Teacher Certification
The Teacher Certification Section ensures that educators are properly credentialed and provides technical assistance to school districts, teachers, and college administrators in the area of teacher certification. Its mission is to provide quality service toward the certification of educators.
Teacher Certification System is Now Online - Create an account or Log on
If you are a teacher or working to become a teacher, please create an account to start the process.
Administrators Log on: Educator lists can be found in the Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) System under the renewals tab.
Troops to Teachers: Troops to Teachers is a cooperative project between the Department of Defense and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Troops to Teachers is a federally funded program designed to assist separated members of the Armed Forces, Veterans and Reserve Component Personnel with obtaining certification and employment as teachers. Applicants for employment as teachers must have at least a baccalaureate degree. All educationally qualified applicants will be extended placement and referral services.
- Administrator Certification Requirements Chart (pdf) - Revised July 5, 2012
- American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE)
- Application for National Criminal History Record Check (pdf)
- Certification Guide for School Staff Assignments
- Competencies for Licensure and Certification (pdf)
- Evaluation of Foreign Credentials (pdf)
- Fingerprint Information
- Frequently Asked Questions:
- Additional Questions
- American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE)
- Career Development Program for Paraprofessionals to Become a Certified Teacher
- Four-Year-Olds and Younger Certificate
- National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
- Oklahoma Alternative Placement Program
- Oklahoma Title I Paraprofessional Teaching Credential (Teaching Assistant)
- Out of State Applicants
- Teach for America
- Traditional Certification General Questions
- Troops to Teachers
- Higher Education Teacher Certification Office Contact List
- How do I Become Certified?
- National Board Certified Bonus Notice of Allocation
- Allocation Letter (pdf)
- Allocation Notice (pdf) - searchable by district
- National Criminal History Dual Results Policy
- Oklahoma Teacher Certification Procedures (pdf)
- Options for Non-Traditional Teacher Licensure and Certification Programs (pdf)
- Personnel Background Checks & Sex and Violent Crime Offender Registry
- Standards of Performance and Conduct for Teachers
- Verification of State-Approved Teacher Education Program from Non-Oklahoma College/University (pdf)
Testing: Inquiries regarding teacher testing should be directed to the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, the agency with statutory authority for teacher assessment.
Certification Applications
- Alternative Placement | Application (pdf) | Frequently Asked Questions | Information Packet (pdf) | Renewal Application (pdf) | - For individuals who did not complete a teacher education program but have at least a baccalaureate degree corresponding to a specified area (see application for areas)
- Application for Adding Areas to License/Certificate by Testing (pdf) - For individuals who have passed a test for another subject area.
- Application for Certificate to Teach Four-Year-Olds and Younger (pdf)
- Application for Certificate to Teach Infants, Toddlers, and Three-Year-Olds (pdf)
- Application for Oklahoma Paraprofessional to Apply for Teaching Certificate (pdf)
- Application for Oklahoma School Certificate (pdf)
- Application for Renewal of Oklahoma Standard Certificate (pdf) - For renewal of a standard (five-year) certificate.
- Online Renewal Application - For online renewal process.
Other Forms
- Adjunct Teacher Application (pdf)
- Certificate Frame Order Form (pdf)
- Information Update (pdf) - For use if the Teacher Certification Section requests current information/signature.
- Proof of Teaching Form (pdf) - For verification of out-of-state or Oklahoma nonpublic school experience.
- Request to Expedite Processing for New Hire (pdf) - For superintendents and Human Resource representatives only. To be used only for a new hire.
- Request Form (pdf) - For name change, address change, degree change, or duplicate certificate.
- Request for Teacher Competency Review Panel Assessment (pdf) - A supplement to the Application for Oklahoma Alternative Placement Program. To be used after passing the general education and subject area competency examinations.
- Special Education Registry Application for Oklahoma School Certificate (pdf) - For individuals who have completed 32 clock hours of registry training and hold the appropriate special education certificate area(s).
- Summary of Professional Development Inservice Training for Certification Renewal (pdf)
- Verification of Employment (pdf) - For individuals required to complete one year of successful employment to move from a provisional certificate to a standard certificate.
How do I become certified?
By law 70 O.S. § 6-180 et. seq., effective September 1, 1999, Oklahoma’s teacher licensure and certification became competency-based. Competency for initial licensure is determined by meeting an Oklahoma higher education institution’s teacher education program and passing competency examinations.
- Additional subject areas (pdf) may be added to a license/certificate by passing the appropriate competency examination(s)
- Administrator certification (pdf) - principal or superintendent
- Alternative administrator certification (pdf) - principal or superintendent
- Specialist certification (library-media specialist, school counselor, school psychometrist, school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, and reading specialist) requires a graduate program meeting the professional education association standards specific to the profession. Contact the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation* for the universities offering these programs and for information regarding the required competency examination(s).
The Nationally Certified School Counselor (NCSC) credential fulfills the testing and program requirements for school counselor certification. Individuals holding this credential may apply directly to the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Enclose verification or a copy of your NCSC credential.
The Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential fulfills the testing and program requirements for school psychologist certification. Individuals holding this credential may apply directly to the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Enclose verification or a copy of your NCSP credential.
The Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) fulfills the testing and program requirements for speech-language pathologist certification. Individuals holding this credential may apply directly to the Oklahoma State Department of Education. Enclose verification or a copy of your ASHA CCC.
How do I qualify for certification?
The form is available at <http://www.ok.gov/sde>. Application for certification in the specialist areas listed above should be initiated through the director of teacher education at the recommending higher education institution.
*For information regarding the required examination(s) or for information regarding which universities offer specific programs, contact the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation, 3545 NW 58th Street, Suite 200, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73112, (405) 525-2612.
Oklahoma State Department of Education National Criminal History Record Check Dual Results Policy
National criminal history record check “Dual Results” refers to background check results obtained by the Oklahoma State Department of Education for teacher certification purposes that may be forwarded to a requesting district for a prospective employee.
Guideline for Dual Results Eligibility
- If an individual is applying for employment in an Oklahoma school district and has had a national criminal history record check completed for Oklahoma teacher certification within the last year, the district may request the results of the check using the Application for National Criminal History Record Check (pdf). The district may mail or fax the application to our office. The results will be forwarded to the district with a notation of when the background check was completed. It is the determination of the district whether a new background check will be required for employment.
Procedures for Emergency Certification
NOTICE: Emergency certification should only be requested when the district has exhausted every option to find an appropriately certified person for the open position. The emergency certification application is not on our website and will only be sent to the Superintendent of the district making the request.
Check list of items required:
- Emergency application
- $50.00 check for processing
- A letter on district letterhead explaining why the request needs to be made with the Superintendent’s signature.
- Updated resume’ from the applicant
- Official transcripts (if not already on file)
- Documented proof of the job posting which shall include two of the following: advertisement placed in a local newspaper, advertisement posted through a local college or university, or job posting on the district website.
- Verification that the applicant has either passed the requested subject area test or is registered for the next available test date.
- Applicants approved for an emergency certificate who have never been certified must have a current Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) AND Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fingerprint-based criminal history record check processed by the Professional Standards Section before a certificate will be issued.
- The application and all supporting documents must be received in Professional Standards at least two weeks before the State Board of Education meeting that month. Any completed application packet received within two weeks of the State Board of Education meeting will be held over until the next month’s meeting.
OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION:
- All applicants must be in compliance with Oklahoma state income tax laws BEFORE a teaching credential can be issued.
