To become a licensed and/or endorsed teacher in Ohio’s schools, a person must successfully complete required licensure tests — the Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE). The passing score for all OAEs is 220. For additional information, visit http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Licensure/Prepare-for-Certificate-License/Educator-Licensure-Examinations. Study materials are available from the individual testing services and the Library.

Last day to apply for P-3 and P-3 Intervention Specialist licenses

P-3 and P-3 Intervention Specialist candidates need to pay close attention to licensure application deadlines.  It is reported from ODE that June 30, 2024 will most likely be the last day to submit an application for these two licenses.  The Otterbein Education Department is recommending students apply by May 31, 2024 to meet this deadline.  This information will be updated as it is received.

Out-of-State Teacher Licenses
Because states determine their own teacher education programs, licensure may differ from state to state. It is the duty of the student to see that the special requirements of states other than Ohio are met. See Otterbein’s Professional Licensure Disclosure page at https://www.otterbein.edu/about/sara/professional-licensure-disclosures/ Information on licensure may be obtained from each state department of education’s division of teacher education and certification.

Teacher licensure is simplified in many states through Interstate Reciprocity Agreements and on graduation from institutions accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) or the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). Most states require  passage of teacher competency tests prior to licensure. See https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/reciprocity/ 
Students planning to teach in another state should consider also obtaining their Ohio teaching license.  (See https://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/reciprocity/)

Policy and time limit on applying for teaching licensure
If a licensure candidate does NOT apply for a teaching license at the time they graduate from Otterbein, they must adhere to the following guidelines.

The time limit for all candidates to apply for a teaching license is 2 years from degree completion.  If the licensure requirements are completed after degree completion, the time limit is 2 years from the date of completion of the final licensure requirement (e.g., an OAE test).

Candidates wishing to complete a program license after the two-year limit will be required to take additional course work, to be determined by the Department Chair, based on an updated transcript review.

A request for an exception to this rule must be submitted in writing to the Teacher Education Committee, attention: Gaby Miller (gmiller@otterbein.edu), Education Department Administrative Coordinator.

edTPA is a summative, subject-specific portfolio-based assessment of teaching performance, completed during a preparation program within a clinical field experience. edTPA is designed to assess a teaching candidate’s readiness to teach.  All Otterbein education students will complete and submit an edTPA portfolio for national scoring during their student teaching seminar.  The Otterbein Student Teaching Handbook indicates the scoring guide for the edTPA, and it may be necessary to retake the edTPA.

Portfolio Requirement 
To be recommended for licensure, teacher candidates are required to maintain a digital portfolio that is aligned to each licensure or Special Professional Association (SPA). This will document their mastery of department and professional (SPA) standards. Key artifacts will be uploaded throughout the program as part of course requirements. Student Teaching Seminar instructors will provide support and feedback for students, and supervisors and seminar instructors make the final evaluations of the portfolios. The digital platform for the portfolio and assessment system is an online tool called Watermark-Taskstream. Student fees pay for Watermark-Taskstream. Students will receive a Watermark-Taskstream account code in the appropriate course.

Job Search Assistance—Center for Student Success and Career Development 
The Otterbein Center for Student Success and Career Development (SSCD) provides a menu of services including resume-building, cover letter writing, practice interviews, and job search assistance. In addition, staff will advise students on assembling a strong credential file, the collection of documents that support your application (transcripts, letters of reference, test scores, etc.). All students will prepare and manage their own credential file. All student teachers are required to attend an orientation session at the SSCD or at the student teaching seminar to learn about the job search process. Each spring semester, the Department of Education and SSCD host a career fair for future educators in which students may register and attend interviews with regional school districts. For more information, go to https://www.otterbein.edu/sscd/.