The Department of Education Office of Professional Licensure serves as a liasion between Valparaiso University students obtaining an educational license and the Division of Professional Standards (DPS), the state licensing agency in Indiana. Under the Licensure Framework of DPS, the teaching license will reflect the standards for which the candidate has demonstrated competency through the completion of a degree program. The license will state the content area(s) and the school setting(s) in which the candidate is licensed to teach.
Dr. Del Gillispie,
Professional Educator License Advisor
Miller Hall, 224 A
Valparaiso, IN 46383
TEL: 219-464-5077
FAX: 219-464-6720
EMAIL: Del.Gillispie@Valpo.Edu
Teacher candidates are eligible to receive a teaching license in their respective areas from the Indiana State Department of Education (DOE)—Division of Professional Standards (DPS) To be eligible to receive the teaching license, the candidate must present appropriate documentation to the appointed License Advisor of the Indiana institution which has an approved and accredited teacher preparation program. The Division of Professional Standards must have approved the college or university programs in the license areas being granted. Click on the link above, once there click on the "Education & Training" Button then scroll down to "Resources for Educators" and click on Licensing Information. This will get you the forms you need.
The teacher candidate must present the following documents at the conclusion of their program. These documents are presented to the License Advisor of the teacher education institution. In the case of Valparaiso University (VU), the following documents are delivered to Miller Hall at the conclusion of the program:
These documents will be mailed to the DPS as soon after graduation day as possible. The delay may be in receiving final transcripts from the registrar’s office. Our goal is to have all applications processed within 10 to 20 working days of receipt. Once they have been mailed to the DPS, the staff in Indianapolis also states that the turn around time is 10 to 20 working days. Typically May graduates receive the printed license through the mail the last week of June or first week of July. December graduates usually receive their licenses by the end of January.
OR
Effective July 1, 2006 applicants are able to apply for Original Licenses, Additions, Changes and Renewals of Licenses on Line. Click here to see instructions on how to apply on line.
On Line Registration Instructions
The license received from the state will bear the following information:
In the first year of teaching in Indiana the teacher will go through the Beginning Teacher Mentorship Program. This includes orientation sessions, staff development, guidance from and assigned mentor teacher, and teaching effectiveness assessments, etc. During the second year of teaching the new teacher will develop and present a professional performance based portfolio to an assigned professional growth team. They will work with the teacher in the development of a professional growth plan. The superintendent will then recommend to the DPS that a 5 year license be issued to the teacher with a new type called Proficient Practitioner. After several renewal cycles of 5 year periods, it is possible to earn and Accomplished Practitioner type license. This usually happens after earning a masters degree or National Board Certification.
It is possible that some teachers will be assigned to teach in areas that are not listed on their license. The school system superintendent can request an Emergency Permit from the state to allow sufficient time for the teacher to add that particular area to the license. A teacher would have a deadline of 3 years to finish all requirements to add the area to the license. Emergency Permits can not be renewed more than twice.
The Council of Chief State School Officers has developed a plan to allow teachers who are licensed in one state to get a “reciprocal” license in another state. The rule is that if the license was issued in Indiana and the teacher to get a job in another state, he or she must apply for a license from the new state. That state will issue “as nearly equivalent” license to the individual that they had in Indiana. With 51 licensing agencies (Washington DC issues its own licenses) it is likely that there will be a slight variation in the type of license granted in a different state. A holder of an Indiana license may be issued a one year provisional license in another state. There may be the “provision” that the teacher take a different exam than Praxis I and II (state made tests). Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South and North Dakota require a course in human relations where Native Americans indigenous to that state are studied. The main office in Miller Hall, room 227, has a book that outlines each state’s requirements, and it is updated each year. This book also contains addresses, phone numbers, and web addresses to access more information or you may log on to Certification Map which has helpful information on Licensure in other states....There web site is: http://certificationmap.com/states/become-a-teacher-in-indiana/ they are constantly adding and updating information from each state.
It does not matter which state a licensed teacher chooses to live and teach. You will always be required to hold a license in that state. When one applies for a license in a state where the teacher did not earn the degree that qualified them for receiving the initial license, the new state will ask for a recommendation from the parent institution. That means every VU teacher candidate must send a form to the License Advisor of VU which attests to the program’s accreditation status at the time of the teacher’s graduation. A good rule to remember is that the parent institution is the one were the candidate did their student teaching.
There are some important issues to be aware of over an extended period of time because the results can be serious in securing and keeping a license. Here they are:
- An example of this might be that a different test (not Praxis I and II) will be required, or a new state required course has been added to the curriculum.