Licensure
The DoDEA Licensure Unit has the responsibility of ensuring that all educators have satisfactorily completed their requirements for a given teacher's certificate. This also assures the public that only properly trained individuals are allowed to instruct and administer academic programs in DoDEA.
DoDEA schools are U. S. accredited and our teachers are among the best in the nation. Our teachers and specialists are fully academically qualified to instruct and perform other tasks necessary to provide a high quality educational program for students in grades Prekindergarten (PK) through grade 12.
Application Requirements and Information must be considered for each position. Even though applicants will self-certify when making application for employment, the DoDEA Licensure Unit will evaluate State teaching certificates and transcripts before final job offers are made.
Though the term "reciprocity" is used widely across the country, the true meaning of the term is often overlooked. Reciprocity is a system whereby a recommendation for licensure from a state-approved education training program at an accredited college or university is recognized in another state. The reciprocity is governed by the Interstate Agreement developed by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC).
Reciprocity is frequently misunderstood.
- Reciprocity does not guarantee that a license in one state can be "traded in" for a license in another state.
- Reciprocity does not guarantee that an educator license from one state is recognized by another state.
- Decisions of licensure through reciprocity vary from state to state and are not governed by the Interstate Agreement. An educator should contact the licensing office for up-to-date licensure testing requirements.
DoDEA Licensure. There are three types of licenses issued to DoDEA employees:
- Provisional License. Newly hired educators (other than those who are issued an emergency license) will be issued a Provisional License. The Provisional License is valid for two school years. Requirements for the Professional License must be completed no later than the second school year of employment.
- Professional License. Educators who have completed two years of successful teaching experience with DoDEA and meet all qualification requirements as stated in this brochure will be issued a DoDEA Professional License.
- Emergency License. This license is issued only when a fully qualified, licensed applicant is not available for the position, and the position is essential to the instructional program. It is valid for one school year but is seldom used.
DoDEA Teacher Certificate Requests
Current DoDEA Educators: Currently employed DoDEA Educators can obtain a copy of their DoDEA teaching certificate by using their CAC. If you have questions about your current certificate or need assistance from an Education Licensure Analyst, please send your request to DoDEAEducationLicensure@dodea.edu.
Former DoDEA Educators: Former DoDEA professional educators and administrators, to include DoDEA HR personnel, cannot access previously issued DoDEA Certificates from the DoDEA Certificate Program. Employee separation includes voluntary and involuntary separation and retirement from DoDEA. DoDEA 's Files Retention Policy requires DoDEA Certification Folders to be destroyed after 3 continuous years of being separated from DoDEA. A "last" certificate issuance still on file (expired or current) and within the 3 years of separation, may be sent to the former employee upon EMAIL request to DoDEA."
Visit the Work for DoDEA Your Salary page for information about Academic Salary Lane (ASL) change information.
All educators must be recertified every six years. The basic requirements for Recertification are:
Educators must complete six semester hours of undergraduate or graduate level course work taken at a U.S. regionally accredited educational institution after the date listed on current certificate.
- Courses are to be taken in areas related to the current teaching position or administrator assignment or divided among subject areas the educator is teaching if teaching more than one subject.
- Three of the six semester hours may be earned in subject areas that will qualify the educator for another position category within DoDEA.
- Effective January 1, 2006, up to three semester hours of course work taken during the final four months of a renewal cycle that are not needed for that cycle may be carried over to the next renewal cycle. Hours for a single course may not be split between two renewal cycles.
Educators must apply for Recertification, at least 12 months prior to the expiration date of their current certificate to avoid receiving a "Projected Notice of Deficiency (PNOD)."
Procedures for Recertification are:
- Complete the DoDEA Certification/Recertification Worksheet Request and check “B-Recertification.”
- Email a completed application and official transcripts signed as "true copy" by the building administrator to your HQ Licensure Analyst.
