Alternative Teaching Certification in North Dakota
Alternate routes to teacher licensure are designed by states to encourage those who already have a bachelor’s degree to pursue teaching. North Dakota offers alternate licensure for teachers to fill positions in shortage areas. Current critical shortage areas in North Dakota have been listed here.
Interested in learning about the traditional approach? Contact schools offering teaching certification programs in North Dakota.
School district administrators must request these licenses directly on an individual basis. Holding an alternative license allows you to work in a North Dakota school while completing the requirements for full teacher licensure.
Alternative Certification Requirements
Education Requirements
You must have a bachelor’s degree in a content area in order to receive an alternate one-year license. You must also be enrolled in a teacher education program in an approved college/university and complete at least 8 semester hours each year towards a degree in education.
Examinations
Before obtaining full licensure in North Dakota, you must pass the Praxis I Basic Skills Exam and the Praxis II exam for your content area.
Experience Requirements
No experience is required to receive an alternate license in North Dakota.
Criminal History Background Check
As a candidate for an alternate license in North Dakota, you will be asked to submit to a criminal history background check, including fingerprinting. Your college program or the ESPB will provide you with the fingerprinting instructions and packet.
To complete the fingerprint cards, take them to a police department, sheriff's office, or campus police station that offers fingerprinting services. Send the fingerprint cards and authorization forms to the ESPB with your application and supporting documents. Your alternate license will not be issued until your background check is complete.
Contact Information
For more information about state-approved teacher education programs in North Dakota, contact them directly.
If you would like to learn more about alternate teacher licensure in North Dakota, contact the ESPB at 701-328-9641.
Info to Explore
- Why become a teacher...
- Types of teaching certification
- Teaching certification programs
- Profiles of the professionals
- Teaching Salaries and Benefits
Terminology and Specifics
- What is "Alternative Teaching Certification"?
- What is "Certification Reciprocity"?
- Transitioning from Subbing to Teaching
- Transitioning from Teaching to Administration
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