Delaware Teacher Certification

1. Unless you are a candidate who holds full and current out-of-state licensure/certification (see reciprocity), you must meet Delaware’s Praxis I testing requirement by submitting passing scores to the Delaware Department of Education. For information on the requirement, exemption options, and/or registering to take the test/sending your scores to the Department, please see testing. (Praxis II is not required of most initial applicants at this time. However, you can read about Delaware’s use of Praxis II by clicking on the above testing icon.)
2. 
   You must open a user account and apply for licensure/certification using the online Delaware Educator Data System (DEEDS). You will receive a username and password as part of the application process (usually within 24 hours of beginning the process). This username/password will enable you to log in to DEEDS in the future to update your information, to check on the progress of your application, and/or to complete the application (if you exit the application prior to completion). You should write down your username and password and keep them in a secure place, as you will use DEEDS for the above-stated purposes as well as for purposes of license maintenance.
3. 
   After completing the online application process, you must provide appropriate documentation of the statements you have made in the application to the Department. Candidates who are not employed by a Delaware public or charter school at the time of application should direct all documentation to the following mailing address:

Employed candidates should send all documentation (excepting test scores, which should be sent directly to the Department (see testing for guidelines)) to their district personnel office or charter school, which will forward the information to the Department.

 

Required documentation (official transcripts, test scores, certificate copies, and/or forms) will vary according to your experience/credentials. Based on your answers to the online application questions, DEEDS will determine the documentation that is required of you and will generate a personalized documentation checklist, which will be available to you at the end of the online application process as well as any time you wish to log in to DEEDS using your username/password to monitor the progress of your application. All submitted documentation must meet Department documentation guidelines. As you (or your district/charter school in the case of employed candidates) send in the relevant documents, the checklist will indicate that these items have been received. Please keep in mind that documents will not appear as received until they are manually logged in to the system, a process which can take several weeks (allowing for third party processing, postal service, and data entry).