TESTING CHANGES

Beginning September 1, 2021, the testing vendor for the Indiana Department of Education will change from Pearson (CORE) to Educational Testing Service (ETS)/Praxis. Between July 1, 2021 and August 31, 2021, both CORE licensure tests and many--but not all--of the Praxis tests will be available in parallel. Please check with the Office of Teacher Education Services and Clinical Practice to confirm any testing needed. Learn more about the upcoming changes and testing transition. A helpful FAQ sheet has also been provided by the IDOE.

The Office of Teacher Education Services and Clinical Practice serves as a liaison between Ball State students obtaining an educational license and the Office of Educator Effectiveness and Licensing (OEEL), the state licensing agency in Indiana. Under the licensure framework of OEEL, the teaching license will reflect the standards for which you have demonstrated competency through the completion of a degree program. The license will state the content area(s) and the grade coverage in which you are licensed to teach.

Licensing Programs

Services

Licensing (our office) provides the following services to students, former students, alumni, and the education community:

  • advising for graduate students working on license programs
  • evaluation of license requirements for bachelor and higher degree holders
  • information on Indiana license rules
  • interpretation of license coverage
  • license application processing (Indiana and out-of-state)
    license examination information and recording of scores
  • verification of license eligibility and program completion
Request an Evaluation

Do you have a bachelor’s degree or higher? Are you interested in a license in the areas of teaching, license additions, school administration, or school services? We offer post-baccalaureate licensure in all of these areas.

Simply contact us by email or telephone and request information on the license you are interested in pursuing.

When your evaluation is complete, we will mail it to you with additional information pertinent to your license pursuit.

How to Request an Evaluation

If you want an evaluation for licensure to determine the course work it would take to be licensed, follow these directions:

  1. Complete and Submit the Evaluation Request Form.
  2. Send us the following materials:
  • a copy of your teaching license
  • a letter verifying your teaching experience (if you’re applying for administration licenses or license additions)
  • transcripts from all institutions for evaluation purposes. We can take scanned copies of transcripts.

How to Submit Materials

By Mail

OTES/CP/Licensing
Teachers College, Rm 205
Ball State University Muncie, IN 47306

By Email

Email us.

Evaluation Fee

For non-Ball State graduates, there is a $35 fee for the evaluation. Please pay online or by check or money order made payable to Ball State University.  

Already a Licensed Educator?

If you already have an undergraduate degree and are applying to the university to pursue license renewals, license additions, or new licensing programs, you should apply for admission to Ball State’s Graduate School.

You may apply online. (Application fees paid with a debit card instead of credit card take four to seven days to clear.)

You must apply to the Graduate School before you can register for classes. Information about online and off-campus course offerings are coordinated through the Division of Online and Distance Education.

Start Your Application

Students from Other States

If you live in a state other than Indiana, this information regarding state regulatory authorizations for distance programs might impact whether you can take courses from Ball State. Learn more. 



When you are near the end of your program, you will need to apply for the license itself.

The process will be different depending on whether you apply to for a license in Indiana or another state.

You must apply for your license through Indiana’s Office of Educator Effectiveness and Licensing (OEEL) Licensing Verification and Information System (LVIS).

Start Your Application

In addition to the following instructions, LVIS training webinars that explain the application process are available on the LVIS website. Instructional licenses are teaching licenses.

Tips

  • In order to submit your application, you must first create a username and password to create your profile. Make sure you remember your username and password; you will need them again during the application process. You will receive an e-mail to verify your profile. You are then ready to complete the application.
  • When beginning the application on the My LVIS page, at the end of the very first sentence, click on "here." That will take you to the application.
  • The first step requires you to select the Application Action. That means the license you are applying for: Original, Renewal, Addition, etc. If this is the first time you are applying for an Instructional (teaching), Administrative, or School Services license, you are applying for an original license.
  • Be sure to select the institution that you want to recommend you. If you did your recent work at Ball State, you should choose Ball State.
  • CPR and AED certification (both sides of your card) transcripts, Suicide Prevention Training certificates (if applicable) should be attached where indicated.
  • Be sure to pay at the end of the application. Our office does not see your application until you pay your fee. Print and keep a copy of the "Payment Receipt Screen."
  • Log on to LVIS to follow the progress of your application.
  • You will receive an e-mail from the state when your license is ready to print.

Keep the following in mind when applying for a license in another state:

  • Obtain the Indiana license first.
    • In most instances, it is best to apply for a license in another state based on a valid (not expired) Indiana license rather than based on a completed teacher education or other license program through a college or university.
    • In some instances, it is mandatory to have the Indiana license first.
    • In a few instances, it may not be absolutely necessary to have the Indiana license, but completing a license program through a college or university will be mandatory.
  • Having completed a CAEP (formerly known as "NCATE") accredited program will be of benefit in several states.
  • Applying for a license in a state that has signed an Interstate License Agreement with Indiana will ease the process. (For a list of states that have signed the agreement, see the link entitled "Signatories to 2015-20 Interstate Agreement" in the lower section of the Interstate Agreement link listed above.)
  • Contact the license agency of the desired state for an application and instructions.
  • Even with a valid Indiana license, other states may require the completion of additional requirements.
  • The costs involved in obtaining a license vary greatly from state to state and can be as high as $200 for the license itself. Additional costs may be incurred through the evaluation process (to determine eligibility for the license), license tests, and other requirements. The fees may be non-refundable.

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