Pennsylvania School Counselor Certification
Pennsylvania school counselors need a PDE-approved graduate program in school counseling, usually a master’s degree. You’ll also meet the Praxis School Counselor (5422) requirement, get your program’s recommendation and apply through TIMS. The application fee is $150. Your Educational Specialist I certificate covers PK-12 and lasts six years of service.
Most of Pennsylvania’s process is straightforward, but a few details catch people. The big three are the 420-hour internship, a school safety course some programs require, and the two-level certificate. This guide covers each one, from your first application through permanent certification and out-of-state transfers.
Pennsylvania Links
Pennsylvania certifies school counselors as Educational Specialists in one area, Elementary and Secondary School Counselor (PK-12). That single certificate qualifies you to counsel students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, which isn’t the case in every state.
Initial Pennsylvania School Counselor Certification
Step 1: Complete a PDE-Approved Preparation Program
You’ll need to complete a school counseling preparation program approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). For most people that’s a master’s degree. Already hold a master’s in counseling? Some universities offer a certification-only program that leads to the same certificate. Either way, your program has to issue an institutional recommendation when you apply. That comes from your dean or certification officer, not from you.
PDE’s program guidelines set the field experience standards. Your program must include pre-practicum work, a practicum and an internship. PDE doesn’t set an hour minimum for the pre-practicum or practicum. The internship must run at least 12 weeks of direct school-based service and at least 420 clock hours. Across those experiences you’ll need time at both the elementary (PreK-8) and secondary (7-12) levels. Many programs ask for more than the state minimum. CACREP-accredited programs, for example, require a 600-hour internship under CACREP’s own standards.
PDE’s guidelines also say it won’t approve a program delivered completely online. Considering a program with online coursework? Ask how it arranges the practicum and internship in Pennsylvania schools. Then confirm the program holds PDE approval.
Act 55 of 2022 requires educator preparation programs to include school safety and security training after July 1, 2025. Some programs meet this with PDE’s school safety course on the SAS portal. They may ask you to finish it before they’ll process your recommendation. Ask your certification officer early so it doesn’t hold up your application.
PDE approval and CACREP accreditation are two separate things. CACREP is a national accreditor. PDE approval is what makes you eligible for a Pennsylvania certificate. Our Pennsylvania school counselor page, linked in the sidebar, covers school counseling programs in the state. Your program’s certification office can confirm its PDE approval status.
Step 2: Get Your Background Clearances
Pennsylvania’s Public School Code (Section 111) requires three background checks for anyone working directly with students. That includes student teachers and interns. You’ll give these to your placement site and your employer, not to PDE with your certification application:
- PA State Police Criminal Records Check: $22
- DHS Child Abuse History Clearance: $13
- FBI fingerprint check through PDE’s vendor: $27.95 (the fee rose from $24.95 on October 1, 2026)
That’s $62.95 in total. Clearances must be no more than five years old when you’re hired. You’ll renew them every 60 months while you work in a school. PDE’s clearances page links to each application portal.
Step 3: Meet the Praxis School Counselor (5422) Requirement
The standard testing requirement is the Praxis School Counselor test, code 5422. It replaced the Professional School Counselor test (5421) for Pennsylvania on September 1, 2022. Pennsylvania accepted 5421 scores through August 31, 2022. If a program handout or website still names 5421, it’s out of date. Holders of certain PDE-recognized licenses are exempt from testing (see the LPC section below).
The 5422 has 120 selected-response questions, takes two hours and costs $130. You can test at a center or at home. The questions fall into four content categories:
- Define: 30 questions (25%)
- Deliver: 48 questions (40%)
- Manage: 24 questions (20%)
- Assess: 18 questions (15%)
PDE sets the qualifying score and publishes it in its Certification Test and Score Requirements chart. You’ll find it on PDE’s certification testing page. Check it before you register, because PDE notes that test requirements and scores can change.
PDE also runs a GPA Allowance for content tests, and the 5422 is the content test for this certificate. Say your score falls short of the passing score. PDE can still accept it if your program GPA falls in a span where that score qualifies. The spans are listed in the same chart. You don’t apply for this. PDE applies it automatically when a passing score isn’t on file. It doesn’t change your pass/fail result, only whether PDE accepts the score for your certificate.
