| License Description |
Occupational Description
Teachers assist students in learning skills and basic and advanced concepts.
Teaching includes the following responsibilities:
The organization & management of the classroom or the physical area in which the learning experiences of pupils take place;
The assessment & diagnosis of the individual educational needs of the pupils;
The planning, selecting, organizing, prescribing, & directing of the learning experiences of pupils;
The planning of teaching strategies & the selection of available materials & equipment to be used;
The evaluation & reporting of student progress.
Licensure Requirements
The Department issues initial, standard, and professional teaching certificates, as well as provisional state substitute, local substitute, and transitional teaching permits. General Requirements-Applicants for any teaching certificate or permit must:1. Complete the appropriate application forms prescribed by the Department;2. Submit an official transcript of all college credit earned;3. Pay the required fee;4. Not have had an application for a certificate denied, or currently have a certificate or permit suspended or revoked by another jurisdiction, and not have any felony conviction, or any misdemeanor conviction involving abuse, neglect, or sexual misconduct;5. Submit evidence of human relations training;6. Submit evidence of basic skills competency if applying for an entry-level Nebraska teaching certificate after July 31, 1989;7. Submit evidence of special education training if applying for an entry-level teaching certificateafter September 1, 1992;8. Submit a complete, legible set of the applicant's fingerprints and pay a fee of fifty dollars($35.00) to the Department for processing a criminal history record check if the applicant is seekingthe first issuance of a Nebraska certificate and has not been a resident of Nebraska for atleast five continuous years immediately preceding the date of application;9. Possess good moral character;10. Not have an emotional or mental incapacity to practice the profession;11. Submit evidence of passing content test score if applying for a new endorsement.Initial Teaching Certificate-The initial teaching certificate shall be valid for teaching in all Nebraska school systems, unless it isrequested by the applicant at the time of application for the certificate to be valid only in Nebraskanonpublic school systems.Initial certificate expires on August 31 five years following the year of issuance.Applicants for an initial teaching certificate must:1. Fulfill the requirements listed above;2. Have received a baccalaureate degree;3. Within five years prior to the date of application, have completed the academic program requirements of an approved program for the preparation of teachers;4. Within five years prior to the date of application, have received six semester hours of collegecredit for coursework recognized as meeting all or part of the requirements for an endorsement;HOWEVER, if the applicant has never held a regular certificate in any state and applies more thanfive years after completion of an approved program, then the applicant shall meet this requirementwith 15 hours of credit.Standard Teaching Certificate-The standard teaching certificate shall be valid for teaching in all Nebraska school systems, unless itis requested by the applicant at the time of application for the certificate to be valid only in Nebraskanonpublic school systems.Standard Teaching Certificates expire on August 31st five years following the year of issuance.Applicants for a standard teaching certificate must:1. Fulfill the requirements listed above;2. Hold a Nebraska initial teaching certificate or hold a comparable and equivalent certificate;3. Within five years prior to the date of application, have taught half-time or more for one year inthe same Nebraska school system, an accredited or approved school system in another state, anonpublic school in a state that does not require certification of nonpublic school teachers, a U.S.Department of Defense school system, as a regular faculty member in the teacher or administratorpreparation program of a standard institution of higher education, in a pre-kindergarten earlychildhood program which is required by law to employ certificated teachers, or have been employedby the Department.Professional Teaching Certificate-The professional teaching certificate shall be valid for teaching in all Nebraska school systems, except that if requested by the applicant at the time of application, such certificate shall be valid only in Nebraska nonpublic school systems.Professional certificate expires on August 3 10 years following the year of issuance. (EXCEPTProfessional teaching certificates issued prior to July 11, 1977, shall be valid for the life of the holderunless otherwise converted.)Applicants for a professional teaching certificate must:1. Fulfill the requirements listed above;2. Hold or qualify for a Nebraska standard teaching certificate, hold a comparable and equivalentcertificate, or verify one year of teaching experience during the period of validity of a regular certificate;3. Meet one of the following:A. Have received a master's degree, other than a Master of Arts in Teaching or a Masters degreethat was required initially for the area of endorsement;-OR-B. Have completed a fifth-year program from a standard institution of higher education inCurriculum & Instruction or the same area as the applicant's area of endorsement completedat the baccalaureate level;-OR-C. Hold current credentials from a credentialing organization approved by the Department;-OR-D. Have received a six-year specialist's certificate or a doctorate degree from a standard institutionof higher education in an area related to the applicant's area of endorsement completed at the master's degree or fifth-year level, and have received six semester hours of credit from a standard institution of higher education within five years prior to the date of application.NOTE: Certain specialty areas require a master's degree for initial certification. In those areas, asixth-year certificate is required for a Professional Teaching Certificate.Registering a Certificate-Neb. Rev. Stat. § 79-804 requires the registration of all teaching certificates in the office of thelicensee's employer. An individual must take (or mail) the certificate to the appropriate office forregistration.For additional license categories, please contact the Nebraska Department of Education.Licensing requirements for this occupation are subject to change. For the most up-to-date requirements, please visit: https://www.education.ne.gov/tcert/teaching-certificates/
Fees
Certificate/Renewal Fee: $75.00 for all schools; $55.00 for nonpublicAdditional Endorsement: $55.00 Finger-printing and criminal history background checks are required for any person applying for his or her first Nebraska certificate, IF he or she has not lived in Nebraska for five continuous years. This requires an additional fee of $50.00, in addition to the regular application fee.
Renewal
Initial certificates expire on August 31 five years following the year of issuance.Standard certificates expire on August 31 five years following the year of issuance.Professional certificates expire on August 31 10 years following the year of issuance.Each applicant for renewal of a standard or professional teaching certificate prior to or less thanfive years after the date of expiration of such certificate shall:1. Hold or have held a Nebraska standard or professional teaching certificate, which either has notexpired or which expired less than five years prior to the date of application;2. Either:A. Within five years prior to the date of application, have taught half-time or more for one yearin the same Nebraska school system, a pre-kindergarten early childhood program which is required by law to employ teachers with certificates, an accredited or approved school system in another state, a U.S. Department of Defense school system, have been employed as a regular faculty member in the teacher or administrator preparation program of a standard institution of higher education, or have been employed in the Nebraska Department of Education;-OR-B. Have received six semester hours of graduate credit from a standard institution of higher education within five years prior to the date of application.Licensing requirements for this occupation are subject to change. For the most up-to-date requirements, please visit: https://www.education.ne.gov/tcert/teaching-certificates/ |