About the Guest Teacher, Education Majors, and Classroom Monitors Training Programs

The CSIU Guest Teacher, Education Majors, and Classroom Monitors Program is a valuable service offered by the CSIU to local school districts and career and technical centers. Our interactive training sessions provide essential strategies for effective instruction and classroom management, catering to traditional, non-traditional, and special education settings, while also offering access to a diverse range of resources.

As part of our program requirements, applicants may need to complete a classroom observation, which will be arranged by our CSIU staff, unless circumstances such as declarations of emergency by county, state, or federal public health authorities, the governor, or similar jurisdictional authorities restrict or discourage public gatherings due to health or safety concerns.

Guest Teacher

The Guest Teacher component of our program offers substitute teacher training to individuals holding bachelor's degrees but without a Pennsylvania teaching certificate.

Upon program completion, Guest Teachers receive a PDE emergency permit (Type 06), valid until July 30 of the current school year. This permit authorizes them to serve as day-to-day substitutes across all instructional areas from PK to 12 in CSIU participating school districts. However, if a single assignment exceeds 20 consecutive days, the school district should request an emergency permit for a long-term substitute (Type 04).

Emergency permits must be renewed annually and are available through CSIU. However, to renew your PDE emergency permit through CSIU, you must have substituted for at least one day within a CSIU participating school district during the prior school year.

Please note: Individuals with current, inactive, or lapsed Pennsylvania teaching certificates are not eligible to participate in the Guest Teacher program.

Education Majors

The Education Majors aspect of our program offers substitute training to college students enrolled in accredited Pennsylvania education majors who have completed a minimum of 60 credit hours. Education Majors leave our program with a Locally Issued Permit, allowing them to substitute in participating school districts.

Each individual may teach for a maximum of 10 days for a single employee and up to 180 days per school year.

NOTE: According to Act 33 of 2023, for the 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26 school years, prospective teachers may substitute without limits on hours or days, except for those engaged in student teaching as per 22 Pa. Code § 354.25(f).

Individuals fulfilling student teaching requirements per 22 Pa. Code § 354.25(f) may not substitute for longer than 10 days for a single professional employee or more than 20 days in total for the school year within their assigned classroom(s) or for other teachers in their designated building(s). Additionally, they must have received at least one satisfactory observation as part of their student teaching program.

Classroom Monitors

For the 2023-24 school year, local education agencies (LEAs) have the option to request a Classroom Monitor Permit for individuals meeting specific criteria. To be eligible for this permit, an individual must have either completed a minimum of 60 semester hours or equivalent courses at a regionally accredited college or university in Pennsylvania or have a minimum of three years of experience as a paraprofessional within a school entity, currently holding such a position. Additionally, applicants must meet pre-employment requirements related to background clearances, citizenship, and good moral character as outlined in the School Code and Child Protective Services Law. Furthermore, the applicant must be at least 25 years old and have successfully completed a PDE-approved classroom management training provided by an intermediate unit. It's crucial to note that the Type 09 Classroom Monitor Permits obtained through this process will expire on June 30, 2026.

Please note: Complete details about the aforementioned permit details can be found in the PDE Certification and Staffing Policy Guidelines (CSPG 13) available for public reference.

CSIU Guest Teacher Consortium Participants:

• Benton Area School District
• Berwick Area School District
• Bloomsburg Area School District
• Central Columbia Area School District
• Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech
• CSIU
• Danville Area School District
• Lewisburg Area School District
• Line Mountain School District
• Midd-West School District
• Mifflinburg Area School District
• Millville Area School District
• Milton Area School District
• Mount Carmel Area School District
• Selinsgrove Area School District
• Shikellamy School District
• Southern Columbia Area School District
• Warrior Run School District