Out of State Licensing : Educator Preparation Program : Hanover College

Out of State Licensing

While we hope to convince our excellent teachers to stay in the great State of Indiana, some students who anticipate seeking licensure in a state other than Indiana should discuss this with their Education advisor and the Education Preparation Program's Licensing Advisors who will assist in determining the requirements for a particular state's teaching license. Most states require a candidate to be licensed in the state in which they completed their teacher preparation program. We strongly urge ALL Hanover College Education Preparation Program completers to be licensed in Indiana as soon as possible following graduation. It is easier and quicker to go into any state as a licensed teacher. There may be additional licensure exams or other requirements to be met,

Since the majority of our out of state teacher candidates come from Kentucky and Ohio, we especially try to stay on top of those state requirements, but do not receive information about upcoming changes from the Department of Education there as we do for Indiana. Below is some general information on becoming licensed in Kentucky and/or Ohio for students' reference.

KENTUCKY http://www.epsb.ky.gov/mod/page/view.php?id=117#OutOfState

Requires licensing in Indiana prior to applying for a Kentucky teachers license at present
Requires PRAXIS II (www.ets.org/praxis/ky) exams in Content Area and Pedagogy called "Principals of Learning and Teaching" in the appropriate grade level. It is our understanding that our Secondary Education program completers qualify for both the Middle School and the Secondary Education licensing but this does require all separate testing in both content and pedagogy.
*Elementary Education - Grades K-6
*Middle School Education - Grades 5-9
*Secondary Education - Grades 8-12
Requires application packet in PDF form that includes confirmation of certification by Hanover Licensing Advisor, official transcript, and other requirements including a specific background check.

IMPORTANT NOTES: PRAXIS II testing requirements are waived for out-of-state applicants who hold a valid (Indiana) license and have taught for a minimum of three years. Kentucky does NOT recognize teaching credential which were gained in Indiana by test only. Kentucky will only add to your original license by completion of an additional training program. Our Special Education Dual Certification is recognized by Kentucky at this time but does require an additional PRAXIS II exam.

OHIO

Ohio is one of the more difficult states to obtain educator licensing if one does not attend an Ohio institution. This is mostly because they require very specific coursework that only is available in Ohio. Additionally, Ohio uses the Pearson CORE licensure exams while Indiana uses ETS Praxis exams. However, we find that the process is easier if you have a state teaching license from Indiana first and because of this we do require Indiana Praxis exams for Decision Point 2 and Decision Point 3 candidates.

Applicants can find up-to-date information about Ohio licensure testing and schedule future examinations on the testing website at http://www.oh.nesinc.com/

Information on Out of State Licensing for teachers who received their teacher preparation and degrees is available here:

http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Licensure/Out-of-State-Licensure

If an applicant has not completed both a content area assessment and a professional knowledge/content area assessment for licensure in the other state (Indiana) then Ohio's CORE exams in Content Area and Pedagogy are required in the appropriate grade level http://www.oh.nesinc.com/. The Pearson exams are notoriously difficult.

Ohio's grade levels for licensing are:
*Early Childhood Education - Grades P-3
*Middle Childhood Education - Grades 4-9
*Intervention Specialist (Sp Ed) - P-12
*Secondary Education - Grades 8-12

Please note: Educators requesting licensure in early childhood (grades Prek-3); middle childhood (grades 4-9), intervention specialist or early childhood intervention specialist areas must also pass the Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) 090, Foundations of Reading exam. The requirement applies to any applicant who is issued a license in one of these areas on or after July 1, 2017.

In addition to these testing issues, Ohio also requires an Ohio Resident Educator to complete 80 hours of continuing education before the teacher will receive full licensure and commensurate pay.

Reading Coursework Requirements

Pursuant to Ohio law, educators requesting Early Childhood, Middle Childhood or Intervention Specialist licensure must have successfully completed at least 12 semester hours of coursework in the teaching of reading that includes at least one separate course of at least three semester hours in the teaching of phonics in the context of reading, writing and spelling. The coursework must be completed at an accredited college or university. Many educators who completed their educator preparation program out of state will not have met this requirement, so a contingency license may be issued to the educator with the limitation placed upon it to complete the reading coursework requirement prior to expiration (currently 3 years). Educators must have completed at least six of the required 12 semester hours of coursework in the teaching of reading to be issued a standard teaching license in Ohio. Elementary Education majors will have at least the minimum amount of credits and may be able to arrange a directed study to cover the full requirement. However, Secondary Education candidates will have none of these required reading course credits and should discuss options with their Education Faculty Advisor. Options could include taking Ohio reading coursework online or in the summers or possible directed study courses with Elementary majors from Ohio.

Hanover College has fully implemented our Science of Reading curriculum for 2024-2025 academic year and the Science of Reading Praxis exam will be required for licensure in July 2025. We hope these changes will improve being able to obtain Ohio licensure without additional coursework.
Ohio will assign a specific licensing official to your application. Communication between them and the applicant is extremely important. You will need to be your own strong advocate in making sure your licensing application is correct and complete.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Reading Coursework and CORE (090) reading exam requirement are waived for out-of-state applicants who hold a valid (Indiana) license and have three years of teaching experience in Indiana. Additionally, for this reason, we must recommend that our Education students who reside in Ohio, first attain their licensing in Indiana and then apply for Ohio licensing based on teaching experience. Again, after implementation of Indiana's Science of Reading endorsement, we hope this becomes an easier process!

Applicants for out of state licensing must also be proactive in being certain the State's licensing officials understand that one (1) Hanover College unit of credit is equal to four (4) semester hours! This documentation is available within the Hanover Course Catalog (available online).

In addition to these testing issues, Ohio also requires an Ohio Resident Educator to complete 80 hours of continuing education before the teacher will receive full licensure and commensurate pay.

Reading Coursework Requirements