Teacher & Administrator Certification
Early Education through Grade 12
The purpose of ACSI Certification is to strengthen Christian schools by credentialing educators who meet established professional and biblical requirements. ACSI Certification promotes continued professional learning and increased effectiveness. Establishing and maintaining the certification of staff and administration is an essential step toward professional credibility and growth. Education is a process. Just as we encourage our students to grow and become life-long learners, we want to set the same example as their teachers and leaders. ACSI certification establishes a framework for professional growth to occur over time, just like continuous school improvement.
FOR TEACHERS & ADMINISTRATORS | EIGHT CERTIFICATIONS AVAILABLE
If God is calling you to mold and influence the next generation for Jesus Christ, ACSI supports your goal of meeting professional and biblical standards to teach in K–12 Christian Education through three areas:
- Bible Knowledge
- Educational Studies
- Christian Philosophy of Education
ACSI allows you to earn your first teaching certificate immediately with a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in ANY field! An ACSI Certification Evaluator will help you craft a personal and flexible Professional Growth Plan including choices of additional college courses as well as online or in person continuing education courses, all while engaging and teaching in a K–12 Christian Education setting.
ACSI Offers Eight Certifications for Grades K–12
All K–12 certifications are now managed on our enhanced certification platform, streamlining the process to access your ACSI certification and manage CEUs in one convenient location.
Elementary Teacher
Secondary Teacher
Specialist Teacher
Bible Specialist
Executive Director
Head of School
Principal
Professional Staff
K–12 Certification Levels
- Temporary
A two-year certificate for individuals who do not meet all education, biblical, and/or philosophy requirements for an ACSI Standard certificate. This certificate allows teachers to get started on the path to professional development. - Standard
A five-year certificate for those who have completed the education, biblical, and philosophy requirements - Professional
A five-year certificate for those who have a graduate degree from a regionally accredited college/university and have completed the necessary education, biblical, and philosophy requirements. - Lifetime
A Lifetime certificate will be issued after 10 years of holding a certificate at the Professional level, submission of renewal requirements, and verification of 10 years working in a Christian school setting.
Early Education certification with ACSI is not a requirement for accreditation
Submit the following:
- Application – mark the area(s) of certification that you are applying for
- Application fee of $100 per area of certification requested
- Current First Aid/CPR card
- Official transcripts* from your college verifying your degree from an accredited** college/university. A minimum of an associate degree is required for an EE teacher and a minimum of a bachelor's degree is required for an EE Director.
Submit the following:
* If you are using the online application you may open your official transcripts and scan and upload them to the application.
** Accreditation must be granted by a CHEA or US Department of Education recognized agency.
(This requires a separate login from the your.acsi.org login and will open in a new browser window. Contact certification@acsi.org for assistance.)
Individuals—use Certification Review to access, view, and print your ACSI EE certificate and review your EE certification renewal/upgrade requirements online.
Administrators—use Certification Review access, view, and print your own ACSI EE certificate/requirements as well as a report of certification status and renewal requirements for your school's EE teachers.
Principles and Practices of Christian Early Education
EE Yearly Professional Development and Biblical Studies Report (for use by accredited EE programs)
ACSI Accreditation Teacher Certification Requirements
ACSI K–12
ACSI K–12 Accreditation Standards allow for a teacher to be either ACSI Certified or State Certified. Many educators choose to maintain both.
- This Certification FAQ & the Certification Positions Requirement may also be helpful to understand the requirement.
If a teacher chooses to operate with their current State teaching license/credential only, ACSI asks them to complete the following:
- Christian Philosophy of Education (CPoE) requirement within the first 3 years of employment at the school
- Six Bible CEUs per school year (six clock hours)
These requirements can be logged at your school and/or on your Virtual Professional Portfolio (VPP). Access your VPP
NOTE: If you do not yet have an account, please contact your school administrator if you're at an ACSI Member School to have them add you to their school roster. This will automatically create an account for you!
Early Education
Early Education certification with ACSI is not a requirement for accreditation.
Reach Out With Questions
