teacher standing in front of classroom where children are raising their hands

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BAS-T Program Application

Applications open Saturday, February 1, 2025.

Application Deadlines

  • Priority application deadline: June 1, 2025
  • Final application deadline: August 15, 2025

Steps to Apply

  1. Apply to Pierce College
  2. Check your eligibility
  3. Fulfill the basic skills exam requirement
  4. Identify your references
  5. Collect application documents
  6. Compose required supplemental writings
  7. Apply to the BAS-T program
  8. Await your admissions decision

As you prepare to apply, we encourage you to use the following step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Apply to Pierce College

If you are not a Pierce College student yet, or if you haven't attended Pierce College in over a year, apply to Pierce College. Be sure to select BAS-Teaching as your program of interest.

Step 2: Check Your Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, applicants must have completed specific foundational coursework. There are three ways in which an applicant may be academically prepared to apply for the program:

  • Complete an Associate of Applied Science Transfer (AAS-T) in Early Childhood Education degree from an accredited institution that includes ENGL&101 and MATH111, or another approved college-level math course.
  • Complete an Associate of Arts Direct Transfer Agreement (AA-DTA) degree from an accredited institution as well as six early childhood education prerequisite courses (ECED& 105, EDUC& 115, EDUC& 130, EDUC& 150, ECED& 160, and ECED& 190).
  • Complete at least 90 college-level credits (with specific core course distributions, including 5 credits of Communications Skills, 5 credits of Quantitative Skills, 10 credits of Humanities, 5 credits of Social Science, 5 credits of Natural Science with lab, and 10 credits of any of the already mentioned areas) that include six early childhood education prerequisite courses (ECED& 105, EDUC& 115, EDUC& 130, EDUC& 150, ECED& 160, and ECED& 190). Applicants using this pathway must participate in a coursework assessment with Education Programs staff prior to applying.

Please note the following conditions and alternatives:

  • Unofficial transcripts for all institutions attended, including Pierce College, must be submitted at time of application. Once admitted to the program, students must submit official transcripts from all institutions, excluding Pierce College, to Pierce College's Evaluations Office prior to program start.
  • A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA of all college-level courses and a 2.5 cumulative GPA in all education-related coursework is required to apply.
  • Prerequisite courses may be in progress when an applicant submits their application, but ECED& 105, EDUC& 115 and EDUC& 130 must be completed before beginning the BAS-T program.
  • Applicants who did not complete an AAS-T in ECE may submit a portfolio demonstrating that they have met the program outcomes for EDUC& 150, ECED& 160 and ECED& 190 through at least two years' work with children aged 0-8, allowing them to waive those courses. Portfolio instructions are provided by the Education Programs department.

Contact Teaching@pierce.ctc.edu for a pre-application coursework assessment or for details regarding the portfolio to waive EDUC& 150, ECED& 160 and/or ECED& 190.

Step 3: Fulfill the Basic Skills Exam Requirement

All students applying to Washington teacher preparation programs must submit score reports showing completion of a basic skills exam that includes reading, mathematics, and writing. Most students take the WEST-B (or Washington Educator Skills Test Basic) exam or submit previous scores from the SAT or ACT exam.

There is no minimum, or cut, score that students must achieve to be eligible for Pierce College's BAS-T program. State law requires that prospective teacher candidates take the exam, but does not require them to pass it.

  • The exam (WEST-B, SAT, or ACT) must be scheduled, if not complete, at the time the BAS-T application is submitted and must be completed before the candidate will begin the program.
  • Individuals who have completed the SAT or ACT but do not have access to their score report must request their score reports through CollegeBoard (SAT) or ACT Education Corp (ACT). Pierce College's SAT school code is 4103 and Pierce College's ACT school code is 4469.
  • Limited WEST-B vouchers are available for students in need of financial assistance to pay WEST-B testing and registration fees. Vouchers are only available to students applying to or currently enrolled in Pierce College's BAS-T program. Contact Teaching@pierce.ctc.edu for details.

Step 4: Identify Your References

Identify three (3) professional and/or academic references that can be contacted by Pierce College Education Programs staff to discuss your candidacy for the program. In the online application, we ask that the references' contact information be provided. Pierce College staff will use this information to contact your references with a link to a brief, online survey.

  • Two (2) of the three (3) references should be from current supervisors or others who have formally evaluated your work. We recommend prioritizing references who may have evaluated or observed your work with young children.

Step 5: Collect Application Documents

Prepare the documents/information below to upload with your online application. We strongly encourage applicants to have these materials collected/completed before entering the online application.

