Virginia Law

A. The following types of licenses are available:

1. Provisional License. The Provisional License is a nonrenewable license valid for a period not to exceed three years issued to an individual who has allowable deficiencies for full licensure as set forth in this chapter. The Provisional License will be issued for a three-year validity period, with the exception of the Provisional (Career Switcher) License that will initially be issued for a one-year validity period and the Provisional Teach For America License issued for a two-year validity period. Individuals shall complete all requirements for licensure, including passing all licensure assessments, for a renewable license within the validity period of the Provisional License. The individual shall have a minimum of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, with the exception of those individuals seeking the Technical Professional License.

The Virginia Board of Education shall extend for at least one additional year, but for no more than two additional years, the three-year provisional license of a teacher upon receiving from the division superintendent (i) a recommendation for such extension and (ii) satisfactory performance evaluations for such teacher for each year during the original three-year provisional license that such teacher was actually employed and received a filed performance evaluation.

The Virginia Board of Education shall extend for at least one additional year, but for no more than two additional years, the three-year provisional license of a teacher employed at an accredited private elementary, middle, or high school or a school for students with disabilities that is licensed pursuant to Chapter 16 (§ 22.1-319 et seq.) of Title 22.1 of the Code of Virginia upon receiving from the school administrator of such a school (i) a recommendation for such extension and (ii) satisfactory performance evaluations for such teacher for each year of the original three-year provisional license. If a teacher employed in the Commonwealth under a provisional license is activated or deployed for military service within a school year (July 1 through June 30), an additional year shall be added to the teacher's provisional license for each school year or portion thereof during which the teacher is activated or deployed. The additional year shall be granted the year following the return of the teacher from deployment or activation.

The Virginia Board of Education shall issue a license to an individual seeking initial licensure who has not completed professional assessments as prescribed by the board if such individual (i) holds a provisional license that will expire within three months; (ii) is employed by a school board; (iii) is recommended for licensure by the division superintendent; (iv) has attempted, unsuccessfully, to obtain a qualifying score on the professional assessments as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education; (v) has received an evaluation rating of proficient or above on the performance standards for each year of the provisional license, and such evaluation was conducted in a manner consistent with the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents; and (vi) meets all other requirements for initial licensure.

2. Collegiate Professional License. The Collegiate Professional License is a 10-year, renewable license available to an individual who has satisfied all requirements for licensure, including an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and the professional teacher's assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.

3. Postgraduate Professional License. The Postgraduate Professional License is a 10-year, renewable license available to an individual who has qualified for the Collegiate Professional License and who holds an appropriate earned graduate degree from an accredited institution.

4. Technical Professional License. The Technical Professional License is a 10-year, renewable license available to a person who has graduated from a public or an accredited nonpublic high school or possesses a Virginia Board of Education-approved high school equivalency credential; has exhibited academic proficiency, skills in literacy and communication, technical competency, and successful occupational experience; has completed nine semester hours of specialized professional studies credit from an accredited institution; and has completed one year of successful, full-time teaching experience in a public school or accredited nonpublic school in the area of endorsement. The nine semester hours of professional studies coursework shall include three semester hours of human development and learning, three semester hours of curriculum and instruction, and three semester hours of applications of instructional technology or classroom and behavior management. Individuals who seek a Technical Professional License may substitute the successful completion of an intensive, job-embedded, three-year program of professional development submitted by a Virginia employing educational agency and preapproved by the Department of Education for the nine semester hours of professional studies required. The Technical Professional License is issued at the recommendation of a Virginia employing educational agency in the areas of career and technical education, educational technology, and military science. Individuals seeking an endorsement to teach military science shall have the appropriate credentials issued by the United States military. Individuals holding a Technical Professional License may teach a military science leadership class with either the appropriate credentials issued by the United States military or (for non-Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) a recommendation from a Virginia employing educational agency. The employing Virginia educational agency shall ensure the credentials issued by the United States military are active during the period the individual is teaching. In addition to demonstrating competency in the endorsement area sought, the individual shall:

a. Hold a valid license issued by the appropriate Virginia board for those program areas requiring a license and a minimum of two years of successful experience at the journeyman level or an equivalent. The employing Virginia educational agency shall ensure that the valid license issued by the appropriate Virginia board for the occupational program area is active during the period the individual is teaching;

b. Have completed a registered apprenticeship program and two years of successful experience at the journeyman level or an equivalent level in the trade; or

c. Have four years of successful work experience at the management or supervisory level or equivalent or have a combination of four years of training and successful work experience at the management or supervisory level or equivalent.

