Best First Grade Teacher certifications

The best certifications for a first grade teacher are Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE), Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:), and Advanced First Aid & CPR.

First grade teacher certifications demonstrate your competency as a first grade teacher to employers. However, not all first grade teacher certifications provide the same value.

Below is a list of the best first grade teacher certifications. Obtaining a first grade teacher certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.

First Grade Teacher Jobs

6 best first grade teacher certifications

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1. Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)

The Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) certification validates that educators have the global educator technology literacy competencies needed to provide a rich, custom learning experience for students. MCE certification is ideal for educators-in-training, faculty of teacher training colleges, and in-service educators. Microsoft offers a comprehensive e-learning curriculum, 21CLD, to help educators prepare for this rigorous exam.

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? No
  • Renewal Required? Every 1 year(s)
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2. Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:)

Holders of this recognition certification have demonstrated the ability to expressively interpret classroom content and discourse and the ability to receptively interpret student or teen sign language. It is not limited to any one sign language or system. This certification is issued to interpreters who work with students and teenagers who use predominately American Sign Language (ASL), Manually-Coded English (MCE) and Pidgin Sign English (PSE). Holders also demonstrate proficiency in the voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice interpreting skills of interpreters who work in the elementary and secondary school classroom setting.

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
  • Renewal Required? 
Certifying Organization
Registry of Interpreters for...
Course That Help You To Prepare For Certification
Master the FTCE Reading K-12
udemy
4.7
(609)
A
A

3. Advanced First Aid & CPR

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
  • Renewal Required? Every 1 year(s)
Certifying Website
Advanced First Aid &...
Certifying Organization
National Safety Council
Course That Help You To Prepare For Certification
First Aid & CPR - An in Depth Guide to CPR, AED and Choking
udemy
4.8
(452)
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4. Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
  • Renewal Required? 
Certifying Organization
Boston Language Institute
Course That Help You To Prepare For Certification
TEFL Essentials: Teaching English as a Foreign Language
udemy
4.5
(1,125)
T
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5. Technology Literacy for Educators

The Technology Literacy for Educators exam is intended to be a valid and reliable measure of competencies as measured by the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, Technology Literacy approach. Candidates may include those individuals preparing to become classroom educators, current educators, faculty of teacher training colleges, or other professionals looking to provide validation of competency.

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
  • More than two years of work experience required? No
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
  • Renewal Required? No
Certifying Organization
Microsoft Corporation
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6. Child Development Associate (CDA)

A Child Development Associate (CDA) is able to meet the specific needs of children and work with parents and other adults to nurture children's physical, social, emotional, and intellectual growth in a child development framework.

Certification Details
  • More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
  • More than two years of work experience required? Yes
  • Oral or Written Exam Required? Yes
  • Renewal Required? Every 3 year(s)

First Grade Teacher Jobs

What is the best certification for a first grade teacher?

The best first grade teacher certification is Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE). The Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) is awarded by the Microsoft.

Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this first grade teacher certification:

  • To become a certified Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE), you don't need to pass the exam.
  • Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
  • Renew certification every 1 year.

What certifications can impact a first grade teacher career and salary?

The Microsoft Certified Educator certification will help you to secure a second grade teacher position, which will increase your pay and career trajectory. A second grade teacher's average salary is $45,402 whereas first grade teachers make an average salary of $49,757.

Best Certifications

The most common combination of first grade teacher certifications include: Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE), Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:), and Advanced First Aid & CPR.

Online courses for first grade teachers to earn certifications

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1. Music Education for Teachers

coursera

In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...

2. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

coursera

Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...

3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)

udemy
4.4
(876)

Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...

4. Mindfulness for Life Coaching Success: Teacher Certificate

udemy
4.8
(672)

Transform Lives with Mindfulness & Meditation: Accredited Life Coach Teacher Certificate (2023)...

5. Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom

coursera

Welcome to Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you effectively assess student performance virtually, including compliance issues, feedback models, online grade book functions, and data analysis. We will discuss why effective measures of performance and assessment are a crucial component of any virtual program, and the importance of teachers and administrators understanding both the myths and challenges of assessing performance virtually, administering...

6. Virtual Teacher Final Project

coursera

The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...

7. Cinematic Color Grading: Making Your Videos Come Alive

udemy
4.4
(1,389)

Learn how to take your footage to the next level using professional color correct and grading techniques...

8. Premiere Pro Lumetri 2020: Color Correct & Color Grade

udemy
4.7
(331)

Start learning Color Correction and Color Grading in this complete beginners class...

9. THINK GLOBAL: TEACHERS TRAINING COURSE (IDP-ICE)

coursera

A group of seven European partners from Catalonia, Belgium, and Wales worked together on the Erasmus+ funded ‘Think Global’ project on global competence. The project seeks to address the following research question through development and piloting of practical classroom activities: What is global competence, and how can it be learned effectively? The Think Global project explores, through international collaboration, how global competence is defined, taught, learned, and measured in the...

10. Color Grading with Da Vinci Resolve: Beginner to Advanced

udemy
4.4
(3,542)

Learn to grade like a professional with hands-on projects and guidance!...

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