Maine Teacher Licensure Guide for Online Master's Students

Who Licenses Teachers in Maine, and Which Exams Does It Use?

Maine licenses teachers through Maine Department of Education, 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 Maine are ranked at the in-state price, and the national and specialty lists cover schools in other states.

How Do I Get a Maine Teaching Certificate With an Online Master's?

To get a Maine teaching certificate with an online master's, you finish an approved preparation program in any state, district, territory or country and receive the institution's formal recommendation, which earns the five-year professional teacher certificate. The department's initial certification page also lists a transcript analysis route for applicants who never attended a formal program. A three-year conditional certificate exists for applicants expected to meet every requirement within three years.

Our elementary education and secondary education rankings use federal graduate counts and tuition, so they cannot confirm that a program will earn that recommendation.

Which Exams Does Maine Require for Teacher Certification?

The exams Maine requires for teacher certification are set by the State Board's Chapter 13, and Chapter 13 names ETS's Core Academic Skills for Educators in reading, writing and mathematics, a Praxis II content exam and the Principles of Learning and Teaching, unless waived. Chapter 115 Part II then lets an applicant meet the basic skills condition for many endorsements with a 3.0 cumulative GPA in the courses required, or a successful portfolio review, instead of the test.

The coursework pathway to the elementary endorsement adds nine semester hours of elementary literacy methods and 15 weeks of student teaching. Administrator candidates may sit the School Leaders Licensure Assessment in place of some coursework.

Can I Transfer a Teaching Certificate to Maine From Another State?

A teaching certificate can transfer to Maine from another state: a full certificate from another state, the District of Columbia, a territory or another country that the department deems comparable may qualify for a professional certificate once a criminal history records check is complete. The initial certification page frames the reciprocal certificate as a response to an identified staffing shortage.

An applicant who does not live or work in Maine may be fingerprinted elsewhere, and the department's FAQ points out-of-state applicants to IdentoGo and its mail-in option. Renewal then requires the exceptionalities course. The 2020 comparison by the Education Commission of the States found no full reciprocity in Maine and extra coursework for some out-of-state teachers, which that renewal course echoes.

Does NC-SARA Membership Cover Teacher Certification for Maine Online Master's Students?

Maine's NC-SARA membership, approved in November 2015, does not cover teacher certification for online master's students. NC-SARA says SARA does not address licensing board approval for programs such as teacher education, while Chapter 115 sets Maine's conditions directly: an accredited institution, a formal recommendation and the endorsement's coursework. The state actions page shows only that Maine belongs.

SARA's licensure duty falls on the school: it must say whether the program meets licensure requirements in your state of residence.

What Should I Ask an Online Program Before Enrolling From Maine?

Before enrolling from Maine, ask an online program to answer in writing under 34 CFR 668.43, which has any school advertising licensure preparation name the states where the program does and does not qualify.

Then ask the Maine questions. Will the institution give the formal recommendation Chapter 115 asks for? Does the coursework include the approved exceptionalities course? For an elementary endorsement, does it supply the nine literacy methods hours and the 15 weeks of student teaching that the coursework pathway in Part II requires? Is the accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education?

Which Certificate Do Maine Principals and School Counselors Need?

Maine principals and school counselors need a graduate credential, and each certificate has its own conditions in Part II. The Building Administrator certificate asks for an advanced degree in education or leadership, three years of teaching, approved courses in civil rights and special education law, the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders through a Maine program or another documented route, and an internship of at least 15 weeks, a year as an assistant principal or an approved mentorship.

A school counselor holds a master's or doctorate, either from a Maine-approved program or with coursework aligned to CACREP standards plus three hours of diversity-centered content, so an online master's in educational leadership or school counseling can fit either route.