In Ohio, where over 3,500 public schools serve 1.7 million kids, certified teachers are in high demand. Because fewer Ohio college graduates are seeking bachelor’s degrees in education, school districts in the state are competing for vacancies from a smaller candidate pool. You can be more selective in choosing a place where you can make a difference as a prospective teaching candidate here.
This article provides a comprehensive list of top Ohio teaching certifications worth going for.
Meanwhile, the table of content is below.
Why Get Ohio teachers Certification?
Only with certification will you be eligible to work as a teacher in the public school system.
Furthermore, if you are able to find work as a teacher in another location without certification, you will not be paid as much, and it might be difficult to make ends meet as a non-certified teacher.
Some corporate educators and adult educators make a respectable living, but climbing the corporate ladder can take many years of hard effort with no promise of success.
How do I get certified to teach in Ohio?
Getting certified to teach in Ohio requires a procedure. First, once you have all the requirements, you are expected to submit an application for licensure to the Office of Educator Licensure along with all required papers.
This is because the process can take up to three months, you must send it before the start of the school year. The following documents are required:
- The background check is complete.
- Official transcripts demonstrating the completion of a bachelor’s degree.
- Proof of completion of a teacher preparation program at an accredited school.
- Payment of the certification processing cost, which is non-refundable.
- Passing scores on all of the relevant exams.
Note, all new applications must be submitted using the Ohio Department of Education’s online system, the Security Application for Enterprise (SAFE) web portal.
For more information on Ohio teacher certification, go to the state’s Department of Education.
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What are the requirements?
Requirements for Ohio teacher certification include a bachelor’s degree and a state-approved educator preparation program related to the specific certification you are seeking.
Then, you must also pass the specific Ohio Educator Assessment (OAE), which assesses teaching and content knowledge related to your certification type.
On the other hand, most types of certification also require an assessment based on the principles of teaching research reading.
Note, all certifications require a background check by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and the FBI.
Ohio has a tiered teacher certification system. New teacher candidates receive a four-year resident educator license, which allows you to be part of the Ohio resident educator program at the school or area where you work. During this period, you will receive orientation in the first two years, provide technical support to present performance-based assessments in the third year. And receive region-specific education in the fourth year.
After completing the four-year resident educator program, you are eligible to apply for a five-year professional teaching license.
In addition to a bachelor’s degree, you will also need to complete an educator preparation course approved by the Ohio Board of Directors.
The state-approved plan has the right to recommend candidates for Ohio educator licenses. Candidates who are certified for the first time usually complete a bachelor’s degree as part of the educator’s preparation plan.
However, if you have a bachelor’s degree before, you can also take a preparatory course for graduate educators, which will allow you to earn a certificate or graduate degree.
Most types of teacher certification in Ohio require the completion of reading instruction courses. This course is included in the state-approved educator preparation plan. Early childhood intervention and education expert certification require 12 semesters of reading courses.
Three semesters of reading courses are required for multi-age groups, teenagers to youth, and vocational-technical certification.
In addition, the state-approved educator preparation plan must include courses related to drug abuse education.
Can you teach in Ohio without a teaching degree?
Yes, you can teach in Ohio but with restrictions. First, you will not be able to teach in the public school system. Federal standards require all public school teachers to be certified and licensed by the state.
Having said that, there are several ways to teach without a license. You can serve as an adjunct professor in colleges and universities.
These positions are contracted from semester to semester, and demand fluctuates constantly. If it is not a Ph.D., you may need at least a master’s degree to follow this path.
You can also be used as an online lecturer, corporate trainer, or adult education lecturer. All of these fields are becoming increasingly important and do not require a bachelor’s degree. Although there are some certificates that can help you improve your credentials and qualifications.
Finally, private schools are not subject to licensing requirements, so you can get a teaching job at one of these private institutions. However, you may still need at least a graduate-level education to prove that you have the knowledge needed to develop and teach courses.
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How do I get a temporary teaching certificate in Ohio?
Getting a temporary teaching certificate in Ohio process is a bit easier than getting a permanent certification.
Once you have a temporary certificate with lasts for one year, you can easily take further steps to become fully licensed.
During this time, you must fulfill the requirements dictated by the state to which they’re moving.
Then participate in the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification Interstate Agreement (NASDTEC). Through your participation, you can enjoy partial reciprocity.
This means that if you want to become a teacher in Ohio and have received your education and/or professional experience in another state, you can expedite your Ohio teacher certification or bypass some requirements.
Do Ohio teachers need a master’s degree?
Although a master’s degree is not required for the initial licensure, it is required for teachers who want to advance to the highest level of certification in Ohio and earn higher.
That means without a master’s degree you can only teach at the kindergarten, elementary, middle, or high school.
