Teacher Licensing Requirements
Licensure and certification. All 50 States
and the District of Columbia require public school teachers to be licensed.
Licensure is not required for teachers in most private schools. Usually
licensure is granted by the State Board of Education or a licensure advisory
committee. Teachers may be licensed to teach the early childhood grades (usually
preschool through grade 3); the elementary grades (grades 1 through 6 or 8); the
middle grades (grades 5 through 8); a secondary-education subject area (usually
grades 7 through 12); or a special subject, such as reading or music (usually
grades kindergarten through 12).
Requirements for regular licenses to teach kindergarten through grade 12 vary
by State. However, all States require general education teachers to have a
bachelor's degree and to have completed an approved teacher training program
with a prescribed number of subject and education credits, as well as supervised
practice teaching. Some States also require technology training and the
attainment of a minimum grade point average. A number of States require that
teachers obtain a master's degree in education within a specified period after
they begin teaching.
Almost all States require applicants for a teacher's license to be tested for
competency in basic skills, such as reading and writing, and in teaching and
require teachers to exhibit proficiency in their subject. Many school systems
are moving toward implementing performance-based systems for licensure, which
usually require teachers to demonstrate satisfactory teaching performance over
an extended period in order to obtain a provisional license, in addition to
passing an examination in their subject. Most States require teachers to
complete a minimum number of hours of continuing education to renew their
license. Many States have reciprocity agreements that make it easier for
teachers licensed in one State to become licensed in another.
All States now also offer alternative licensure programs for teachers who
have a bachelor's degree in the subject they will teach, but who lack the
necessary education courses required for a regular license. Many of these
alternative licensure programs are designed to ease shortages of teachers of
certain subjects, such as mathematics and science. Other programs provide
teachers for urban and rural schools that have difficulty filling positions with
teachers from traditional licensure programs. Alternative licensure programs are
intended to attract people into teaching who do not fulfill traditional
licensing standards, including recent college graduates who did not complete
education programs and those changing from another career to teaching. In some
programs, individuals begin teaching quickly under provisional licensure under
the close supervision of experienced educators while taking education courses
outside school hours. If they progress satisfactorily, they receive regular
licensure after working for 1 or 2 years. In other programs, college graduates
who do not meet licensure requirements take only those courses that they lack
and then become licensed. This approach may take 1 or 2 semesters of full-time
study. The coursework for alternative certification programs may leads to a
master's degree. In extreme circumstances, when schools cannot attract enough
qualified teachers to fill positions, States may issue emergency licenses that
let individuals who do not meet the requirements for a regular license begin
teaching immediately.
Private schools are generally exempt from meeting State licensing standards.
For secondary school teacher jobs, they prefer candidates who have a bachelor's
degree in the subject they intend to teach, or in childhood education for
elementary school teachers. They seek candidates from among recent college
graduates, as well as from those who have established careers in other fields.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition
Find related resources below:
Teacher Income
Teacher Job Outlook
Teacher Training
Teacher Licensing
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