There's no time like the present to become certified as a teacher in the state of Ohio. Basic requirements for becoming a teacher in Ohio include obtaining a bachelor's degree in education and completing a teacher education program. Additionally, prospective educators must complete the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE), which consists of specialized assessments for prospective educators based on their licensure area/grade level and license type.
Alternatively, candidates who have already completed a bachelor's degree in a field unrelated to teaching have the option to complete a post-baccalaureate program to earn education course credits. People who take this route still have to complete OAE assessments that correlate with their area of study after the completion of their education coursework.
There are additional options available for those who wish to teach in non-traditional environments, such as substitute (either short-term or long-term), probationary, administrative, and emergency teaching. After deciding which type of license you'd like to obtain, you can begin to learn how to obtain a teaching certificate in Ohio.
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The Ohio Board of Education plays an important role in setting requirements for educator preparation programs. Since the Board of Education is responsible for managing the state's public education, they must play a role in the training of educators for the state. In Ohio, the department of education specifies that teachers must complete an approved educator preparation program and a bachelor's degree, pass both content area and professional knowledge exams, and pass a criminal background check before applying for licensure. Additionally, after earning this four-year resident educator license, teachers must participate in professional development or continuing education in order to renew their teaching license.
Educator Preparation Programs are usually completed as part of a bachelor's degree and should be accredited both regionally and by the state. Selecting an education program is important because students often find employment at schools where they have completed fieldwork or student teaching hours. Certain education preparation programs can opt to be accredited by additional organizations to improve their rating. Some of these agencies include Cognia, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Council on Accreditation, and National Early Childhood Program Accreditation.
Some of the accredited programs in Ohio with the highest licensing exam pass rates are Heidelberg University, Notre Dame College, and Ohio Northern University. However, The Ohio State University, Bowling Green University, Kent State University, and Miami University are also recognized as schools with excellent education preparation programs. Certain schools also rank highly in individual specializations. For example, the University of Dayton and The Ohio State University are highly ranked in special education and Kent State University is recognized for excellence in early childhood education.
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Create AccountProspective teachers in Ohio are required to complete a specific curriculum of education-based classes approved by the Ohio Board of Regents as well as student teaching hours. There's a full spectrum of licensure areas that students can choose to specialize in for their degree: Early Childhood (PK-3), Middle Childhood (4-9), Adolescence to Young Adult (7-12), Multi-Age (PK-12), Intervention Specialist, Career-Technical, Administrator and Professional Pupil Services. This curriculum is usually completed over the course of a 4-year bachelor's degree.
In Ohio, reading coursework is required in all educator preparation programs. Educators specializing in early childhood or middle childhood, or as an intervention specialist, should expect to complete at least 12 credit hours of reading coursework. Coursework related to substance abuse is also included in Ohio teaching programs.
For each specialization area, there are corresponding Ohio Learning Standards that must be satisfied. For example, a candidate who wants to teach middle school English will have to complete coursework that satisfies the Ohio Learning Standards for Language Arts and Reading.
Education programs require at least 100 hours of 'field experience' working in a classroom setting before allowing education students to participate in student teaching. In Ohio, student teaching consists of a 12-week placement. During this period, education students work under the guidance of a veteran teacher in a real classroom.
The Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) is the certification exam for teachers in Ohio.
Assessments are separated into two sections: Pedagogical assessments (essentially teaching abilities) and content-area knowledge (mastery of the topics the candidate will have to teach in the classroom).
Candidates must pass the OAEs that correspond with their desired license type related to the licensure area they studied in their educator preparation program. For example, candidates seeking licensure in Early Childhood (PK-3) must pass the Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Early Childhood (PK-3) and the Early Childhood Education and Foundations of Reading exams.
However, a prospective educator for an older age of students would need to be certified in the content area in which they want to teach. For example, a person wanting to be a high school biology teacher would apply for a license in Life Sciences after passing the Assessment of Professional Knowledge for Adolescence to Young Adult and the Biology content assessment.
Before obtaining licensure, every prospective teacher must pass a background check through the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Ohio BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Fingerprinting is also required. Some districts or schools require safety certifications like CPR training, but these are not currently mandatory across the state of Ohio.