Register and find the free study companion on the ETS page for the 5422.
Step 4: Gather Your Application Materials
You’ll apply online through TIMS (the Teacher Information Management System), using a Keystone Login. Your application will draw on:
- Your completed TIMS profile and application
- Official transcripts from every college you attended, including transfer credits toward your degree. Request electronic transcripts only after you’ve submitted the TIMS application.
- Your Praxis 5422 score. Scores from tests taken in Pennsylvania go to PDE automatically. If you tested remotely or in another state, ask the test administrator to send them.
- Your program’s institutional recommendation, which your certification officer enters in TIMS
Step 5: Pay the Application Fee
The application fee is $150. Act 47 of 2025, signed November 12, 2025, capped the standard certification fee at $50. It also added a separate $100 Professional Educator Discipline fee. Veterans and their spouses are exempt from both. The same $150 applies when you later apply for Level II.
Step 6: Submit and Track Your Application
Jenna is finishing her internship at a Lancaster County middle school. She sets up her TIMS account in March, so her profile is ready when she needs it. In April she starts applying for counseling jobs, and her internship wraps up in May. Her program can’t enter its recommendation until final grades post, so her application waits in TIMS until June. She checks the status page every week or so. Her certificate shows up there once PDE approves it.
That order works for most people. You can build your TIMS profile at any point and apply for jobs before your certificate is issued. The recommendation and the final review come after you’ve finished the program. In TIMS, look for the Educational Specialist option labeled Elementary and Secondary School Counselor. Students often find it hard to locate the first time.
PDE recommends email for questions: [email protected]. You can also call 717-728-3224 (717-PA-TEACH) or 717-787-3356.
Your Educational Specialist I certificate is valid for six years of service in Pennsylvania public schools, not six calendar years.
Pennsylvania’s School Counselor Certificate: Names and History
If you’ve searched for “guidance counselor certification,” you’ve found the right credential under an older name. Pennsylvania stopped issuing the Guidance Counselor certificate in 1987. For years after that it issued separate Elementary School Counselor (K-6) and Secondary School Counselor (7-12) certificates. In 2013 PDE combined them into the current Elementary and Secondary School Counselor (PK-12) certificate.
The older K-6 and 7-12 certificates weren’t cancelled. Holders can keep working in the grades their certificate covers. Either certificate also lets a counselor serve students in grades five through eight. A counselor who wants the full PK-12 range applies for the current certificate through TIMS. What testing that takes depends on your existing credentials, so check with PDE before you apply.
Pennsylvania School Counselor Certification Renewal
Your Level I certificate is temporary by design. To move to the permanent Educational Specialist II, you’ll need:
- Three years of satisfactory service under your Educational Specialist I certificate, verified by your district
- A PDE-approved induction program, which includes mentoring (see CSPG 20 in PDE’s staffing guidelines)
- 24 post-baccalaureate credits. At least 6 must be in your certification area or in something that improves your professional practice.
- A satisfactory Educational Specialist assessment, recorded on PDE form 427B
Level I is valid for only six years of service. Plan your credits and induction early, and apply for Level II before those years run out.
To keep Level II active, you’ll meet Pennsylvania’s Act 48 requirements. Every five years you’ll need 6 college credits, 6 continuing professional education credits or 180 hours of approved professional development. A combination of those also counts. PDE tracks this in PERMS. If you fall short, your certificate becomes inactive rather than invalid. Finish the hours and it’s reactivated. PERMS then starts a new five-year period from the date you complete them.
Pennsylvania School Counselor Certification Through Reciprocity
Pennsylvania doesn’t simply swap your out-of-state license for a Pennsylvania one. PDE reviews your credentials through its out-of-state educator pathways.
Say you hold a current, valid school counselor certificate from another state that’s comparable to Pennsylvania’s. If you also have two years of satisfactory experience, PDE can issue an Educational Specialist I certificate. On that pathway the only test you’ll need is the content test, the Praxis 5422. A PDE-recognized license can exempt you from testing (see the LPC section below). PDE describes the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact pathway as covering instructional certificates. It doesn’t apply to this certificate.
