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Licensing Renewal Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are Indiana's requirements for renewing a Standard teaching, school administration, or school services license?
A: Individuals who do not hold a life license must renew their licenses by completing six (6) semester hours of approved college courses every five (5) years. Beginning July 1, 2004, individuals holding a standard license may opt to renew their license using the Professional Growth Plan renewal option.
After educators earn a master's degree or complete 36 semester hours of approved academic credit, they may renew their licenses with Certification Renewal Credits (CRUs). CRUs are earned by completing approved experiences that do not result in the award of college credit. (See questions following on CRUs.)
Q: What are the requirements for renewing a Proficient Practitioner License?
A. The Proficient Practitioner License must be renewed using the Professional Growth Plan.
Q. What are Indiana's requirements for renewing a Professional teaching, school administration, or school services license?
A. The professional license is initially valid for 10 years. After the initial term, the professional license must be renewed every five years. The license mayThursday, May 11, 2006 7:35 AM college courses or 90 Certification Renewal Units (CRUs) every five years. Professional license will not be issued after July 1, 2006. The Accomplished Practitioner License will replace this option.
Q. What are Indiana's requirements for renewing a Reciprocal teaching, school administration, or school services license?
A. Reciprocal licenses may be renewed as specified in your evaluation letter. If your evaluation letter indicates that you have only testing deficiencies and/or six semester hours or less of course deficiencies, your Reciprocal license cannot be renewed. In this case, you must apply for an original Standard license to replace the Reciprocal after completing the deficiencies
Q. What is approved renewal course work?
A. Any Standard, Provisional, or Professional license may be renewed with six semester hours of approved courses.
The licensing advisor at an Indiana institution will advise you about approved renewal courses at that institution. Approved renewal course work may include education courses and/or courses taken in one or more areas on the teaching license.
Renewal courses earned out-of-state do not need to be pre-approved as long as the course work is earned in professional education or in one or more of the licensing areas. For approval of other out-of-state courses for renewal, e-mail your request to dpshelpdesk@doe.state.in.us.
Coursework completed as part of a Professional Growth Plan for license renewal does not require prior approval. Candidates supply official transcripts of completed courses as part of the documentation in the Professional Growth Plan.
Q. Must all of my course work be approved prior to completion?
A. If you are working through an in-state institution to renew a Standard, Professional or Provisional license, you must gain the approval of the licensing advisor first. Visit the Division of Professional Standards web site and follow the License link to obtain a list of Indiana licensing advisors.
If you are working on out-of-state course work, and the course work you are completing is either in education or in the area(s) on your license, it will be acceptable, providing the institution is accredited and the courses are not repeats of earlier work you have taken.
Coursework completed as part of a Professional Growth Plan for license renewal does not require prior approval. Candidates supply official transcripts of completed courses as part of the documentation in the Professional Growth Plan.
Question regarding specific courses should be directed to dpshelpdesk@doe.state.in.us.
Q. How may I contact my licensing advisor about taking renewal courses?
A. A contact list for Indiana Licensing Advisors can be found here.
Q. Must my renewal work be at the graduate level?
A. No. However, if you hold an administration and supervision license, or school services personnel license, taking graduate courses is strongly encouraged.
Q. May I take my 6 semester hours of renewal credit in an area that I plan to add to my license, but do not currently have?
A. Only if the area can be added to the Standard, Professional or Provisional license at the same time as the renewal.
Q. May I take my 6 semester hours of renewal credit in an area that is not on my license, and that I have no intention of adding if I believe it will improve my abilities as an educator?
A. ONLY if your licensing advisor has approved the courses for renewal of a Standard, Professional or Provisional License. Courses taken at part of a Professional Growth Plan and for which appropriate documentation may also be used
Examples of out-of-state courses which may be used for renewal when the course does not fall directly under a licensing area:
| Type of License |
Renewal Courses |
| Elementary or Special Education |
Language Arts, Math, Science, or Social Studies courses or in other cognate areas typically taught in an elementary school or resource room |
| Any license |
Computer or technology courses |
| Any license |
Special education courses |
| Foreign language |
History, geography, politics, etc. of the specific country or culture |
| Physical Education or Health |
Coaching courses |
| Any license |
Counseling or administration courses |
Q. Can courses taken at Vincennes University be used for license renewal?
A. Only if such work is approved by a licensing advisor at an Indiana college or university approved to offer teacher preparation programs. Examples of such courses are those that are part of articulation agreements with institutions having accredited teacher preparation programs. These courses may also be taken as part of the Professional Growth Plan.
