• Waivers and Alternative Certification

     

    WAIVERS

    Teachers hired for a subject or grade level for which they are not currently fully licensed may be eligible for a waiver to teach that in that subject or area. By agreeing to be on a waiver, a teacher must be enrolled in a university program for that content area and provide proof of enrollment each semester they teach until they receive the full endorsement on their license.

     

    Kansas License types that must be held to be eligible for waiver:

    • Professional License
    • Initial/Conditional License
    • Standard 5-Year Certificate
    • Transitional License

     

    License Considered on individual basis:

    • Exchange License
    • One-year, Non-Renewable License
    • Interim Alternative License

     

    A waiver can be renewed twice (one year for each waiver) for a total of three years. In most cases, a student who has completed half of a Plan of Study in their content program will be eligible to move from a waiver to a Provisional License, which is good for two years and can be renewed once (a total of four years).

     

    ALTERNATIVE CERTIFICATION

    Transition-to-Teaching programs are an alternative delivery model for teacher preparation, developed to accommodate local area schools with teacher shortages.  The process is a collaborative effort among the applicant, a school district, and a participating institution of higher education.

     

    If offered employment by a Kansas school district, an individual with a content area degree may receive a two year restricted teaching license. This license allows a district to hire an individual who has not completed a traditional teacher education program. The individual is given access to practice (restricted teaching license) while he/she completes the teacher education (pedagogy) course work with a Kansas college or university.

     

    Through this program individuals with an undergraduate degree in a correlating content area (i.e., math, sciences, English) can quickly transition to a career as a paid teacher in a local middle or high school. Beginning with a summer pre-service session, candidates spend two years teaching with a restricted license while completing education coursework. The restricted teaching license application is available at http://www.ksde.org/. Candidates receive support from a peer cohort, the university, the district, and a district mentor. At the conclusion of the program, the candidate is recommended for the Kansas Initial Teaching License.

     

    Individuals interested in this type of license should begin by contacting a college or university.

     

    If you have questions or need assistance regarding the requirements and/or process of a waiver or alternative certification program, please email Abby McFadden at amcfadden@usd259.net


    Check your current credential information by clicking on the following link: KSDE - Search License