Formal Entry (APS)

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) mandates all teacher certification candidates meet certain criteria.

Millersville University has adopted requirements in order to meet those mandates and be a state approved teacher education program that successfully leads students to certification in the state of Pennsylvania.

Formal Entry (APS) is required in order to register for advanced professional courses and is considered the entry point into a teacher preparation program. 

 

Formal Entry Application Instructions:

Applications and application materials are not accepted by email. 

All students must submit an Application for Formal Entry when they have met the requirements.  Once officially admitted, students may register for advanced professional courses.

1. Complete the online Formal Entry Application. 
   • Attention Undergraduate Students: Per recent PDE updates, the ACT 55 test waiver is not required.
   • Updates to the Formal Entry application are in process. 
   • In the meantime, if your cumulative GPA is a 3.0 or above, submit a document in place of the ACT 55 waiver that states your current GPA, name, date, and ID #. 
   • If your cumulative GPA is between 2.8-2.99, Pre-Service Test scores are required. See the BSE Formal Entry Requirements drop-down for more information. 
2. Allow 5-10 business days for processing!  Normal processing time for your application may be up to 10 business days.
   • Apply at least 10 business days before registration begins to ensure that you do not miss your registration time slot.
   • Note: In times of high volume, processing time may increase. 
3. There are no exceptions to GPA, testing, and ACT 126 training certificate requirements.
4. Students will receive an email from Field Services after their application has been processed.

Provisional Status: Students who are in-progress to earn 48 credits and/or in-progress to complete pre-requisite courses, may be awarded 'provisional' status. Note the following: 

• Pre-requisite courses cannot be taken during the same semester as advanced professional courses.
• Provisional status is temporary and only granted one-time.
• Provisional status is granted for registration purposes only. 
• Provisional status is determined upon review of a submitted Formal Entry application. 

NOTE: The application can only be accessed by ACTIVE (currently enrolled in a course) Millersville University students.

• ACTIVE MU students: If you receive an error message or are unable to access the form, contact the MU Help Desk directly for assistance.
• Inactive MU students (not currently enrolled in a course): If you are NOT an ACTIVE MU student, contact field.services@millersville.edu for assistance. 

BSE students must meet the requirements below to achieve Formal entry status:

• A minimum of 48 credits in-progress
• Pass one English Composition Course
• Pass one English Literature Course
• Pass two Mathematics Courses (100+ Level)
• Pass Education Foundations courses (EDFN 211/241) & receive a Favorable Faculty Recommendation
• ACT 126 Educator Ethics Training certificate of completion (effective 1/15/2020)*
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0; GPA of 2.8-2.99 requires higher test scores on Content Area Tests for Certification*
• Basic Skills Testing (Pre-Service Tests) only required if cumulative GPA is between 2.8-2.99.
  
  • Pre-Service Testing Options*
  • If Formal Entry status is revoked, test scores may be required. 

 * No exceptions. 

 

Post-Baccalaureate students must meet the requirements below to achieve Formal Entry status:

• A minimum of 3 credits
• Cumulative GPA of 3.0; TCAT admits must complete TCAT requirements for admission*
• ACT 126 Educator Ethics Training certificate of completion (effective 1/15/2020)*
• Pass Education Foundations courses (EDFN 545/590) and/or receive Favorable Faculty Recommendations from other coursework as designated. (Does not apply to PBC Early Childhood Education or PBC Special Education PK-12 students).

* No exceptions. 

ACT 126 – Educator Ethics Training is available on the Department of Education's SAS Portal and must be completed prior to submitting your Formal Entry application.

• The course is available through the SAS PD Center. A brief assessment will be given at the end of the course. 
• Students who do not have a SAS account must first register for an account. 
• Complete the 'Teacher Track' portion of the course.
• This course and site are maintained by PDE.

All students will receive a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the training. 

Keep a copy of your certificate for your records and to submit with your Formal Entry application - it must reflect 'Teacher Track'.