Alternative Graduate Level Pathways to Licensure
Transition to Teaching Pathway
Transition to Teaching (T2T) programs are designed to allow someone with a bachelor’s degree in a field outside of education to become a licensed teacher in the state of Indiana. Each accredited education institution is required to offer or be in collaboration with other institutions to offer a Transition to Teaching program. Ball State offers an elementary and a secondary option. For both programs eligible candidates must hold at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and meet a minimum 2.75 GPA requirement.
The elementary Transition to Teaching program consists of 24 credit hours of online coursework and the required state mandated testing. Two content area tests and one grade level appropriate pedagogy are required. Successful completion of all coursework and testing results in eligibility for a general education K-6 license.
The secondary Transition to Teaching program is designed for licensure at the secondary level (middle school and/or high school) and is based on the premise that the candidate already has content knowledge in the area of the intended license. Candidates for this pathway must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution in the content area of the intended license or hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution and pass the state mandated content area test prior to entering the program (for test only eligible content areas only). One content area test and a grade level appropriate pedagogy test are required. The program consists of 18 credit hours of online coursework and the required state mandated testing. Successful completion of all coursework and testing results in eligibility for a general education secondary (grades 5-12) license in the content area determined through the program eligibility criteria.
Transition to Teaching Permits – To be eligible for a Transition to Teaching permit, you must be enrolled in an Indiana college/university T2T program and hired by an Indiana School Corporation. You will apply directly with the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) for the T2T permit. Once you have completed the application, LVIS (the State licensing portal), will route the application to the school corporation for approval. Transition to Teaching permits are valid for three years.
Alternative Special Education License
Beginning July 1, 2022, the Alternative Special Education License for initial Special Education licensure or for a Special Education addition to an existing license became available through the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and be enrolled in a post-baccalaureate state approved preparation program for initial Special Education licensure or for a Special Education addition to an existing license. Applicants for this license must be employed in Indiana as a classroom teacher in the Special Education area of the preparation program. This license is also available to applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed an approved Special Education licensure program but require additional time to pass the required state licensure test(s).
An application for the Alternative Special Education license must be submitted through the applicant’s online LVIS account. The new Alternative Special Education License is valid for three years and is non-renewable. Holders of this alternative license are eligible to serve as the Teacher of Record (TOR) in the area displayed on the license.
Advanced Degree Pathway
The Indiana Department of Education offers a licensing option to individuals who have an advanced degree. By statute, instructional licenses issued under the advanced degree option are available only at the secondary (middle school and high school) grade levels. Applicants must meet the following criteria to be eligible for a license using the advanced degree option:
- Hold a master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited postsecondary educational institution in the subject content area in which the applicant seeks to be licensed.
- Verify at least one (1) academic year of experience teaching students in a middle school, high school, or college classroom setting (substitute teaching experience will not count).
- Successfully complete the content area testing corresponding to the major of the advanced degree and the secondary pedagogy test (Indiana Praxis, Principles of Learning and Teaching test #5624). Please see the Educator Testing page for more information.
- Hold a valid CPR certification from an IDOE approved provider.
- Complete Suicide Prevention Training.
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) content areas (Agriculture, Business and Information Technology, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Science, Marketing, and Trade and Industrial Areas) also require documentation of at least 4,000 clock hours of related non-teaching industry work experience.
To apply for the Advanced Degree option, apply directly with the Indiana Department of Education through the LVIS portal.
Emergency Permit
An Emergency Permit (EP) is issued at the request of a school district in a content area for which the district is having difficulty staffing the assignment with a properly licensed educator. The applicant must possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution to be eligible for an EP. The individual holding the EP must make a commitment to work toward completion of an approved program to either add the content area of the EP to an existing license or to obtain an Initial Practitioner license for the content area. The permit holder must meet with a licensing advisor at an Indiana institution to learn about the requirements for completing the appropriate program.
The EP is valid for one school year. Once issued, it may be requested to be renewed by the school if the applicant completes the renewal requirements. A school employer may approve an application for the renewal of an EP annually if the EP holder can meet the renewal requirements by providing proof of continuing progress toward achieving full licensure in the content area on the permit. Failure to meet renewal requirements may result in denial of the renewal application.
ALL initial licensure and license renewals require a valid CPR Certification and Suicide Prevention training. Please visit the IDOE website for more information using the links below.
HAVE QUESTIONS?
General licensure questions and inquiries can be sent to OTES@bsu.edu
or call us at 765-285-1168