Iowa Teaching License

If you want to work as a teacher in Iowa, you need to get an Educator and Teaching License. All the licensure processes are controlled by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

How to Become a Teacher in Iowa

In order to become a teacher in Iowa, first of all, you need to have a bachelor’s degree and take a board-approved teacher training program at an accredited institution. In addition, you need to complete the Praxis Subject Assessments to check your knowledge of the subject that you want to teach. The Iowa teacher license has three different types:

• Initial
• Standard
• Master Educator

The Initial certificate is for teachers at the beginning of their career, and who meet all the basic requirements. This certificate is provided for two years.

After you have successfully completed the two years of teaching and passed some local assessment, you can apply for a Standard License which is provided for five years.

You can renew both Initial and Standard certificates.

Also, you can get a Master Educator License, after completing the five years of teaching. And also you need to get a master’s degree in an accredited college or university. This license is also provided for five years.

Finding Approved Teacher Education Programs in Iowa

To meet the education requirement for a teaching license you need to have a bachelor’s degree and also a board-approved teacher training program at an appropriate school. You can find all the approved schools on the Iowa Department of Education website.

You can also visit the Iowa school page and use the sortable table to compare key metrics for the board-approved teacher training programs.

In addition, the school can be accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This organization is a result of the combination of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).

Iowa Teacher Education Requirements

In Iowa, there are some special education requirements that you need to meet. In order to get an initial teaching license, you need to have a bachelor’s degree that you receive from a state-approved institution and also you need to complete an approved teacher training program with a human relations component. Also, there is an important requirement before applying for a teaching license. You need to take a minimum of 6 semester hours of college credit in the last five years.

Iowa Teacher Testing Requirements

To make sure that you are highly qualified you need to meet Iowa’s testing requirements. According to Iowa state law, before being able to get a license you need to take and pass tests on both a pedagogy and a content-area. The Praxis Core exam is a test that will check your basic teaching skills. And the Praxis Subject Assessments will test your content-area knowledge. Also, you may need to pass the Praxis Principles of Teaching and Learning test.

For more information about exams visit the ETS Praxis website.

Additional Iowa Teacher Certification Requirements

In most states of the US including Iowa, you need to complete a state and federal background check. To complete this step you need either to provide a fingerprint with the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners or you can complete the fingerprint card at the local law enforcement agency.

To get more information about the process and law of the fingerprint card, go to the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners licensing portal.

Iowa Teachers Licensing Application Process

Once you have met all the requirements, and get all the required documentation you need to submit the teaching license application. You also need to submit:

• Transcripts from bachelor’s degree and teacher preparation coursework from an approved institution.
• Evidence of passing scores on the required content and pedagogy exams.
• Completed application along with a non-refundable processing fee.

For more information and details visit the Iowa Department of Education.

How do I get a copy of my Iowa teaching license?

First, you need to request a printed license to be sent to you by mail. To get a printed copy you need to submit an application on the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners website.

Can you teach in Iowa without a license?

The answer is no because you need to have qualified teacher status (QTS) to teach in most state schools