Individuals holding the Technical Professional License who seek the Collegiate Professional or Postgraduate Professional License shall meet the requirements of the respective licenses.

5. School Manager License. The School Manager License is a 10-year, renewable license intended to provide for the differentiation of administrative responsibilities in a school setting. A school manager is licensed to administer noninstructional responsibilities in an educational setting. A school manager is restricted from evaluating teachers, supervising instruction, developing and evaluating curriculum, and serving as a school's student disciplinarian. The license is available to a candidate who holds a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, has three years of successful managerial experience, and is recommended for the license by a Virginia school division superintendent.

6. Pupil Personnel Services License. The Pupil Personnel Services License is a 10-year, renewable license available to an individual who has earned an appropriate graduate degree from an accredited institution with an endorsement for school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, or vocational evaluator. This license does not require teaching experience, unless otherwise outlined under the specific endorsement's requirements.

7. Division Superintendent License. The Division Superintendent License is a 10-year, renewable license available to an individual who has completed an earned master's degree from an accredited institution and meets the requirements specified in 8VAC20-23-630. The individual's name shall be listed on the Virginia Board of Education's list of eligible division superintendents.

8. International Educator License. The International Educator License provides a five-year cultural exchange opportunity for Virginia students and international teachers. The International Educator License is a professional teaching license issued for no more than five years to an exchange teacher with citizenship in a nation other than the United States of America who is employed as a teacher in a Virginia public or accredited nonpublic school. To be issued the five-year, nonrenewable International Educator License, an individual serving as a cultural exchange teacher in Virginia shall:

a. Be employed by a Virginia public or an accredited nonpublic school;

b. Hold non-United States citizenship and be a nonpermanent resident; and

c. Meet the following requirements as verified by a state-approved, federally designated Exchange Visitor Program (22 CFR Part 62):

(1) Be proficient in written and spoken English;

(2) Demonstrate competence in the appropriate academic subject area by meeting the credential requirements for a qualified teacher in the exchange country;

(3) Hold the United States equivalent of a baccalaureate degree or higher as determined by an approved credential evaluation agency; and

(4) Complete at least two years of successful full-time teaching experience that enables the educator to fulfill a similar assignment in the educator's home country or is comparable to those requirements for Virginia teachers.

If an individual meets requirements of subdivisions 8 a, 8 b, 8 c (1), 8 c (2), and 8 c (3) of this subsection and has completed at least one year but less than two years of successful full-time teaching experience that would enable the educator to fulfill a similar assignment in the educator's home country or is comparable to those requirements for Virginia teachers, the International Educator License will be issued for three years with an option to extend the nonrenewable International Educator License for the additional two years upon passing all teacher assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education and a recommendation of the Virginia employing school division or accredited nonpublic school.

Individuals who have been issued an International Educator License who seek a 10-year, renewable license shall meet all licensure and endorsement requirements, including passing applicable assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.

9. Online Teacher License. The Online Teacher License is a 10-year, renewable license valid only for teaching online courses. Teachers who hold a five-year or 10-year renewable license issued by the Virginia Board of Education may teach online courses for which they are properly endorsed and do not need to seek this license.

a. In order to be issued an Online Teacher License, the individual shall meet the requirements for an endorsement in a content (teaching) area and professional studies and achieve qualifying scores on professional teacher's assessments as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education. In addition, the individual shall complete a three-semester-hour course in online instructional procedures.

Online instructional procedures: Three semester hours. Skills in this area shall contribute to an understanding of the principles of online learning and online instructional strategies and the application of skills and the ability to use the Internet for teaching, learning, and management; design, deliver, and support instruction in an online environment; adapt strategies for a variety of course models, such as synchronous and asynchronous; select, adapt, and create rich multimedia for instruction; adapt individualized education program requirements to online course practices, as appropriate; use data to meet individual student's needs; and employ innovative teaching strategies in an online environment. Demonstrated proficiency of advanced skills in the following areas shall be addressed: use of communication technologies to interact with and engage students, parents, and mentors; use of education technologies; management of instructional activities in a technology-mediated environment; and nontraditional content delivery methods.

b. Online teaching experience is not acceptable to meet the full-time teaching experience for other license types, such as a Division Superintendent License, or for endorsements, such as for the reading specialist, school counselor, or administration and supervision endorsements. The Online Teacher License may be issued if requirements have been met as one of the following licenses to individuals teaching only online courses:

(1) Online Teacher (Postgraduate Professional) License - a 10-year, renewable license available to an individual who has qualified for the Online Teacher (Collegiate Professional) License and who holds an appropriate earned graduate degree from an accredited institution.