  • Unofficial transcripts from all attended colleges/universities. File submissions should be in either PDF or image file (.JPG, .PNG, etc.) format.
    • Pierce College unofficial transcripts can be retrieved by the student by logging into ctcLink and accessing the Academic Records tab from the Student Homepage.
  • WEST-B, SAT, or ACT exam score report, or confirmation of exam registration that includes the anticipated test date. The WEST-B score report is available as a PDF via email or via download in the WEST online portal. SAT/ACT score reports must include the student's full name, exam date, and section scores (reading and writing may be combined).
  • OSPI Character and Fitness Supplement form 4020B. You can submit the form either as a completed fillable PDF or by printing it, filling it out by hand, and submitting it as an image file (.JPG, .PNG, etc.).
  • A professional resume with particular emphasis on experience (working or volunteering) with young children. File submissions should be in either PDF or .docx file format.

Step 6: Compose Required Supplemental Writings

BAS-T program applicants must compose and submit supplemental writings using provided prompts and instructions included below. We strongly encourage applicants to have these writings composed before entering the online application. We also encourage applicants to write their responses in a word processor (Microsoft Word, etc.) before submitting so that they may utilize editing/review tools such as Spell Check, Grammar Check and Word Count.

Download Required Supplemental Writings Instructions (PDF)

Applicants must compose responses to three short answer questions, provided below. Responses to each question will be submitted through a text box in the application and should be between 300 and 500 words.

  • Please introduce yourself to the BAS-T Admissions Committee by sharing who you are, the experiences that led you to pursue a career in teaching, and your current teaching philosophy.
  • Tell us about your most memorable teacher and why they had such a big impact on you. Consider how the teacher designed the learning environment, what teaching methods they used, and how you knew you were seen and supported by this teacher.
  • EDI stands for equity, diversity, and inclusion.  This is how Pierce College defines EDI. When reflecting on these three areas, what does EDI mean to you? What is the importance of EDI when thinking about the teaching field? Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community in your classroom.

Applicants must also compose a response to one parent email (provided below) as if you are the child's teacher. The response to one parent email will be submitted through a text box in the application and should be no more than 500 words.

  • Option 1: I am the parent of Alisson. I am emailing you in regards to the activity that Aly brought home this week. It was a coloring worksheet with pilgrims and Indians. Also, there was a craft done where students made a feather headband, pilgrim hats, and the Mayflower. As you may not be aware of, our family is of Native American heritage and are Puyallup tribal members. It is very disturbing to me to hear how you have taught the children about Thanksgiving, pilgrims, and Indians in your class this week. You addressed my family's heritage in the past tense. We are still here! Please tell your plan to deal with this situation.
  • Option 2: My name is Lorinda Johnson and I am the parent of DaMarcus Johnson. I am emailing you about an incident that happened on the playground that Damarcus shared with me last night when he came home. Children were asking Damarcus how it felt to be a slave and asking him if he was beaten as a Black person. Damarcus shared that lately, as one of the few children of color in the school, he has been feeling very isolated and targeted amongst his classmates. It seems to me that this situation keeps getting ignored by staff. How are you going to support him and make this right?

Step 7: Apply to the BAS-T Program

Enter the BAS-T Application online and use the information/materials collected to submit your application.

BAS-T Program Application

Applications open Saturday, February 1, 2025.

  • This application historically takes applicants on average 1-1.5 hours (60-90 minutes) to complete all components and submit.
  • Once you begin your online application, you are unable to save your progress and return at a later time. Exiting the application will result in your starting again from the beginning. Therefore, it is very important to have all the separate application documents listed in Step 6 collected/completed and ready to submit when you enter the application.

Step 8: Await Your Admissions Decision

After your application has been submitted, it will be reviewed by an Admissions Committee consisting of Pierce College Education Programs faculty and staff. This Admissions Committee will make admissions decisions for each applicant.

Applications are reviewed in two groups based upon when an applicant submits their completed application, including all required application materials. The BAS-T application has two application deadlines:

  • Priority application deadline: June 1, 2025
  • Final application deadline: August 15, 2025

Applicants who submit their applications between February 1 and June 1 will be reviewed with the first group in June/July and can expect admissions decisions in July. Applicants who submit their applications between June 2 and August 15 will be reviewed with the second group in late August and can expect admissions decisions in late August/early September.

If there is available space in the program after the August 15 application deadline, then the Admissions Committee will continue to review submitted applications individually, by order received, until all spots are filled.

Recommended: Prepare Funding

Begin to prepare your funding by submitting a financial aid application. You can submit either the FAFSA or the WASFA depending on whether you qualify for federal and state aid (FAFSA) or state aid only (WASFA). We also recommend exploring scholarships and other funding as soon as possible.