Connecticut Requirements For Certification As A School Social Worker
The following are the Connecticut State Department of Education requirements to become certified as a school social worker in Connecticut.
1. If you hold a valid Connecticut educator certificate you must meet the following requirements to qualify as a certified school social worker:
- Complete a course of study in special education comprised of not fewer than 36 clock hours, which shall include study in understanding the growth and development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented children and children who may require special education, and methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special-needs children in the regular classroom.
- Hold a Master’s degree in social work from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
2. If you do not hold a valid Connecticut educator certificate you must meet the following requirements to qualify as a certified school social worker:
- Pass the Praxis 1 Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST): paper-based
OR- Pass the Praxis 1 Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST): computerized
OR- Qualify for a PPST Waiver (see Waiver Options below)
AND
Complete a course of study in special education comprised of not fewer than 36 clock hours, which shall include study in understanding the growth and development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented children and children who may require special education, and methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special-needs children in the regular classroom.
AND
Hold a Master’s degree in social work from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
WAIVER OPTIONS OF PPST
A waiver may be granted by furnishing official proof of having met one of the following
- SAT Waiver: A minimum total score of 1,000 on the SAT, with neither the mathematics nor the verbal subtest scores below 400 points from any test administration on or prior to March 31, 1995, or a combined score of 1,100 or more with no less than 450 on either the verbal or mathematics subtests from test administrations on or after April 1, 1995.
OR - ACT Waiver: No less than 22 on the English subtest and no less than 19 on the mathematics subtest on the American College Testing (ACR) program assessment from test administrations on or after October 1989, or the equivalent ACT scores on no less than 20 on the English and 17 on the mathematics, from test administrations prior to October 1989.
OR - PAA Waiver: A total score on the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA) equivalent to a combined score of 1000 on the SAT with neither the mathematics nor the verbal subtest score below the equivalent of 400 points. In addition, a minimum score of 510 on the English as a Second Language Achievement Test (ESLAT) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR AN APPLICATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Bureau of Certification and Professional Development
Connecticut State Department of Education
P.O. Box 150471 – Room 243
Hartford, Connecticut 06115-0471
Telephone: (860) 713-6969
Fax: (860) 713-7010
Email: teacher.cert@po.state.ct.us Responses to emails may take two weeks due to the volume of emails received.
The information in this fact sheet is for general information purposes only and is subject to change by the Connecticut State Department of Education without notice.