(2) Online Teacher (Collegiate Professional) License - a 10-year, renewable teaching license available to an individual who has satisfied all requirements for licensure, including an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, endorsement and professional studies requirements, and passed the professional teacher's assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.

(3) Online Teacher (Technical Professional) License - a 10-year, renewable teaching license available to an individual who has graduated from a public or an accredited nonpublic high school or possesses a Virginia Board of Education-approved high school equivalency credential; has exhibited academic proficiency, technical competency, and occupational experience; and meets the requirements specified in subdivision 4 of this subsection. An individual seeking an Online Teacher (Technical Professional) License shall be recommended for the license by a Virginia public school, a Virginia accredited nonpublic school, or an accredited virtual school program.

c. A nonrenewable Online Teacher (Provisional) License may be issued for a period not to exceed three years to an individual who has allowable deficiencies for full licensure as set forth in 8VAC20-23-90 B. The Online (Provisional) License will be issued for three years. The individual shall have a minimum of an earned baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, with the exception of those individuals seeking the Technical Professional License. Individuals shall complete all requirements for a renewable Online Teacher License within the validity period of the license.

10. Teach For America License. The Teach For America License is a two-year provisional license.

a. This provisional license is available to any participant in Teach For America, a nationwide nonprofit organization focused on closing the achievement gaps between students in high-income and low-income areas, who submits an application and meets the following requirements:

(1) Holds, at minimum, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution;

(2) Has met the requirements prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education for all endorsements sought or has met the qualifying scores on the content area assessment prescribed by the board for the endorsements sought;

(3) Possesses good moral character according to criteria developed by the Virginia Board of Education;

(4) Has been offered and has accepted placement in Teach For America;

(5) Has successfully completed preservice training and is participating in the professional development requirements of Teach For America, including teaching frameworks, curricula, lesson planning, instructional delivery, classroom management, assessment and evaluation of student progress, classroom diversity, and literacy development;

(6) Has an offer of employment from a local school board to teach in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth or a preschool program that receives state funds pursuant to subsection C of § 22.1-199.1 of the Code of Virginia; and

(7) Receives a recommendation from the employing school division for a Teach For America License in the endorsement area in which the individual seeks to be licensed.

b. In addition to the criteria set forth in subdivision 10 a of this subsection, any individual who seeks an endorsement in early childhood, early/primary, or elementary education shall either (i) agree to complete such coursework in the teaching of language and literacy as may be prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education pursuant to 8VAC20-23-130 during the first year of employment or (ii) achieve a passing score on a reading instructional assessment prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.

c. Teachers issued a Teach For America provisional license shall not be eligible for continuing contract status while employed under the authority of a Teach For America license and shall be subject to the probationary terms of employment specified in § 22.1-303 of the Code of Virginia.

d. The Virginia Board of Education may extend any Teach For America License for one additional year upon request of the employing school division, provided that no Teach For America License shall exceed a total of three years in length.

e. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon completion of at least two years of full-time teaching experience in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth or a preschool program that receives state funds pursuant to subsection C of § 22.1-199.1 of the Code of Virginia, an individual holding a Teach For America License shall be eligible to receive a renewable license if the individual has (i) achieved satisfactory scores on all professional teacher assessments required by the Virginia Board of Education and (ii) received satisfactory evaluations at the conclusion of each year of employment.

f. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Virginia Board of Education shall issue a Teach For America License to any individual who (i) has completed two years of successful teaching in the Teach For America program in another state, (ii) is not eligible to receive a renewable license, and (iii) meets the criteria set forth in subdivision 10 a of this subsection.