Maybe you finished a school counseling program in another state but don’t yet hold that state’s professional certificate. PDE generally reviews your program when you apply. It doesn’t approve out-of-state programs in advance. Compare your internship hours against Pennsylvania’s 420-hour minimum before you apply.
Your out-of-state application goes through TIMS and includes:
- Your completed TIMS profile and application
- Official transcripts from every college you attended
- Your Praxis 5422 score, unless an exemption applies
- A copy of your current, valid out-of-state certificate and verification of your experience
- The $150 fee (veterans and spouses are exempt)
Questions about your specific credential go to [email protected] or 717-728-3224.
School Counselors vs. Licensed Professional Counselors in Pennsylvania
In July 2025 PDE added CSPG 204, a staffing guideline for Licensed Professional Counselors in schools. It lets LPCs work with PK-12 students within the scope of their license. It also draws a line. LPCs can’t perform the duties reserved for PDE-certified school counselors. A position titled “school counselor” still has to be filled by someone holding the PDE certificate.
The LPC is a separate license from the State Board of Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and Professional Counselors. That board licenses LPCs. PDE controls school counselor certification, and an LPC license doesn’t replace it. It does help with one requirement. Educational Specialist candidates with a PDE-recognized license are exempt from PDE’s testing. For school counselors, that includes a Pennsylvania LPC license. The preparation program, recommendation and application steps still apply.
Still deciding between the two paths? The How to Become a Pennsylvania School Counselor page walks through the career route in detail.
Pennsylvania School Counseling Certification Resources
- Pennsylvania School Counselors Association
- American School Counselor Association
- National Board for Certified Counselors
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Praxis test and score does Pennsylvania require for school counselor certification?
The standard test is the Praxis School Counselor test, code 5422, required since September 1, 2022. The older 5421 is no longer accepted. PDE publishes the qualifying score in its Certification Test and Score Requirements chart. Its GPA Allowance can also let your program GPA help a score qualify. Candidates holding a PDE-recognized license, such as a Pennsylvania LPC, are exempt from testing.
How much does Pennsylvania school counselor certification cost?
Plan on about $343 beyond tuition. That covers the $150 TIMS application fee, $62.95 for three background clearances and $130 for the Praxis 5422. Veterans and their spouses are exempt from the $150 application fee. Clearance and test fees change, so check current amounts before you pay.
How long is the Educational Specialist I certificate valid, and how do I get Level II?
It’s valid for six years of service in Pennsylvania public schools, not six calendar years. To convert to the permanent Educational Specialist II, you’ll need three years of satisfactory service and a PDE-approved induction program. You’ll also need 24 post-baccalaureate credits and a satisfactory Educational Specialist assessment. Apply before your six service years run out.
Can I transfer my school counselor certificate from another state to Pennsylvania?
Often, yes. You’ll need a current, comparable certificate from another state and two years of satisfactory experience. PDE can then issue an Educational Specialist I certificate. The Praxis 5422 is your only test unless an exemption applies. You’ll apply through TIMS with transcripts, your out-of-state certificate and the $150 fee.
Is a guidance counselor certificate the same as school counselor certification in Pennsylvania?
They’re the same job under different names. Pennsylvania stopped issuing the Guidance Counselor certificate in 1987. Since 2013 it has issued a single Elementary and Secondary School Counselor (PK-12) certificate. If you’re starting today, that PK-12 certificate is the one you’ll apply for.
- Praxis 5422 is the standard test: it replaced the 5421 on September 1, 2022. PDE’s chart lists the qualifying score, and a PDE-recognized license such as a PA LPC exempts you.
- Your internship needs 420 hours: PDE requires at least 12 weeks and 420 clock hours. You’ll need time at both elementary and secondary levels.
- The application fee is $150: Act 47 of 2025 set it in November 2025. Veterans and their spouses pay no application fee.
- Your first certificate is temporary: Level I lasts six service years. Level II takes three years of service, induction, 24 credits and an assessment.
- Out-of-state counselors usually take one test: a comparable certificate and two years of experience lead to an Educational Specialist I. The 5422 is the only test on that pathway, unless an exemption applies.
Comparing programs? Before you enroll, confirm the program holds PDE approval and that its internship meets Pennsylvania’s 420-hour minimum. CACREP accreditation alone doesn’t guarantee either.