Additional Teaching Categories
Educators wishing to add a category(ies), specialty areas / skill sets or advanced placement (AP) courses to a current DoDEA certificate during a non-recertification year must:
- Consult “DoDEA Teaching Categories and Requirements” on our web site to determine eligibility teaching categories.
- Consult “Specialty Areas / Skill Sets and Advanced Placement" on our DoDEA Teaching Categories & Requirements page to determine eligibility for specialty areas/skill sets and advanced placement courses.
- Submit the DoDEA Certification/Recertification Worksheet Request and check “A-Certification, Add Endorsements” or any other form of written communication, e.g., email or letter request.
- Attach updated official transcripts, signed as “true copy” by building administrator and a copy of your valid state teaching license and/or valid DoDEA teaching certificate issued after October 1, 2001.
- Underline or list supporting course work thought to meet the category requirements and email to your HQ Licensure Analyst.
Important Notice: Requests to add certification categories can take:
- Up to 30 days during off-peek hiring season: September 1 – January 31
- Up to 90 days during peak hiring season: February 1 – August 30
Please submit your requests as early as possible.
Note: This timeline does not pertain to emergent needs of the school at the request of administrators.
A pending status means that an application has not yet been rated by the DoDEA Headquarters Licensure Team. Due to the large volume of applications received, some applications are not reviewed until a vacancy occurs. A target job status in “Pending” or “Re-Evaluate” status does not prevent an applicant from being considered for a vacancy.
DoDEA issues a Provisional certificate and a Professional certificate. The provisional certificate is issued to all newly hired educators. The provisional certificate is valid for two years. The professional certificate is then automatically issued to educators who meet the qualification requirements of the position(s) for which hired and have successfully completed 2 years in an educator position with DoDEA.
State certification is a process which verifies that educators have been provided a standardized base-level of professional knowledge and skills to work in school systems, obtained normally by completing a state-approved educator preparation program, usually at a college or university. National Board Certification is an educator credential awarded for demonstrated, exemplary teaching, outstanding community service and extensive involvement in professional activities. The credential is earned through a 1-year professional development endeavor through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) located in San Antonio, Texas. DoDEA recognizes NBPTS certification. DoDEA requires educators to possess a current and valid state teaching certificate, along with State/Board certifications.
It is the intention of DoDEA to only hire fully qualified candidates to vacant teaching positions. In rare circumstances hard to fill positions can be filled by a person that is not fully qualified, however, this requires multiple recruitment measures to be exhausted and requires approval from the education division. Applicants cannot request Emergency certificates.
DoDEA certificates (provisional or professional) are only issued after hire into a professional part-time or full-time teacher position.
The status of applications can be found in DoDEA EAS page. Once you complete your EAS application, all sections will have a green check mark in the box beside each task. You can view the status of each target job by clicking on the “Quals” tab. There are four status options: Qualified, Not Qualified, Pending or Re-Evaluate.
The licensure analyst will provide notes for “Qualified” and “Not Qualified” statuses. For applications found “Not Qualified” the (what should happen?)
Applications in a “Pending” or “Re-Evaluate” status will still be considered for DoDEA vacancies.
Please reach out to CHRA for additional questions regarding an EAS application status at usarmy.ria.chra-nc.mbx.dodea-eas-applicant-inquiries@army.mil.
DoDEA does not accept experience in lieu of course work requirements. The only exception to this is Prekindergarten (PK) and Kindergarten. These teaching categories do allow a substitution of classroom experience in lieu of course work. A full explanation can be found in the Teaching Categories and Requirements page.
No, DoDEA does not accept a state issued emergency license. Applicants must hold a current and valid state teaching license without conditional requirements that must be met. In the absence of a state teaching license, DoDEA will accept current Praxis I and II tests meeting acceptable passing scores, with a student teaching internship completed. DoDEA will accept one full year of lead teacher classroom experience in lieu of a student teaching internship. Substitute positions do not qualify as lead teacher experience. This guidance can be found on DoDEA’s website under Teaching Categories and Requirements page.
