certification FAQ
• Approved Course List
• Certification Fees
• Endorsement Codes

See information regarding reimbursement for graduate study under the Benefits tab.