Q. Must all renewal course work be through a college or university, or may I use seminars or conferences I have attended?
A. Any credits earned as semester hours or quarter hour units taken from an accredited institution are acceptable for renewal of a license. Otherwise only seminars or conferences approved for Indiana Certification Renewal Units (CRUs) may be used toward renewal of your Indiana educator's license. Please refer to Question 1 for eligibility to use CRUs for license renewal.
Q. What are CRUs (Certification Renewal Units)?
A. Certification Renewal Units are credits which may be applied toward license renewal only after earning a Master's degree, or after completion of thirty-six (36) semester hours beyond the Bachelor's Degree of approved academic credit. Division of Professional Standards's one CRU is equivalent to two contact hours in an approved seminar or program. Ninety (90) CRUs are required for renewal. A total of 15 CRUs equals one semester hour. CRUs can be used with semester or quarter hours in any combination providing the equivalent of six semester hours is reached. For a CRU to be valid, the program provider must be pre-approved by the Division Assessment. Make sure that you have verified this information prior to taking any seminar or program.
Q. Who may sponsor a CRU program?
A. Certification Renewal Unit (CRU) programs may be sponsored by: an accredited college or university; a school corporation or combination of school corporations; an educational service center organized under IC20-1-11.3; a joint program organized under 20-5-11; an interlocal agreement program organized under IC 36-1-7;an Indiana professional teacher organization or the State Board of Education through the Department of Education.
Q. How may approval for a CRU program be obtained?
A. Prospective sponsors must be approved in advance of offering programs. It is the responsibility of the program sponsor to provide a uniform certificate of program completion to the participants and to submit the required documentation to Division of Professional Standards upon completion of the program. Questions about program sponsorship or program proposal should be e-mailed to IMAPHelp@doe.state.in.us.
Individual educators may NOT apply for CRU approval for a program. Program approval is the responsibility of the program sponsor, Only organizations meeting the criteria outlined in Question 14 may provide CRUs for their programs.
Q. I have earned CEUs for a program in which I participated, can they be converted to CRUs?
A. No. CEUs and CRUs are not equivalent. Some programs are approved to offer both. You should check with the program prior to attending to verify how attendance will be verified.
Q. What must I do to renew my license now that I have completed my renewal work?
A. A renewal checklist and application materials are posted on this web site.
- For a Standard, Professional or Provisional License
- If you completed six semester hours of renewal course work at an Indiana institution, contact the licensing advisor there for application materials and the renewal recommendations.
- If the renewal work was completed at more than one Indiana institution, it is only necessary for one licensing advisor to verify completion of the renewal course work.
- If you completed six semester hours of renewal work out-of-state, send official transcripts of this work with the application materials. Transcripts must carry the seal and signature of the registrar and indicate the degree earned.
- If you have completed 90 CRUs* within the preceding five years, send your CRU certificates and other application materials directly to the Indiana Professional Standards Board.
- If you will be renewing with a combination of CRU* credits and in-state course work, contact the licensing advisor at the in-state institution where you completed the renewal course work. The licensing advisor will advise you of the application materials and will need your CRU certificate to attach to the application.
- If you will be renewing with a combination of CRU* credits and out-of-state course work, send all application materials including your CRU certificates and official out-of-state transcripts to the Indiana Professional Standards Board.
- If you are using the Professional Growth Plan, your License Renewal report should be submitted to Division of Professional Standards no less than 120 days prior to the expiration of your current license. * You must have earned a Master's Degree or 36 graduate semester hours to renew with Certification Renewal Units. Fifteen CRUs are equivalent to one semester hour. At least fifteen CRUs must be earned to be used for license renewal.