11. Career and Technical Education License. The Career and Technical Education License is a three-year license.

a. This license is available to qualified individuals to teach, either full time or part time, high school career and technical education courses in specific subject areas.

b. The three-year license is issued to teach high school career and technical education courses in a specific subject area to an individual who:

(1) Submits an application to the Virginia Board of Education, in the form prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education, that includes a recommendation for such a license from the local school board;

(2) Meets certain basic conditions for licensure as prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education;

(3) Meets one of the following requirements:

(a) Holds, at a minimum, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and has completed coursework in the career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach;

(b) Holds the required professional license in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach, where applicable; or

(c) Holds an industry certification credential, as that term is defined in § 22.1-298.1 of the Code of Virginia, in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach;

(4) Has at least four years of full-time work experience or its equivalent in the specific career and technical education subject area in which the individual seeks to teach; and

(5) If appropriate, has obtained qualifying scores on the communication and literacy professional teacher's assessment prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education.

c. The employing school board shall assign a mentor to supervise an individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section during the individual's first two years of teaching.

d. Except as otherwise provided in subdivision A 11 e of this section, any individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section may be granted subsequent three-year extensions of such license by the Virginia Board of Education upon recommendation of the local school board.

e. Any individual issued a three-year license pursuant to this section who completes (i) nine semester hours of specialized professional studies credit from an accredited institution or (ii) an alternative course of professional studies proposed by the local school board and approved by the Virginia Department of Education shall be granted a three-year extension of such license by the board and may be granted subsequent three-year extensions of such license by the board upon recommendation of the local school board. Any such specialized professional studies credit or alternative course of professional studies may be completed through distance learning programs and shall include human growth and development; curriculum, instructional, and technology procedures; and classroom and behavior management.

f. No three-year license issued by the board pursuant to this section shall be deemed a provisional license or a renewable license, as those terms are defined in § 22.1-298.1 of the Code of Virginia.

g. Individuals issued a three-year license pursuant to this section shall not be eligible for continuing contract status while teaching under such license and shall be subject to the probationary terms of employment specified in § 22.1-303 of the Code of Virginia.

h. The provisions of this section and of Virginia Board of Education regulations governing the denial, suspension, cancellation, revocation, and reinstatement of licensure shall apply to three-year licenses.

12. One-Year High School License. The One-Year High School License is for individuals seeking licensure through an alternate route. The license is a renewable, one-year license issued to teach in public high schools for individuals who:

a. Received a graduate degree from an accredited institution;

b. Completed at least 30 credit hours of teaching experience as an instructor at an accredited institution;

c. Received qualifying scores on the professional teacher's assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education, including the communication and literacy assessment and the content-area assessment for the endorsement sought; and

d. Met the following requirements:

(1) Complete study in child abuse recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum guidelines developed by the Virginia Board of Education in consultation with the Department of Social Services that are relevant to the specific teacher licensure route; and

(2) Provide evidence of completion of certification or training in emergency first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators. The certification or training program shall be (i) based on the current national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator, such as a program developed by the American Heart Association or the American Red Cross and (ii) include hands-on practice of the skills necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Virginia Board of Education shall provide a waiver for this requirement for any person with a disability whose disability prohibits such person from completing the certification or training.

The license may be renewed for one year by the submission of an application for renewal and verification from the division superintendent that the individual received a satisfactory performance evaluation.

13. Career and Technical Education or Dual Enrollment License. The Career and Technical Education or Dual Enrollment License is a three-year license to solely teach career and technical education courses or dual enrollment courses at public high schools in the Commonwealth issued to any individual who (i) is employed as an instructor by an institution of higher education that is accredited by a nationally recognized regional accreditation body, (ii) is teaching in the specific career and technical education or dual enrollment subject area at such institution in which the individual seeks to teach at a public school, and (iii) complies with the requirements set forth in subdivisions D 1 and D 3 of § 22.1-298.1 of the Code of Virginia. The Virginia Board of Education shall require any such instructor to maintain continuous employment in such position at the institution of higher education as a condition of continued licensure. Subsections E and F of 8VAC20-23-40 shall expire on July 1, 2021; however, any license issued pursuant to this chapter prior to July 1, 2021, shall remain in effect for three years from the date the license was issued unless such license is revoked by the Virginia Board of Education.

B. All licenses will be effective from July 1 in the school year in which the application is made. An employing Virginia public school division, agency, or accredited nonpublic school is required to notify employees in writing at the time of employment of the need to meet appropriate assessment requirements for licensure.