Licensing

INDIANA TEACHING LICENSE INFORMATION

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. 

THE APPLICATION PROCESS 

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:

  1. a completed and signed application form from the candidate
  2. a money order made payable to the State of Indiana for $35
  3. a limited criminal history report that is less than one year old
  4. 2 copies of the final transcript which has the degree posted
  5. proof of having earned Indiana cut off scores for Praxis I and II
  6. passing results of a final checkpoint 3 oral presentation to faculty and/or stakeholders
  7. a signed recommendation form from the License Advisor

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

APPLY ON LINE  - (NEW)

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


WHAT WILL APPEAR ON THE LICENSE 

The license received from the state will bear the following information:

  • Name of the individual to whom the license was issued
  • License number not the social security number
  • The type (Initial Practitioner)
  • Expiration Date (2 years)
  • Content Area(s) (Math, Music, Early-Middle Childhood)
  • School Setting (Early/Middle Elementary, Junior High or Middle School, High School)

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.  The 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. 

EMERGENCY PERMITS

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. 

PORTABILITY OF LICENSE 

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 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.  

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. 

Avoiding Potential Licensing Problems 

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:

  •  
    1. Always apply for a license from the state in which the initial licensure recommendation was received (Indiana).  Failure to apply immediately may result in additional requirements from Indiana which were made into law subsequent to graduation.  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.  
    2. Do not skip the Indiana license application process because you plan to teach in another state and will apply directly to that state.  This will require that the new state will do a transcript analysis and find that you did not complete their state required courses, or there were not enough credits earned to have a the same content area(s) that was/were earned in Indiana to qualify for new state license.  One state requires a course in State History, another might require 3 credit hours of PE, or another might require 2 hours of First Aid. The result would be to take extra course work within that state before one could begin teaching..
    3. Avoid having the teaching license expire for an extended period of time.  Every state has its own renewal requirements.  These renewal requirements may not work to have the original Indiana license renewed; however, if one moves back to Indiana, the professional development activities will be reviewed at the DPS to determine if the Indiana license can be renewed.
    4. Never hesitate to call, write, or e-mail the License Advisor at VU to assist in the license application process in another state.
    5. Be sure to take the correct Indiana required Praxis II exam.  There are many exams that have similar titles.  The most current exams are always posted in the main office.
    6. Do not wait until the conclusion of the semester to take the Praxis II exam.  The results may not be back in time to process the license application in a timely manner.