- For a Proficient Practitioner License
- Your License Renewal Report should be submitted to DPS no sooner than 2 years and no less than 120 days prior to or the expiration of your current license or le
Q. When should I apply for a renewal of my license?
A. Do not apply for the renewal of your Indiana teaching license any earlier than two months prior to the license expiration date.
Q. What happens if my license expires in the middle of the school year?
A. All licenses that are valid on the first day of the academic school year shall be considered valid for the duration of that academic school year. (Professional Standards Board; Rule 47, Sec 2; filed Dec 10, 1975, 2:50 p.m.: Rules and Regs. 1976, p. 249) NOTE: Transferred from the Commission on Teacher Training and Licensing (530 IAC 2-2-3) to the Indiana State Board of Education (511 IAC 10-2-3) by P.L.20-1984, SECTION 206, effective July 1, 1984. NOTE: Transferred from the Indiana State Board of Education (511 IAC 10-2-3) to the Professional Standards Board (515 IAC 1-2-3) by P.L.46-1992, SECTION 19, effective July 1, 1992.
Q. Is there a penalty for letting my license expire before renewing or professionalizing it?
A. No. However, you cannot renew it until you have completed the requirements.
There is no penalty for not completing the required course work or Professional Growth Plan after the expiration date of the license. However, the license will not be renewed until the requirements have been met.
Q. May I obtain an extension on my license if I have not yet completed the requirements by the expiration date?
A. No, extensions are not granted except when the validity period of the license is interrupted by active military service. The extension will be extended only for the length of military service, up to a limit of two years. Extensions are not granted for medical reasons.
Q. Must I ever take any additional course work once I have obtained my life license?
A. No. Once you have established a life license, you are not required to take any additional courses.
Q. Can I still obtain a life license?
A. To be eligible for a Professional License valid for life, an applicant must have completed all of the requirements by September 1, 1990.
Q. What is a Professional License?
A. Teachers: The Professional License is a license of a higher gradation than the Standard License. A Standard License may be converted to a Professional License when an applicant has completed an appropriate Master's Degree (with course work in education and in the license major, minor and endorsement areas) and five years of teaching experience in an accredited school. Such teaching experience must be at the level and in one or more of the subject areas on the license.
Applicants who met the professionalization requirements prior to September 1, 1990 hold or are eligible for a Professional License valid for life. Applicants who met the professionalization requirements after this date hold or are eligible for a Professional License valid initially for ten years. The Professional License may be renewed for five year periods when renewal requirements are met.
Indiana Graduates: Applicants should contact their licensing advisor about the Professional License requirements if they completed or plan to complete the course work in Indiana. The licensing advisor will explain all of the requirements and recommend the applicant for the license when eligible. Visit our web site at www.doe.state.in.us/dps and follow the links: 1) Licensing, 2) Application Quicklinks, 3) Checklists (select Professionalizing a License.)
Out-of-State Graduates: If the course work has been completed out-of-state the applicant should submit their credentials (if not already on file) to the Licensing Division for review. In this case the applicant should submit transcripts of the Master's Degree program and any other graduate transcripts, verification of at least five years of teaching experience on the license, and a completed application including the request for the Professional License. Visit our web site at www.doe.state.in.us/dps and follow the links: 1) Licensing, 2) Application Quicklinks, 3) Checklists (select Professionalizing a License.)
Q. May I professionalize only one area of my license? May I professionalize just my minor or supporting area?
A. With majors and minors, you may professionalize only one area of your license. However, you would be required to drop all areas that you have not professionalized off your license. It is possible to professionalize only a minor.
If you hold a science major or social studies major with primary/supporting areas, you would be required to professionalize all areas. For further questions, please contact the Help Desk at 317-232-9010 or e-mail dpshelpdesk@doe.state.in.us
Anyone who met the requirements for a Professional License after September 1, 1990 holds or is eligible for a Professional License valid initially for ten years, renewable for five year periods thereafter. Professional Licenses will not be issued after July 1, 2006.
