How to Get a Teaching License in the District of Columbia

The District of Columbia is a fantastic place to live and work in. Although most people associate the city with politics, if you want to get a job where you really get to know the heart of this incredibly diverse city, there's no better way to do this than to hire on with the DC Public School system. Sure, DCPS has taken few knocks in the media over the years, as has virtually any large urban school district, but now the school system has a new chancellor who's committed to change and its revitalization is well under way. If you'd like to pursue a teaching career in the Nation's Capital, the process can be a bit complicated at times, but it's well worth the effort.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Patience
• A degree in the subject area in which you're applying for certification
• Praxis I and II scores
• $30 application fee
• More patience

1. Complete a state-approved teacher education program from an accredited college or university. You will need to have majored in the subject area of the license you're applying for (i.e. elementary education, ESL, special ed).
2. Earn passing scores on the Praxis I PreProfessional Skills Test. You'll also need passing scores on all applicable portions of the Praxis II Subject Assessment content tests.
3. Complete an application for an initial license. This application may be found on the District of Columbia State Education Agency Office of Academic Standards and Credentials website.
4. Submit the completed form, along with sealed official transcript copies and an original examinee score report issued by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) verifying your scores for all required portions of the Praxis I and II exams to the address given on the application. You must also enclose a money order, certified check, or cashier's check in the amount of $30.00 made payable to DC Public Schools.
5. Welcome! Wait wait wait. It can take a while for your credentials to be processed, and even once you have your license in hand you may find that some of the schools do not tend to get underway with their hiring until July or even August of the year in question. The ever-expanding DC population ensures a constant demand for new teachers, though, and the starting salaries are high enough to make it worth your while to be patient with the process.

Tips & Warnings

• You can not pay for your application fee with a personal check.
• Once you've been hired on by a school, you will have to fill out a ton of paperwork and submit to a complete background check including fingerprinting.

Who Can Help:

• Earn an Associate's, Bachelor's or Master's Degree from the University of Phoenix
• University of Phoenix, degree Programs to Fit Your Life.