It's time to apply! After clearing the background check and submitting official documents, including undergraduate and education preparation program transcripts, passing exam scores, fees, and the teaching certification application, candidates can expect to wait about three months before their license is official. Applications can be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education Connected Ohio Records for Educators (ODE.CORE) system within one year of completing an education program.
Teaching certification in Ohio is tiered, meaning that new teachers apply for a Resident Educator license. This entitles new teachers to mentoring in the first two years of their career in the district where they work, assistance with performance-based assessments in the third year, and education specific to the district where the educator works in the fourth year. After four years, candidates can apply for a Professional teaching license (which must be renewed every five years).
Some prospective educators have already completed a degree in a field unrelated to education. Rather than start from scratch with a new bachelor's degree, candidates have the option to pursue an Alternative Resident Educator License. These alternative licenses are available for designated subjects, world languages, and intervention specialists.
Candidates on this path must also complete a background check, pay a fee, submit transcripts, and apply to the Resident Educator Program just as the candidates on the traditional route.
Additional requirements for this alternative path are similar to those for the traditional path but are completed at an accelerated pace. These requirements include online learning modules and classroom fieldwork through the Intensive Pedagogical Training Institute (IPTI) or an Alternative Resident Educator Institution (AREI). Just as with traditional education licenses, candidates must pass the OAE related to their desired content area.
Candidates who have career experience in certain fields have the option to complete post-baccalaureate education programs to become instructors. This includes careers like nursing and other career-technical trades where professional experience is necessary in order to teach the subject matter appropriately. Students of these educators are able to gain a better idea of what their day-to-day job will be like after they finish their education.
In many cases, Ohio certification for teachers from other states is possible through reciprocity agreements. Ohio participates in The NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which is a reciprocity agreement meant to help teachers with a license in one state obtain a license in another. 46 states have signed reciprocity agreements with Ohio, meaning that licensed educators from those states may transfer their licenses to Ohio. Licenses from states that are not a part of the NASDTEC agreement are not automatically valid in Ohio without completing out-of-state educator licensure requirements.
Out-of-state educators attempting to be licensed in Ohio who have been licensed for less than three years should apply for a Resident Educator license. Educators who have been licensed for more than three years can apply for a Professional teaching license.
There are still requirements out-of-state educators must complete to become licensed in Ohio. Common barriers to transferring an out-of-state license to Ohio include the 12 hours of required reading coursework and taking the Foundations of Reading OAE.
One must renew their professional teaching license every five years. This process includes the completion of six hours of coursework and the completion of renewal applications. If an education license expires, one must complete nine credit hours of coursework at an accredited college or university. It's important to renew your license on time to avoid this.
Ohio teachers are required to participate in 180 hours of professional development every five years but can participate in more if they choose. One can obtain these hours through professional seminars, workshops, online courses, or conferences.
Teachers' salaries are correlated to their education level. Therefore, a teacher with a Master's Degree or extra certifications/specializations will earn more money than a teacher with only a bachelor's degree.
Professional advancement for educators refers to teachers moving into administrative roles through training or extra education. For example, a middle school teacher could obtain certification in Adolescent Administration and complete OAEs to become a principal or vice-principal.
There are approximately 1.6 million students and 102,600 teachers across 3,546 public schools in the state of Ohio, with a student-to-teacher ratio of about 18:1. The largest school districts are Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, all three of which contain low-income student populations.
The current average salary for both elementary and secondary school teachers is around $60,000. Special Education teachers make an average of around $55-65,000, and other early childhood educators like intervention specialists and aides earn an average of about $27,000.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected job growth for teachers in Ohio is 10.1% through 2030. This means the profession is in demand, and the need for teachers will continue to increase. However, Ohio currently has a teacher shortage, especially in rural areas.
Anna Gen, M.A. has over 10 years of teaching and tutoring experience, including experience as a middle school teacher, a reading and math tutor, and a volunteer ESL instructor for refugees. She has passed the Praxis exam as a part of her teacher certification. Anna received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Faith Baptist Bible College and a Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from Multnomah University.
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