According to the survey done by the Ohio Department of Education teachers with a master’s degree make more than those with bachelors at the five- and 10-year career levels too.
Note, the average salary for a teacher with a master’s degree is $49,544 after five years and $65,967 after 10 years.
What Does an Ohio Teacher Earn?
Teachers in Ohio are paid based on their education, experience, specialist certification, and the financial resources available from the school district’s budget. Here is a summary of some of the most common teaching salaries in Ohio.
| POSITION | AVERAGE SALARY |
| Early Childhood Educator | $27,110 |
| Elementary School Teacher | $59,000 |
| Secondary School Teacher | $59,610 |
| Special Education Teacher | $40,280 |
| School Administrator | $83,780 |
| School Principal | $92,510* |
What are the three types of teacher licenses in Ohio?
There are 8 different types of Ohio teaching certifications. These certifications determine the type of students you are authorized to teach.
They include:
- Early Childhood (grades PK-3) Licensure
- Middle Childhood (Grades 4-9) Licensure, Adolescence to Young Adult Licensure (grades 7 to 12)
- Early Childhood Intervention Specialist (PK-3) Licensure
- Intervention Specialist Licensure (PK-12) or (K-12) in a specific content area
- Multi-age Licensure in a specific content area (Grades PK-12)
- Career Technical Licensure and Associate Licensure.
What are the top 5 Ohio teacher certification programs?
With the different types of Ohio teaching licenses, there are a quite number of Ohio certification programs you can acquire. Let’s take a look at some of them:
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1. Special Education Certification
This is one of the top 5 Ohio teacher certification programs you can go for. You can obtain a special education certification in Ohio by obtaining an intervention specialist license. This allows you to teach in PK12 or K12 grades, depending on the certification you choose.
You can choose the majors of Toddler (PK3), Hearing Impairment (PK12), Mild/Moderate Needs (K12), Moderate/Strong Needs (K12), Visually Impaired (PK12) or Genius (K12).
Requirements include a bachelor’s degree and completion of a state-approved intervention expert educator preparation program, which focuses on the type of special education certification you are seeking.
All intervention specialist courses require 12 hours of reading teaching skills. The required evaluations include the OAE Professional Knowledge Pedagogy Evaluation (PK3) for early childhood certification and the OAE Professional Knowledge Pedagogy Evaluation (PK12) for everyone except geniuses.
You must also pass the OAE content area assessment related to the type of certification you are seeking and the OAE Reading Foundation exam. Genius (K12) certification only requires OAE reading assessment.
2, Certifications for School Administrators
The Ohio school administrator certification includes a five-year professional administrator license.
Requirements include a master’s degree and completion of a state-approved administrator preparation plan. Provide directors (PK6), directors (49), directors (512), inspectors, and administrative experts in six different fields.
A passing grade is also required on the OAE Educational Leadership Content Assessment.
Candidates for director certification must have two years of successful teaching experience and study with students of the age and grade level that require certification.
For supervisor certification, candidates must have three years of experience in positions requiring director or administrative expert certification.
3. Physical Education (PE) Certification
Physical Education (PE) certification can be obtained in Ohio by acquiring a Multi-Age Licensure (PK-12) with a physical education specialty (PE). This allows you to teach PE to students of all ages.
A bachelor’s degree or higher is required, as is the completion of a state-approved PE educator training program, which includes a three-semester hour requirement in reading instruction approaches.
You must also pass the OAE Physical Education subject assessment as well as the OAE Pedagogy Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Multi-Age (PK to 12).
This credential does not require the OAE Foundations of Reading exam.
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4. Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education is one of the top 5 Ohio teacher certification programs.
You can be certified as an Ohio preschool teacher through an early childhood license. This certification authorizes you to teach students from kindergarten to third grade.
A bachelor’s degree or higher is required, and the preparatory course for early childhood education approved by the state is required, which includes 12 semesters of reading teaching technology requirements.
You must also pass the OAE Professional Knowledge Education Assessment: Toddler (PK3), OAE Early Childhood Assessment, and OAE Basic Reading Exam.
If you want to focus on teaching lower grades, you can choose to obtain an Associate’s certificate, which authorizes you to teach only 3 to 5 years of preschool.
This certification requires an associate’s degree or higher and a pass of the OAE Pre-K content assessment (subtests I and II).
5. Secondary School Teacher
This type of teaching certification in Ohio allows you to teach a single curriculum area to pupils in grades 7 through 12.
Here, a bachelor’s degree or higher is required, as well as completion of a state-approved educator preparation program in Integrated Language Arts, Integrated Math, Integrated Social Studies, or Integrated Science, as well as all Science Programs.
