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2021 Guide

Teacher

Certification

Every state sets its own requirements for acquiring and

renewing professional teaching licenses/certifications.

Here are the most important things to know.

Getting a Teaching

Certification or License

You must earn a professional license in order to teach, just as you would to practice law or medicine. Each state sets its own teacher training and licensure requirements, so the rules can vary depending on where you live. We’ll walk you through the basics.

What is teacher certification?

Teacher certification or licensure—different regional names for the same thing— refer to the qualification program you need to go through in order to teach. To earn your teaching certificate, you’ll complete coursework and testing and then apply to the state education agency in the state where you want to teach.

Decide what subject area you want to teach and where

Because certification requirements vary by state, subject and grade level, the first step is to figure out where you want to teach, as well as the grade level, subjects or specialty areas (like special education or bilingual education) you’d like to teach.

Use our teacher certification directory to find the program

that best fits you

No matter where or what you choose to teach, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree and preparatory coursework from an accredited educator preparation program (EPP). In many programs, you can earn your bachelor’s and certification at the same time. If you already have a bachelor’s degree, you can choose between EPPs that offer master’s degrees or certification-only EPPs.

To find an EPP that meets your needs, dive in and explore individual programs through TEACH’s National EPP Directory.

How to get your teacher certification

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To help you get started, here’s a crash course on the steps you’ll need to

take to earn your professional license.

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Your teacher certification requires these tests and a

background check

At some point in your teacher prep, you’ll likely need to take one or more tests in order to apply to your prep program or earn your license. These are the most common:

A basic skills test of reading, writing and math

Most EPPs across the country, no matter what grade or subject you want to teach, require a basic skills test. Each state chooses the test that you need to take, but one that many use is the Praxis I, while others may accept scores on the ACT or SAT.

A subject knowledge test, based on the specific subject area you want to teach

This test is usually given during your EPP. Check if your program requires this test as part of its application, because if it does, you’ll need to allocate significant time to study for it.

Fingerprint and/or background check

This may or may not be a requirement in your state, but when the state requires it for certification, some TPPs within that state will just make it a mandatory part of their application.

Take the necessary coursework to get certified in

your state

Some states have specific coursework requirements and a few have unique requirements. For example, Alaska requires teachers to take two courses on Alaskan history and multicultural studies during the first two years of teaching. California requires coursework and passing a test on the U.S. Constitution. Be sure to know the requirements of your credential. Your EPP can help you determine what courses you may still need to take.

Reach out to a program advisor to submit

documentation for your teacher certification

The last step of the process is to submit documentation to the state certifying agency—that’s usually the state’s department of education or instruction. When you get to this stage, reach out to a staff member of your teacher prep program to get all the details.

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