First Time Applicant Information
Basic Requirements for North Dakota Licensure
(1.) Initial teacher licensure for
in-state graduates or graduates of out-of-state
programs requires a minimum of a bachelor's
degree from a state agency-approved teacher
education program. The approved program must
include a general studies component, a North
Dakota recognized program area major, and
a professional pedagogy core as defined in
this section and the North Dakota standards
for teacher education program approval:
a. The general studies component includes
liberal arts preparation in the areas of the
humanities, fine arts, mathematics, natural
sciences, behavioral sciences, and symbolic
systems as prerequisite to entrance into the
professional education program.
b. North Dakota recognized program
area majors are printed on the application
form and include content-specific majors at
the secondary level, content-specific kindergarten
through grade twelve majors as listed below,
majors in middle level education, or majors
in elementary education. Majors that are transcripted
by state-approved teacher education programs
using terminology not appearing on the application
form must be compared to the North Dakota
standards for teacher education program approval
to determine whether they meet the same criteria
as the listed recognized majors. Majors must
include a minimum of thirty-two semester hours
of coursework specific to the major beyond
the introductory level.
*The secondary content-specific major
must include a minimum of four semester hours
in special methods of teaching at the secondary
level and special methods of teaching in the
specific content area. Effective July 1, 2006,
all initial secondary licensure applicants
grade seven through twelve in the core academic
areas will need to meet or exceed the cut
scores for the Praxis II as set by the Education
Standards and Practices Board.
*The middle level major must include
study of middle level foundations, adolescent
development, reading in the content areas
at the middle level, and special methods of
teaching at the middle level. Study of these
areas must total a minimum of ten semester
hours with at least two semester hours of
special methods of teaching at the middle
level and twenty clock hours of middle level
classroom field experience. Effective July
1, 2006, all initial middle licensure applicants
grade five through eight in the core academic
areas will need to meet or exceed the cut
scores for the praxis II as set by the Education
Standards and Practices Board.
*The elementary major must include special
methods of teaching elementary content areas
with a minimum of twelve semester hours specific
to teaching elementary school mathematics,
science, social studies, reading, and language
arts. Effective July 1, 2006, all initial
elementary licensure applicants grades one
through six will need to meet or exceed the
cut scores for the praxis II elementary test
0011 and the praxis II principles of learning
and teaching test 0522.
*Kindergarten through grade twelve preparation
programs in special education, foreign language,
art, music, physical education, business education,
and computer education must include a minimum
of four semester hours of special methods
of teaching inclusive of kindergarten through
grade twelve and special methods of teaching
in the specific content area.
*The early childhood major must include study
of child development, birth through age eight,
and include special methods of teaching at
the early childhood level.
c. The professional education component
includes a minimum of twenty-two semester
hours of pedagogical study of teaching and
learning in addition to the program-specific
major. This coursework must be from the areas
of educational foundations, educational psychology,
child development, teaching and learning theory,
educational diagnosis and assessment, inclusive
education, educational technology, classroom
and behavioral management, and human relations
specific to teaching. The professional education
component must also include classroom professional
experience prior to student teaching and a
minimum of ten weeks of full-time successful
participation in student teaching at appropriate
grade levels. The professional education component,
including student teaching, must be completed
under the supervision of a teacher training
institution approved by the education standards
and practices board in North Dakota or the
appropriate state, provincial, or similar
jurisdictional authority for out-of-state
institutions.
d. Student teaching exception - Internship.
An applicant who graduated from a state-approved
teacher education program prior to January
1, 1988, which did not include a minimum of
ten weeks of full-time student teaching may
qualify under one of the two options under
this subdivision. These options are available
only if the applicant has met all other requirements
for licensure of the education standards and
practices board and North Dakota Century Code
15.1-18-02 and 15.1-18-03, except the requirement
of ten weeks of student teaching.
* The applicant must document a minimum of
eight full weeks of student teaching at the
appropriate level in the major field of study
under the supervision of a state-approved
teacher education program and document five
years of successful teaching within the last
ten years; or
*An applicant who can document a minimum of
eight weeks of successful student teaching
but cannot document a minimum of five years
of successful teaching experience must either
complete the additional student teaching hours
or may choose to complete an internship under
the supervision of a state-approved college
of teacher education to fulfill the additional
hours.
** The internship contact hours in the classroom
must consist of classroom time blocks not
less than one-half day and when added to the
applicant's existing student teaching hours
total a minimum of ten weeks of full-time
equivalent student teaching and supervised
internship experience.
