District of Columbia Teacher Licensure Guide for Online Master's Students

Who Licenses Teachers in the District of Columbia, and Which Exams Does It Use?

The District of Columbia licenses teachers through Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Teaching and Learning, and the exams it requires are the Praxis tests from ETS.

For the programs themselves, the online master's in education programs at universities in the District of Columbia are ranked at the in-state price, and the national and specialty lists cover schools in other states.

How Do I Get a District of Columbia Teaching License With an Online Master's?

An online master's can lead to a District of Columbia teaching license when it contains an approved teacher certification program, the first of four options OSSE lists for the Standard Teacher Credential. That option asks for a completed approved program in the proper subject area, a bachelor's degree, passing exam scores and an FBI identity history check. A program outside the District has its certification officer sign OSSE's out-of-state program completer form.

The other options start from a DC Initial credential, an active full credential from another state, or a DC school job that needs no state license, each with two years of effective ratings. The Initial credential lasts three years and cannot be renewed. Our special education and secondary education rankings do not show District approval.

Which Exams Does the District of Columbia Require for Teacher Licensure?

The District of Columbia requires three kinds of evidence for teacher licensure, and OSSE ties two of them to Praxis II: a subject content exam matching your teaching area and the Principles of Learning and Teaching pedagogy exam. Basic skills are shown either by a 3.0 grade point average on a completed bachelor's degree or by passing an approved reading, writing and mathematics exam.

School services providers such as counselors pass a school support personnel content exam, and principals pass a school leadership exam. Have ETS send scores to OSSE under routing code 7076, and still upload scanned score reports with your application. OSSE does not rule on whether another state's exam is comparable until you file an application.

Can I Transfer a Teaching License to the District of Columbia From Another State?

A teaching license from another state can be transferred to the District of Columbia through reciprocity, which OSSE applies only to a first DC credential application. You qualify with an active, full credential without deficiencies from another state or territory, plus comparable exam scores or the District's own exams. Holders of an active National Board certificate in a comparable area skip the DC exams.

For the Standard credential, OSSE also wants two school years of effective ratings from the state that issued the credential. The 2020 comparison by the Education Commission of the States recorded no full reciprocity for the District, extra assessments for some teachers and an experience tier.

Does NC-SARA Membership Cover Teacher Licensure for District of Columbia Online Master's Students?

NC-SARA membership does not cover teacher licensure for District of Columbia online master's students, even though the District joined in July 2016, because SARA does not address professional licensing board approval for fields such as teacher education. A school's SARA status lets it enroll District residents online, and OSSE credentials them.

Participating schools do owe students a notice on whether a program meets licensure requirements where they are located.

What Should I Ask an Online Program Before Enrolling From the District of Columbia?

An online program owes you its answer on the District of Columbia before you enroll, because 34 CFR 668.43 obliges a school that advertises licensure preparation to name the states where the program does and does not meet requirements, and to warn an enrollee where it falls short or went unchecked.

Bring the District's details to that conversation: will the school's certification officer sign OSSE's completer form, which Praxis II subject and pedagogy exams does the curriculum prepare you for, will your transcript show a focus on P-12 school leadership if you want to be a principal, and how many supervised school hours does a counseling degree include?

Which License Do District of Columbia Principals and School Counselors Need?

The license a District of Columbia principal needs is OSSE's Standard Administrative Services Credential, and it asks for four years of full-time work as a teacher, student services provider or principal or two years of effective ratings, a passing school leadership exam, and one of three things: a program transcript with a P-12 school leadership focus, an active full principal credential from another state, or a master's degree or higher.

A Standard school counselor credential asks for a master's degree from an approved school counseling program, or a counseling master's with graduate coursework in eight listed areas, at least 300 supervised school-based hours, which a CACREP-approved degree, an NCC credential or relevant work experience can also satisfy, and a passing school counselor content exam. An online master's in educational leadership or school counseling should show those lines in its curriculum.