Renewal of Teaching Certification
After obtaining your Initial Teaching License, you will work under the tutelage of a mentor for at least a year, but no more than 3 years. During this period, your mentor will coach you in the general education area, not your specific content area. When your mentor feels ready, they will administer the Praxis III assessments, testing your performance in the general education area. After you pass, you will be granted a Standard Teaching License.
The Standard Teaching License is good for 5 years, after which time it has to be renewed. To renew your license, you have to show documentation of completing 60 PD hours per year for those 5 years. Your school district is responsible for maintaining your PD and reporting it to the Arkansas Department of Education.
Professional development hours can be obtained in various ways, including through college courses, conferences, mentoring, and independent study. Review these Rules Governing PD.
Your Standard Teaching License will be renewed by the Arkansas Department of Education in the fall of its effective last year if you meet the following conditions:
- Possess a good Standard Teaching License
- Work in an Arkansas public school in the year in which the license lapses
- Criminal background check by the ASP and FBI on file
- Clearance of the Child Maltreatment Registry check on file
- Pay the fee of $100
- Show confirmation of completion of 60 hours of PD each year
The renewed Standard Teaching License will be mailed to your school district if you meet the conditions.
Teaching Certification Reinstatement
You can use the above renewal procedures to renew your Standard Teaching License if it has been expired for less than one year. If your Standard Teaching License lapsed a year or more ago and you previously passed the Praxis II assessments in at least one specialty area,you have to meet the following conditions to have it reinstated:
- Finalize the renewal application (you can use the Arkansas Educators License Application)
- Clearance of a criminal background check by the ASP and FBI on file
- clearance of the Child Maltreatment Central Registry check on file
- Show confirmation of completion of 6 hours of coursework taken in your professional specialty area of license within the past 5 years, or
- Show confirmation of passing the specialty assessments in at least one licensure area
- Show confirmation of completion of 60 hours of PD
- Pay a $100 renewal fee
If your license lapsed a year or more ago and you have not finished the Praxis II assessments in a specialty area, you have to:
- Finalize the renewal application (you can use the Arkansas Educators License Application)
- Clearance of the background check by the ASP and FFBI on file
- Have clearance of the Child Maltreatment Central Registry check on file
- Show confirmation of passing the Praxis II specialty assessments in at least one licensure area and the pedagogy assessment at your level of licensure
- Show confirmation of completion of 60 hours of PD in the previous year
- Pay a $100 renewal fee
