ARC applicants may petition for waivers of the following three requirements:

• GPA Requirement
• Experience Working with Youth
• Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST)

All information regarding waivers must be on file with the ARC Office by the application deadline.

GPA Waiver

The minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) requirement for ARC at the undergraduate level is a 3.00. If you have successfully completed 24 semester hours or more of graduate study with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better, a waiver for the undergraduate GPA requirement is granted automatically. Applicants with GPAs of less than 3.00 must submit a request for a waiver of the GPA requirement as part of their online application.

The waiver request must include a brief but detailed account of any limitations or extenuating circumstances which may have hindered academic performance at the undergraduate level and why, at this stage, you feel you are qualified to teach your intended subject matter. It also must describe any experience since obtaining a bachelors degree that demonstrates your academic ability, content knowledge, and/or your ability to handle a demanding and challenging teacher preparation program, and classroom teaching environment.

Applicants with an undergraduate GPA of less than 2.67 must have compelling reasons for a waiver to be granted. If you have less than a 2.67 GPA, you are encouraged to take the PRAXIS II examination in your subject area before applying to the ARC Program to demonstrate that you have the content knowledge and academic ability to handle the program. A passing score on PRAXIS II will strengthen your application.

Experience Working with Youth Waiver

If you do not have relevant experience working with youth in an on-going, organized activity (e.g., substitute teaching, tutoring, coaching, leadership of a youth activity such as scouts, etc.), you must submit a request for a waiver of this requirement in which you describe your commitment to teaching, and why you believe that you would be a good role model for youth. The waiver request is part of the online application form.

Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) Waiver

A waiver is an alternative to taking and passing the essential skills test. The waiver application (ED 192) may be accessed at: www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/Cert/certform/ed_192.pdf.

Be certain to include the State Department of Education's score report code number on the form. You will find the number in the directions at the State Department of Education's website. Also, be certain to send the waiver application to the State Department of Education and not to ARC. If you find you are not qualified for the Praxis I waiver, please see pages 5-6 of the ARC catalog for information about the Praxis I test.

SAT Waiver: A total score of 1,100 or more on the SAT from any test administration on or after April 1, 1995. A total score of 1,000 or more on the SAT, with no less than a score of 400 on either the verbal or the mathematics subtests, from any test administration prior to April 1, 1995.

OR

ACT Waiver: No less than 22 on the English subtest and no less than 19 on the mathematics subtest on the American College Testing (ACT) program assessment from test administrations on or after October 1989, or the equivalent ACT scores of no less than 20 on the English and 17 on the mathematics, from test administrations prior to October 1989.

OR

PAA Waiver: A total score on the Prueba de Aptitud Academica (PAA) equivalent to a combined score of 1,000 on the SAT with neither the mathematics nor the verbal subtest score below the equivalent of 400 points. In addition, a minimum score of 510 on the English as a Second Language Achievement Test (ESLAT) or the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). A table to provide the SAT equivalency scores for PAA results is included with the waiver form on the Connecticut State Department of Education website.

GRE Waiver: A combined score of 1,000 or more on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) quantitative and verbal reasoning tests, with no less than a score of 500 in quantitative reasoning and 450 in verbal reasoning, if the GRE was taken prior to October 1, 2002. If the GRE was taken after October 1, 2002, a combined score of 1,000 or more on the GRE quantitative and verbal reasoning tests, with no less than a score of 500 in quantitative reasoning and 450 in verbal reasoning, plus a minimum analytical writing score of 4.5.

Note that ETS only retains GRE test records for a period of five years. If you took the GRE more than five years preceding your application for the waiver, you must submit an official college transcript that shows the GRE scores or a copy of the GRE report you have in your possession.  Please send any evidence of your GRE scores to the State Department of Education and not to ARC.