Formal Entry (APS)

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

Millersville University has adopted the Formal Entry requirement process 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. 
   • All students - You will be directed to upload the ACT 55 and ACT 126 certificates of completion as part of your application. 
     
     • Submit all required certificates together in the same Formal Entry application as directed in the application.
     • All training must be completed, and all certificates submitted, for your application to be reviewed for Formal Entry status.  
     • Scroll down to the accordion drop-down menu items below for directions for the ACT 55 and ACT 126 certificates.
   • Attention Undergraduate Students: 
     • If your cumulative GPA is between 2.8-2.99, Basic Skills/Pre-Service Test scores are required. You will be directed to upload your score report(s). 
       • See the BSE Formal Entry Requirements drop-down menu item below for more information. 
2. Allow a minimum of 5-10 business days for application processing! 
   • Normal processing time for your application may be up to 10 business days. 
   • Processing may take longer during times of high volume (examples:  prior to registration, during certification recommendation to PDE processing, etc.)
   • Apply at least 10 business days before registration begins to ensure that you do not miss your registration time slot.
3. There are no exceptions to GPA, testing (if required due to GPA), ACT 55 training certificates and ACT 126 training certificate requirements.
4. Status Notification:  Students will receive an email from the Certification Office 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. 
• Provisional status will be re-evaluated after grades for in-progress courses are final. 
  • At that time, either Full Formal Entry Status will be awarded (if requirements are met) or Provisional status will be revoked. 

NOTE: The Formal Entry 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 certification@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 55 School Safety and Security Course certificates of completion (effective beginning Fall 2026)*. 
  • Only Modules 1, 2, 6 and 9 will be accepted. 
  • Scroll down for 'How To' instructions.
• 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/Pre-Service Testing only required if cumulative GPA is between 2.8-2.99.
  
  • Basic Skills/Pre-Service Testing Options*
  • If Formal Entry status is revoked, test scores may be required. 

 * No exceptions. Upload required documents as directed during the application submission process.  Scroll down for instructions for both the ACT 55 and ACT 126 training certificates.

 Note the following:

• Submit all required certificates together in the same Formal Entry application as directed in the application.
• All training must be completed, and all certificates submitted, for your application to be reviewed for Formal Entry status.  

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 55 School Safety and Security Course certificates of completion (effective beginning Fall 2026)*
  • The total training time of all ACT 55 certificates uploaded must equal 3 hours (180 minutes) or more. 
  • Post-Baccalaureate students must provide either of the following:
    • complete the (4) modules indicated in the instructions below and submit the accompanying certificates of completion, OR
    • submit the training certificates as required for employment at their school district/place of employment, equal to 3 hours (180 minutes) or more.
• 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. Upload required documents as directed during the application submission process.  Scroll down for instructions for both the ACT 55 and ACT 126 training certificates.

Note the following:

• Submit all required certificates together in the same Formal Entry application as directed in the application.
• All training must be completed, and all certificates submitted, for your application to be reviewed for Formal Entry status.  

Per the PA ACT 55 mandate, a minimum of 3 hours (180 minutes) of School Employee Safety and Security training is required for all pre-service teachers.  To meet this requirement, the ACT 55 School Safety and Security Course certificates of completion are required for Formal Entry status consideration.  

Undergraduate students

Undergraduate students are required to complete the following modules, for a total of 187 minutes:

• Module 1 | Situational Awareness (38 minutes)
• Module 2 | Trauma-Informed Approaches (83 minutes)
• Module 6 | Recognizing Concerning Behaviors (36 minutes)
• Module 9 | Behavioral Health Awareness (30 minutes)

Post-Baccalaureate students

Post-Baccalaureate students may either complete the (4) modules above (and submit the  certificates of completion) or submit the training certificates as required for employment at their school district/place of employment, equal to 3 hours (180 minutes) or more.

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How-To Instructions for act 55

1.  Read all instructions below before beginning.  When ready, click on:  https://pak12ssstp.org/training/

2.  In the pop-up window, register within the School Employee Safety and Security Training system.

• Enter your first name, last name and Millersville email.
• For “School Entity” - Type “Millersville University”.
• Under “Role” select the drop-down item “Teacher/Instructional Staff”.
• In the “Role – specify if needed”, add “University pre-service teacher”.

3.  Complete the following four (4) modules (for a total of 187 minutes):

• Module 1 | Situational Awareness (38 minutes)
• Module 2 | Trauma-Informed Approaches (83 minutes)
• Module 6 | Recognizing Concerning Behaviors (36 minutes)
• Module 9 | Behavioral Health Awareness (30 minutes)

4.  Within EACH Module ...  

• Click into either the “English” or “Spanish” version of each of the four modules to activate an information request page. 
• Complete the requested information for each module:
  • First name, last name, and Millersville email
  • Indicate the “Employee Role” as “Other” and on the word “Other” overtype “University pre-service teacher”.
  • The 'Intermediate Unit' is “Lancaster – Lebanon Intermediate Unit”.
  • In the “School Entity” space select “Other” and on the word “Other” overtype “Millersville University”.
  • Select [Continue]

5. Complete the training for each module and print to PDF the related completion certificate.

• Repeat step 4 above for each module.
• At the completion of EACH Module, you will receive a certificate of completion for that module.  At the completion of EACH Module, do the following:
  • Print the module's certificate of completion as a PDF.
  • Save the PDF file for future reference and to submit with your Formal Entry application.
  • Print a hard copy keep a copy of your certificate(s) for your records!

6.  When applying for Formal Entry, upload the ACT 55 certificates of completion (individually or as a combined, single PDF) in the designated area in the Formal Entry application.

 Note the following:

• Each module must be completed in “one sitting”.  Training may be paused but you may not leave and come back to continue from the same location within the training.
• When applying for Formal Entry, submit all required certificates together in the same Formal Entry application as directed in the application. 
• The total training time of all ACT 55 certificates uploaded must equal 3 hours (180 minutes) or more. 
• All training must be completed, and all certificates submitted, for your application to be reviewed for Formal Entry status.  

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. 

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How-To Instructions for act 126

1. Complete the 'Teacher Track' portion of the course! 
   
   • Students who do not have a SAS account must first register for an account. 
   • This course and site are maintained by PDE.
2. Receive - students will receive a Certificate of Completion upon completion of the training. 
   • Your Certificate of Completion must say 'Teacher Track' to be accepted for Formal Entry.
3. Submit your Certificate of Completion (reflecting 'Teacher Track'), as directed, during the Formal Entry application process to verify this requirement has been met.

Keep a copy of your certificate for your records!