** The internship must occur in a regular
kindergarten through grade twelve classroom
setting and allow the intern to experience
the full range of curriculum and classroom
operations.
The internship must be approved by the education
standards and practices board and transcripted
through a state-approved teacher education
institution.
e. Teaching minors. A teaching minor
may only be earned or added to a teaching
major. An individual may not be licensed or
change grade levels of licensure with only
a teaching minor unless the individual has
met the requirements in section 67.1-02-03-03.3.
A teaching minor is defined as a minimum of
sixteen semester or twenty-four quarter credit
hours in a single designated academic area.
These sixteen semester or twenty-four quarter
credit hours must be in courses for which
the institution gives credit toward graduation
in the major.
(2.) An applicant must have a minimum
overall grade point average of 2.50. The education
standards and practices board will use the
college-figured grade point average if all
previous college coursework is on the transcript.
If the student has transferred from another
institution, and the grade point average calculated
by the institution granting the degree is
only for those credits at that institution,
the education standards and practices board
will refigure the grade point average using
all previous college coursework.
(3.) An applicant shall provide three
positive recommendations. Two of the recommendations
must be secured from the most recent employing
board, credentialed supervisors, or administrators.
One of the recommendations may be a person
of the applicant's choice with knowledge of
the applicant's teaching potential and character.
If the applicant has not taught in the last
three years or it is impossible to secure
recommendations from supervisors or administrators,
the recommendations must be secured from individuals
who can speak with regard to the teaching
potential and character of the applicant.
(4.) Verification of eligibility for
home state licensure may be requested.
(5.) Acceptable translations for preparation
received in foreign institutions will be requested
at the applicant's expense.
(6.) An application fee of thirty dollars
must accompany a request for an initial application
form.
(7.) A fee of seventy dollars must
accompany the application for initial licensure
for in-state and out-of-state graduates. An
additional fee of one hundred seventy-five
dollars for transcript review from out-of-state
graduates must also accompany the licensure
application.
(8.) All initial licenses are valid
for only two consecutive years.
(9.) Fingerprinting. In addition to
completing the licensure application process
outlined in this section, an applicant applying
for licensure in North Dakota for the first
time after August 1, 1997, must submit to
a fingerprint screening for criminal records
in accordance with North Dakota Century Code
15.1-13-14.
a. An applicant graduating from a North
Dakota teacher preparation program may obtain
the fingerprinting materials from college
officials. Previous graduates and out-of-state
graduates must contact the education standards
and practices board directly for the fingerprinting
materials. Fingerprint screening reports from
other agencies are not available to the education
standards and practices board. Applicants
must complete the process with cards and release
forms designating the education standards
and practices board as the agency to receive
the report.
b. The applicant must have the fingerprinting
done by an authorized law enforcement agency
such as a sheriff's office, police department,
or campus police. Both cards are to be completed
with a ten-finger check. The criminal record
inquiry authorization form must also be completed,
including an original signature. The fingerprint
cards and authorization form must be returned
directly to the education standards and practices
board office.
c. Unofficial, incomplete, altered,
or damaged cards and forms will not be accepted.
d. The applicant is responsible for
all local, state, and federal law enforcement
agency fees related to the fingerprint background
check.
e. The applicant is advised to allow
a minimum of eight weeks for the fingerprint
screening process. An applicant must hold
a valid North Dakota license to be employed
or permitted to teach in North Dakota. Individuals
who have completed all requirements for the
professional educator's license except final
completion of the fingerprint background check
may obtain a provisional license under section
67.1-02-04-04.
f. Fingerprint screening reports must
be recent and may only be used for licensure
for six months from the date the report is
received by the education standards and practices
board.
(10.) Reeducation for initial licensure.
Applicants who hold nonteaching degrees in
content areas taught in public schools may
receive, initial licensure by completing the
professional education requirements at a state-approved
program authorized to recommend applicants
for licensure in that area. This reeducation
may be completed at the undergraduate or graduate
level. The institution with the approved program
must document that the applicant's specialty
area degree is equivalent to its approved
program's specialty area requirements in subdivisions
b and c of subsection 1, and recommend the
applicant for licensure. Applicants applying
under this section must file a completed application
form as other initial applicants, comply with
the fingerprint background check in subsection
9, and pay all applicable fees.
(11.) Preprofessional skills test.
On July 1, 2002, all initial applicants for
licensure will be required to submit their
test scores for the PPST in reading, writing,
and mathematics. Beginning July 1, 2003, all
applicants for initial licensure will need
to submit their test scores for the PPST in
reading, writing, and mathematics which meet
or exceed the state cut score.
