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Licensure
1122 W. Campus Road
Joseph R. Pearson Hall, Rm 211
Lawrence, KS 66045-3101
phone: (785) 864-9602abranham@ku.edu
More and more, standardized exams are being used to test "competency." Twenty years ago, teachers did not have to take exams to get a teaching certificate/license. Now, in most states, you will need to present scores in three areas (basic skills, pedagogy and content area) before the state will issue a teaching certificate or license. Please read this entire section before registering for any exams.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is the company that offers the standardized exams required in Kansas. Register for Exams at www.ets.org/praxis, or use the paper application available from the KU Testing Service, 2150 Watkins Health Center, 785-864-2768. The PLT (Principles of Learning and Teaching) and the Subject Area Exams are part of the ETS Praxis II series. The PLT and Subject Exams are only offered pencil-to-paper, about 5-6 times each year. Registration closes a month in advance of the Saturday test date, and it takes 4-6 weeks to receive the scores. They only offer two exam periods on each test date, so it's possible you will need more than one day. Plan ahead!
Students completing our initial teacher preparation programs currently take the PPST (Pre-Professional Skills Test in Reading, Writing and Math) for admission. A computerized version is available and accepted. In the final year of our program, students take the PLT (Principals of Learning and Teaching) and Subject Area exams, which are required for initial Kansas licensure.
Licensed teachers who are adding endorsements to a current Kansas license (for example, adding ESOL or Adaptive Special Education or Building Leadership) will need the appropriate Subject Exam(s) only. I recommend taking the exams near the beginning of the final full semester of coursework. Remember, we must have the scores to process your application to add the endorsement.
Since KU Testing Service does not usually offer exams in June, please plan to take exams sometime November - March if you’re finishing a licensure program in Spring or Summer. Exams are offered through other college testing services in Topeka and Kansas City (such as Washburn, Avila, UMKC and Mid-America Nazarene in Olathe).
Here is the link to ETS, which includes the correct numbers for the PLT and all Subject exams required for KU programs. These are the only exams approved for Kansas licensure. For example, Elementary students should take exam #0011, Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for the subject exam and #0522 for the PLT K-6.
The ETS registration will ask you to provide “score recipients”: 6871 is the code for University of Kansas. If you know you are moving to another state, list them as well. Please include your full social security number on the ETS registration, which will help us to match your score with your records at KU.
VERY IMPORTANT AND NEW - starting with the November 2008 exams: ETS is no longer mailing hardcopy score reports if you register online (as most students do). Approximately 4 weeks after the test date, when the test is scored, you will be able to access the score online at the ETS web site. YOU WILL ONLY HAVE FOUR WEEKS TO DO THIS! Be sure to check your score about a month after you take the exam, download the PDF file to a secure location. Also, we strongly recommend you print two hardcopies to keep in a safe place. If you fail to retrieve and save your score, ETS will charge you another fee to access it later.
If you took your licensure exam before November 2008, it’s possible KU will not have received the score electronically and you will need to mail the original directly to Alisa, who will return the original by mail if you include a self-addressed stamped envelope.
Building Leaders (principal’s exam, School Leadership Assessment, 6 hours, #1010) and District Leaders (superintendent’s exam, School Superintendent's Assessment, 3 hours, #1020) should go to www.ets.org/praxis, select under Related Link "School Leadership Assessment Series" and register. Typically, the principal's exam is offered three times annually, and the superintendent's exam is only offered twice annually. Again, be sure to register more than a month in advance. These exams will be changing in September 2009 (a bit shorter, cheaper, less writing and a different passing score) - we will update information here later.
We highly recommend that you review the "test prep" on the ETS web site before taking any exam –they offer suggestions on reducing test anxiety, sample questions and more in-depth "study guides" for purchase, which are not necessary for 95% of our students. The Learning Resource Center in JRP has several of these study guide, but not all, available for review in the library.
We strongly recommend that KU "fifth year" students take the PLT and Subject exams in November or January. This allows time to receive scores and time to schedule a re-take if necessary. KU students have performed very well on the exams over the past 7-8 years, but annually 10-15 students must re-take one exam. Most students completing an initial program will be able to take the PLT and a Subject Exam on the same day. For example, most Elementary Education students will take the Elementary Subject Exam and the PLT K-6 on the same day. Look carefully at the schedule and decide which date is best for you. There are two exam periods daily and most exams are 2 hours long.
Art, Music, Foreign Language and PE/Health majors in PK-12 programs are encouraged to take the 7-12 level PLT for best results. There are questions on the elementary level exam that most of these students are not prepared to answer.
Cost is significant: most exams cost $80 each, plus $50 registration per academic year. A Secondary English student taking PLT and English exams on the same day will spend around $210. The exam for Building Leader is currently $465 and for District Leader is $290, but these are scheduled to be a little less by September 2009.
We continue to encourage students to get Kansas licensure immediately after finishing any program, in spite of the cost of exams. It is "cheap insurance", protects them from future changes, and helps with the licensure process in other states. Feel free to talk with the Licensure Officer if you have specific concerns about your individual situation. Currently, Missouri requires the same Subject exams as Kansas. Some states, like Oklahoma and California, require different exams, but having a current Kansas license will ease processing time for licensure in those states. Most states will issue you a temporary certificate/license - as long as you have a current Kansas license - so that you can take any additional exams required after you’ve moved. Bottom line: if you plan to teach out-of-state, be sure to read the instructions and timeline..
Licensure requirements are constantly changing. Again, feel free to ask the KU Licensure Officer if you have questions - email Alisa Branham at abranham@ku.edu. This page was updated February 2009.
