Connecticut DSAP Permit — How the Durational Shortage Area Permit Works

A school principal wants to hire you for a math or special education vacancy, but you don't have a Connecticut teaching certificate. The Durational Shortage Area Permit (DSAP) is the mechanism that lets uncertified candidates teach full-time in designated shortage subjects — but only under specific conditions.

Who Can Get a DSAP

You can't apply for a DSAP yourself. The hiring school district must initiate the process by determining that no certified, qualified teacher is available for the position. Then the district's HR department submits Form ED 177 to the CSDE on your behalf.

Your eligibility requirements:

• A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution
• At least 12 semester hours of college credit in the subject area you'll teach
• The position must be in a state-designated shortage area

For the 2025–2026 school year, Connecticut's shortage areas include Mathematics (grades 4–12), Science (grades 4–12), Special Education (PreK–12), Bilingual Education/TESOL (PreK–12), and World Languages, among others. The Commissioner of Education updates this list annually based on statewide vacancy data.

What the DSAP Gives You

The permit authorizes you to teach full-time as a salaried classroom teacher for one school year. It costs $0 to obtain — there's no state fee for DSAP issuance.

However, the DSAP comes with mandatory conditions. You must formally enroll in a CSDE-approved educator preparation program (either a traditional EPP or the ARC program) and make steady progress toward completing it.

Renewal Rules

A DSAP can be renewed up to two times, giving you a maximum of three years of temporary teaching authorization. To qualify for renewal:

• You must pass the state-mandated subject-area assessment (typically the Praxis II content test or Foundations of Reading test) during your first permit year
• You must complete at least 9 credits of coursework within your preparation program during that year
• Your hiring district must resubmit Form ED 177 to confirm they still can't find a certified teacher

Transitioning to Full Certification

The DSAP is a bridge, not an endpoint. Once you complete your preparation program, pass all required assessments, and receive an institutional recommendation via Form ED 125, you apply for the standard ten-year Initial Educator Certificate through CECS. The $50 application review fee applies; the certificate itself is now $0 to issue.

From there, you follow the same path as any other Initial Certificate holder: complete the TEAM induction program, accumulate 50 school months of teaching, and eventually advance to the Professional Educator Certificate.

The Key Distinction

The DSAP is district-sponsored, not self-initiated. If you're a career changer without a teaching certificate and don't already have a district willing to hire you, the DSAP isn't your path — look at the ARC program instead, which doesn't require a job offer to begin.

The Connecticut Teacher Certification Guide maps all five certification routes side by side, including the DSAP-to-Initial transition timeline and the forms your district needs to file.

See more Connecticut guides →