Education
Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, Teacher of Visually Impaired, Teacher of Deaf/Hearing Impaired
Regulatory Responsibility: Typically in state education agencies, the state education board or department issues licenses or certifications.
Preparation: College and university education programs also referred to as educator preparation programs (EPPs), do not grant licenses/certifications however, they are responsible for the preparation of educators and often are asked to verify a candidate’s successful completion of a teacher education program before a state will issue a license/certification.
Program Accreditation: Most states mandate that EPPs be accredited. In 2013, the two major accreditation agencies for education programs (NCATE and TEAC) merged to form the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). For more information about the accreditation process for EPPs as well as other disciplines see an informative video on the topic at: http://youtube/2zBdyBNwwmo »
National Professional Association(s): Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) - Division of Early Childhood (DEC), National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Common Terminology: In the field of education, the terms certification and licensure are often used to describe the same process. The state chooses which term to use. Approximately 50% of the states have transitioned from using the term certification to licensure over the past 10 years. California is the only state that uses the term “credential” instead.
In Kansas, we use the term “licensure.”
Steps to Licensure/Certification:
- Complete teacher education program
- Pass a praxis test in content area (in some states)
- Apply for teaching license/certification
Kansas Department of Education Professional Standards (link to KSDE): »
Early Childhood Unified Professional Standards (Birth – Kindergarten) (Birth – 3rd Grade)
Teacher of Deaf/Hearing Impaired
Vision Specialist
School Psychology
Administration (Building) (District)