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1. What steps do I need to follow in order to obtain my Missouri teaching certification?
2. Who can I talk to if I have a question or a problem with my certification?
3. I’m considering moving to Missouri and already have a valid teaching certificate from my home state. How can I get a similar teaching certificate in Missouri?
4. My teaching certificate hasn’t arrived yet! Is there somewhere on the Internet that I can check the status of my application?
5. I’ve been hired as a probationary teacher. What does that mean?
6. When should I expect to receive my contract for next year?
7. What if I’m not offered a contract for next year?
8. How do I find a mentor?
9. What if my mentor and I don’t hit it off?

A: Missouri has a two-tiered certification plan: an initial four-year certificate and a second-level Career Continuous Professional Certificate.


Initial Professional Certificate
This four-year license is issued to new college graduates and to teachers with less than four years of experience. In order to maintain an initial certificate and qualify for a continuous certificate, you must:

• Participate in a district mentoring program for two years.
• Participate in a Beginning Teacher Assistance (BTA) program.
• Complete a criminal background check.
• Complete 30 contact hours of professional development, which may include hours in an appropriate college class.
• Complete four years of teaching.

Career Continuous Professional Certificate (CCPC)
After four years, teachers may move up to the next level. This is a lifetime certificate, provided the teacher successfully completes 15 contact hours of professional development annually. The 15-hour requirement will be waived if the teacher has a local professional development plan and meets two of the following criteria:

1. Completes 10 years of teaching.
2. Completes a master’s degree.
3. Obtains rigorous national certification as approved by the State Board of Education.

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A: Your first point of contact is your field service coordinator. He or she should be able to point you in the right direction.

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A: Upon completion of a background check, out-of-state applicants are eligible to receive a certificate that is most closely aligned with their current certification area. In addition, applicants will be issued the certification level (PCI or CPCC) commensurate with their years of experience in the other state.

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A: Yes. If you have applied and have been entered into the DESE system, you can go to the DESE Web site’s certification search and enter the appropriate information (your social security number is needed). The search engine will give you the most recent information on file for you.

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A: Under Missouri state law, a probationary teacher is one who has taught in a school district for five years or less. If you transfer from one school district to the next, the law gets a bit blurry. The law states that if you’ve been teaching in a Missouri school district for two years or more and transfer to another district, the board of education will waive one year of the “new” probationary period. If you’ve been teaching less than two years, most districts will require you to start over as a probationary teacher while others may give you some additional credit for time served.

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A: You must be notified in writing on or before April 15 of each year if your contract will not be renewed for the following school year. If you don’t receive any such notice in writing, consider yourself hired. If your contract is being renewed, law states you must receive your contract on or before May 15 and you have until May 30 to accept or reject the contract. Make sure you reply! Failure to respond constitutes a rejection.

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A: If your contract hasn’t been renewed, you have the right to know why. Ask for a reason in writing. The school board must provide you with written reasons for nonrenewal, although the response may be as ambiguous as “failed to meet expectations.” Next, make sure the dismissal doesn’t violate your civil rights. If you are not sure, contact the MSTA Legal Services Department for advice. You may be able to challenge a nonrenewal if you have received good evaluations.

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A: State law requires the assignment of a mentor for new teachers. Many school districts will assign a mentor to every new teacher in advance of the first day of work. If not, it is the principal’s responsibility to find and assign a mentor for you. Talk to your principal about finding a mentor within your school.

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A: It is sometimes necessary to change mentors. In some cases, the mentor may not be certified in a certification area the new teacher wants to pursue. In other cases, it may well be a personality or style conflict. If you feel it is necessary to change mentors, contact the head of the mentoring program in your school, the principal and/or the Professional Development Committee in your district for assistance in doing so. In all situations, try to remain professional and polite.

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