Q : Must I maintain my professional educator certificate when I retire?

A : No, unless you think you may want to return to teaching, even on a part-time

basis, some day.

Q : My retirement date comes at the same time as the date when I would renew my

certificate.  I have earned the 9 CEUs I need to renew it.  What process should I follow to apply for renewal?

A : You will follow the renewal process you have followed in the past: obtain the

renewal application form from the SDE web site

(http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/Cert/certform/ed_179.pdf ), complete it, have it signed by the superintendent (or designee) of the district you worked in, and send it to the SDE address on the top of the form.  Your certificate will be renewed and mailed to you.

Q : Once I renew my certificate, will I have to earn CEUs during the next 5-year

period to retain it?

A : Not if you are not working under the certificate at all.  If you go back to

working, even part time, under the certificate, you would once again have to earn CEUs to renew the certificate.

Q : If I don’t work under my certificate during the first 5-year period of my retirement, and I don’t have to earn CEUs, can I renew the certificate again for another 5-year period, and if so, how do I do that?

A : You can continue to renew your certificate indefinitely when you retire, and

don’t have to earn CEUs at all if you are not working, even part time, under it.  Since you would not be working, you would simply complete the form and send it in to the state, and do not have to obtain a superintendent’s signature.

Q : What if I do work part time once I retire?

A : If you are working in a district, in a position that requires certification (such as

teaching one class), you would be required to earn all 9 CEUs during a 5-year period to retain the certificate.  This applies no matter how long you are employed part time.  If you are working in a position that does not require certification (e.g., you’re employed as a contractor or consultant by the district), you wouldn’t have to earn CEUs.

Q : My retirement date comes during a 5-year validity period of my certificate,

and I will not have earned all 9 CEUs needed to renew it.  How does this affect my renewal?

A : You can still apply for renewal, using the same process as you normally would.

On the application form, you would indicate that you had not earned the 9 CEUs needed.  The state will grant you a renewal once if you did not earn the CEUs you needed while you were working.  However, once your renewal is granted, the next 5-year period of validity would be a full period during which you would not be working under the certificate, so you would not need to earn CEUs to renew your certificate again.  (In essence, your status changes because of not working under the certificate, so the CEU requirement changes, also.)

Q : I hold both a subject-area endorsement AND an adult educator endorsement on the same certificate.  When I am retired, I plan to teach adult education.  Do I need to earn CEUs to maintain my certification?

A : Yes, if you are teaching even part time, whether it is under the adult educator

endorsement, or the subject-area endorsement, you will need to earn CEUs.  If you are teaching under the subject-area endorsement, you need to earn 9, and both endorsements will be continued when you next renew your certificate.  If, however, you are working under the adult educator endorsement, you are required to earn only 4.5 CEUs to continue only that endorsement, and the subject-area endorsement would not be continued.  If you wished to continue both endorsements, you would have to earn 9 CEUs.