Licensure and Certification

In order to be qualified to teach, all public school teachers need a license or certificate. Teacher licensure or certification is a program of required college coursework mandated by a state. Since each state is responsible for the requirements to teach in that state, licenses or certificates are actually issued by the state with verification from the college or university where the candidate completed the licensure program. The license or certificate gives a person the legal right to be a teacher in the state that has issued the credential. Generally, the state-mandated certification program at a college or university includes completion of general education courses; professional education courses, including some field experiences, which may also be called internships or clinical experiences; and successful completion of state testing requirements. Most licensure programs include the basics of learning, development, curriculum, and teaching. An example of a state testing requirement is the PRAXIS II tests that include the principles of learning and teaching at specific grade levels and the subject-area assessment tests. While there is some consistency between tests required by the states for licenses or certificates, passing scores differ from state to state, leading to a question of what determines a highly qualified teacher based on these tests.

State licensing systems have come under criticism, however, for setting requirements that do not address demanding standards. There are Web sites that can be visited to find the requirements for each state; most of these include a disclaimer warning that states are continually making changes to their requirements, so each state's department of education Web site needs to be researched for updated information.

Each state establishes its own requirements to teach in that state; thus, earning a teaching license in one state does not automatically qualify that person to teach in another state. A teacher with credentials in one state who moves to another state must meet the new state's requirements. Many states have licensing reciprocity with other states, but requirements differ, so a person moving to another state is often provided a temporary license until appropriate coursework is taken to qualify for the new license.

While many teacher licensing programs are part of an undergraduate degree program, there are also master's degree programs and postbaccalaureate programs for prospective teachers who already hold a bachelor's degree but want to earn the teaching license in a graduate program.