Also, a three-semester hour requirement in reading instruction strategies is included in each program. The OAE Pedagogy Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Adolescence to Young Adult (7-12) and the content assessment corresponding to the subject area in which you are seeking secondary school certification are both required examinations.
Note, the OAE Foundations of the Reading exam is not required for this certification.
6. English as a Second Language Certification
Obtaining a Multi-Age Licensure (PK-12) and specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages is required for English as a Second Language certification in Ohio (TESOL). This allows you to teach English as a second language to students of all ages.
A bachelor’s degree or higher is required, as well as completion of a state-approved TESOL educator preparation program with a three-semester hour requirement in reading instruction approaches.
You must also pass the OAE Multi-Age (PK–12) Pedagogy Assessment of Professional Knowledge and the OAE TESOL subject assessment. This credential does not need you to pass the OAE Foundations of Reading exam.
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Are there Ohio Alternate Teaching Certifications?
Ohio offers alternate teacher certifications for students who want to accelerate their choice. Candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree with an average of 2.5 points or higher from an accredited college or university can obtain an alternative permanent teacher license to teach designated subjects in the K12 grade.
You must also pass the OAE content assessment in the subject area to be accredited.
After accepting the evaluation request, you will be admitted to the Intensive Education and Training Institute (IPTI).
The online course includes three learning modules and 25 hours of field experience approved by IPTI within six months of receiving IPTI.
After completing the IPTI requirements, you will receive a statement of eligibility for a replacement license, which can be replaced with a four-year replacement resident educator license when you get a teaching position.
Some of the Alternate teaching certifications include:
1. Teach for America
Teach for America is a national organization dedicated to achieving educational equality across the country. In Ohio, volunteers live and work in the Greater Cleveland area of northeastern Ohio and the school districts of Dayton and Cleveland in the southwest.
Teach for America recruits college graduates with leadership skills and commitment to the mission of the organization. Participation is accomplished through a competitive application process.
Once selected, volunteers will participate in an intensive training program to help them obtain Ohio teacher certification before assuming classroom positions.
2. Troops to Teachers
Troops to Teachers is an organization managed by DANTES for the U.S. Department of Defense. It helps active and retired U.S. military personnel start new teaching careers.
If you qualify, you can receive support to transition to a teaching career and meet Ohio’s teacher certification requirements.
As a candidate for the teaching team, you may be eligible for a stipend to help pay for teacher certification or accept bonuses for teaching positions in higher education colleges.
Active duty or honorable retired army, National Guard or Ohio Military Reserve and Reserve or Ohio Naval Militia (under the leadership of the Ohio Deputy General) do not need to pay Ohio licenses, permits, educator certificates, and renewal certificate fees. The U.S. Department of Energy also do not pay.
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How to get Ohio Teaching Certifications
To get Ohio Teaching Certifications through the American Council’s Teacher Certification Program, you need to complete the following steps:
- Apply for an alternative evaluation through the Ohio Department of Education. Applicants must complete this form and mail it to the Ohio Department of Education office along with payment and required documents. The office will review the application to ensure that the applicant meets the initial eligibility requirements, namely:
- An accredited higher education institution has a bachelor’s degree GPA of 2.5 or higher (or a graduate-level GPA of 3.0 or higher).
- Complete the required license exam (OAE subject exam) applicable to the subject area you wish to teach.
- Pass the BCI and FBI background checks. The check must be less than 365 days old and must be filed with the Ohio Department of Education before registering with an approved alternate resident education college.
- Please use your valid registration confirmation letter to participate in the US Commission Teacher Certification Program (an Ohio Higher Education approved alternative educational institution for residents).
- Passed the American Council Professional Teaching Knowledge (PTK) exam. After you pass the exam, you will receive a certificate of completion and send it to the Ohio Department of Education. After issuing the certificate of completion, email it to [email protected] so that the Ohio Department of Education office can issue a qualification statement.
- Use your qualification statement to begin teaching Ohio schools.
FAQs Ohio Teaching Certifications
An Early Childhood Educator earns about $27,110.
The Alternate teaching certifications include:
- Troops to Teachers
- Teach for America
The teacher licenses in Ohio include:
- Early Childhood (grades PK-3) Licensure
- Middle Childhood (Grades 4-9) Licensure, Adolescence to Young Adult Licensure (grades 7 to 12)
- Early Childhood Intervention Specialist (PK-3) Licensure
- Intervention Specialist Licensure (PK-12) or (K-12) in a specific content area
- Multi-age Licensure in a specific content area (Grades PK-12)
- Career Technical Licensure and Associate Licensure.
References
- www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/
- https://teach.com/
- https://www.alleducationschools.com/
- www.teacher-certification-online.org/
