Educator Certification Procedures
The Office of Educator Quality is open to the
public 8:00- 4:00 Monday - Friday.
Dear Educators: Processing
time for certification applications is approximately 3 months. The summer
months are very busy with renewal requests and new certification requests.
You can check the status of your application by logging into the certification
system as a returning teacher with your id and password.
Important Announcement:
new Certification Regulations go into effect on January 1,
2012. Follow this link,
Certification Redesign 2012, to learn about the new regulations and how they
will impact current and prospective Rhode Island Educators.
Applications for Certifications
- General Educator Application (First Issuance, Renewal, Evaluation,
Reinstatement, Substitute, Athletic Coach)
Click on this link e to download the General Educator
Certification Application based on the new certification regulations.
General Certification Information and Updates
Renewal notices will no longer be mailed. Use
your system id and password to access and update your certification information.
Please note that applications are processed in the order in which they are
received. Be certain that the application packet is complete. Only
complete packets can be processed. Every effort is made to respond to your
request in a timely manner.
Federal legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act mandates that all teachers of core academic subjects be highly qualified as defined by the law. To meet the federal definition of a highly qualified teacher you must:
- Hold a Bachelors Degree
- Hold full state certification
- Demonstrate subject matter competency in the core academic subject (s) by having a major or its equivalent or by passing a rigorous content knowledge test.
It is important to understand that by holding a Rhode Island teaching certificate does not necessarily mean that you have met the federal definition of a highly qualified teacher. This is especially true for educators securing certification by reciprocity. These educators may need to meet the Rhode Island testing requirement to meet the federal definition of a highly qualified teacher.