In the absence of a state teaching license, DoDEA will accept the Praxis I and Praxis II with a student teaching internship in lieu of a state teaching license. The testing codes do change periodically. Please refer to the Teaching Categories and Requirements page for the current testing codes and acceptable scores.
Please visit our website to view our qualification requirements for JROTC instructor .
It depends on the position for which one is applying. For example, if you are applying for a position as a non-certified vocational training instructor in a specialty area, then yes, such experience (minimum 2 ½ years) will generally be acceptable teaching experience for DoDEA. Otherwise, applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirements as outlined in Application Requirements and Information on our website and student teaching or minimum 1 year teaching experience in the subject area for which applying.
Frequently Asked Questions For Current DoDEA Educators
Effective March 2019 Licensure no longer grants administrator or above school level endorsements (i.e., Principal, Assistant Principal or ISS Positions) to those not selected and hired for the position. You will have to apply for a position in USA Jobs and compete for the position before we add the endorsements to your DoDEA certificate. All internal and external applicants must apply and get selected/hired for the position of Assistant Principal/Principal before Licensure will grant the corresponding endorsements.
DoDEA teaching certificates can be found online at: https://intranet.ds.dodea.edu/certificates/login.cfm.
- Open the above link in Internet Explorer or Chrome. The site will not work in Firefox, Safari or Opera.
- Click the "Login Using CAC " button on the right. Select your current Email certificate (where the issuer is shown as "DOD EMAIL") when prompted and enter your PIN when asked.
- Download the PDF and print and/or save the certificate.
Educators must present a copy of their current and valid Educator Certificate to the school principal/office for retention in the school files.
Courses taken through Professional Development Institute (PDI) will only be accepted for DoDEA recertification if the “Flex Course with University Credit” option is chosen. This option will provide college credits from a US Accredited University on an official transcript. DoDEA does not accept a “Grade Report” in lieu of official transcripts.
Current DoDEA educators are to initiate their ASL requests through the school secretary. The school will forward the ASL requests to the District Superintendent Office (DSO) and the DSO will submit the ASL requests to manpower for approval. After approved by manpower, the ASL requests will be submitted to the Civilian Human Recourses Agency (CHRA) for processing.
DoDEA only accepts semester hours and quarter hours from a US Accredited University on an official transcript. A university’s accreditation can be verified by visiting the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP) website. Unofficial transcripts, grade report, or degree audits are not acceptable documents.
DoDEA strives to staff fully qualified teachers in its schools. Educators are required to maintain a current and valid DoDEA teaching certificate as a condition of their employment. DoDEA continuously reviews approved teaching categories and requirements to ensure that we are keeping up with current trends in the education field to meet the agency’s mission to “Educate, Engage, and Empower military-connected students to succeed in a dynamic world.”
DoDEA issues Provisional and Professional certificates. The Provisional certificate is issued to all newly hired educators and is good for the first two years of their six-year certification cycle. The Professional certificate is then automatically issued to educators who meet the qualification requirements of the position(s) for which hired and have successfully completed 2 years in an educator position with DoDEA.
A maximum of three Project READ credits can be used towards a recertification cycle. Because of the way these courses are designed, DoDEA does not allow them to be used to add new teaching categories to a DoDEA certificate.
Effective January 1, 2006, course work credits earned up to 120 day prior to a DoDEA Educator’s recertification date, AND not used on the current recertification cycle can be used for the next recertification cycle. Hours for a single course cannot be split between two recertification cycles.
DoDEA Regulation 5000.9 dated June 25, 2003, Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Educator Licensure Program.
The process and requirements for DoDEA recertification can be found on DoDEA’s Educator License Renewal (Recertification) page.
The process for requesting a review to add additional teaching categories to your current DoDEA certificate can be found on DoDEA’s Educator License Renewal page, scroll down to the area that states “Additional Teaching Categories” and follow instructions provided.
