Washington Teacher Certification and Career Guide

In Washington, the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regulates the certification of all public K-12 teachers in the state. The main steps for the traditional path to teacher certification in Washington are:

1. Complete a bachelor’s degree with a state-approved teacher preparation component.
2. Complete a student teaching placement.
3. Pass the required teacher certification exams.
4. Apply for a teaching certificate or license.
5. Upgrade your license, if desired.

Continue reading to learn more about the traditional certification pathway in Washington.

Table of Contents

Steps to Become a Teacher in Washington

Teacher Certification Renewal

Adding Subjects or Grades to a Certificate

Teaching License Reciprocity

Related Licenses

Teacher Outlook, Salary, and Jobs

Additional Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Become a Teacher in Washington

This section details the traditional steps to become a teacher in Washington. Washington uses a tiered system for teacher certification:

• Residency Certificate: For new teachers who have completed a bachelor’s degree, required tests, a background check, and have been recommended for certification by an approved teacher preparation program.
• Professional Certificate: For teachers who have passed the who have completed a Washington professional certificate assessment (ProTeach) or National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

If you are a bachelor’s degree holder who has yet to complete a teacher preparation program, check out our guide to alternative teacher certification in Washington.

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree that includes an approved teacher preparation program.

The first step toward teacher certification in Washington is to earn a bachelor’s degree. The major you choose will depend on the content area and grade level you wish to teach. As part of your bachelor’s degree program, you will need to complete a teacher preparation program. You can find a list of programs approved by the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) on the OSPI website.

You can compare key metrics for state-approved teacher preparation programs on our Washington schools page. You can also read about two important accreditations to consider, institutional accreditation and programmatic accreditation, on our teaching schools guide.

2. Complete a student teaching placement.

As part of your teacher preparation program, you will complete a field-based learning experience and formalized clinical practice experience to practice the knowledge and skills needed to be a teacher. Prospective teachers will complete at least 450 hours in a classroom setting with a qualifying mentor teacher. These experiences should be in the grade level and subject area you wish to teach. Some programs may offer longer student teaching placements.

3. Pass the required Washington teacher exams.

Prospective teachers in Washington must also pass a basic skills test and a content knowledge test before they are certified. The basic skills requirement can be fulfilled by passing the Washington Educator Skills Test-Basic (WEST-B), SAT, ACT, or other tests. The content knowledge test required is either the Washington Educator Skills Test-Endorsement (WEST-E) or the National Evaluation Series (NES) test, depending on the subject area. You can determine which assessment is required for your endorsement area on the PESB Endorsement Competencies page. More information about testing can be found on the PESB’s website.

4. Apply for Washington teacher certification.

Once the above steps have been completed, you can apply for a First Issue Residency Certificate. Applications should be submitted online via the Education Data System (EDS) and should include:

• Recommendation from your approved teacher preparation program
• Official transcripts
• Proof of passing a basic skills test and content area test
• Fingerprints for a background check
• Payment of non-refundable application fees

5. Upgrade your license, if desired.

Teachers with at least five years of experience who have completed a ProTeach or National Board Certification from the NBPTS can upgrade from a Residency Certificate to a Professional Certificate. They must also have completed an issues of abuse course. Teachers who meet these qualifications can apply through the E-Certification System.

Washington Teacher Certification Renewal

First-time teachers with a First Issue Washington Residency Certificate can apply for a Residency Certificate Reissue after they have been employed as a full-time teacher with a Washington school district for at least one and a half years, have completed an issue of abuse course, and have completed at least 15 hours of equity-based school practices. Subsequent renewals of the Residency Certificate and the ProfessionaL Certificate require 100 continuing education clock hours or the equivalent documented in a Professional Growth Plan (PGP) submitted to your school district. More information on the continuing education clock hours can be found on the OSPI website. For more information on renewing your license, check the OSPI’s Residency Teacher Renewal page.

Adding Subjects or Grades to a Certificate

You can add an endorsement to your teaching license in two ways. Endorsements such as Biology, History, Middle Level Science, and World Languages can be added by passing the corresponding WEST-E or NES test. Endorsements such as Bilingual Education, Health/Fitness, and Special Education require applicants to complete a related educator preparation program and pass the associated exam.

For a list of endorsements by approved program offering, you can refer to the Find an endorsement offering page. For more information on how to add an endorsement to a current certificate, review the OSPI’s Adding an Endorsement page.

Washington Teaching License Reciprocity

Certified teachers from other states who are employed by a school district can apply for certification in Washington that corresponds to their current status. Residency Teacher applicants must have a full teaching certificate and at least three years of out-of-state experience. Professional Teacher candidates must have the Wisconsin Masters Educator License, the Ohio Professional Teaching License, or be National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certified. Applications can be submitted online via the E-Certification System and should include:

• Copy of your current license or certificate
• Recommendation from your approved teacher preparation program
• Official transcripts
• Proof of passing a basic skills test and content area test
• Fingerprints for a background check
• Payment of non-refundable application fees

Related Education Licenses

Alongside traditional classroom teaching certifications, the OSPI also provides credentials for a range of support and administrative roles, such as:

• Certified Administrator: Requires a master’s degree as well as the completion of a state-approved administrator preparation program and fingerprints. Prospective principals must also have at least three years of instructional experience and hold or have previously held a teaching, educational staff, or career and technical education (CTE) certificate.
• Educational Staff Associate (ESA): For school behavior analysts, counselors, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, and others. Most ESA certificates require a master’s degree and a state-approved preparation program.
• Paraeducator: Includes the General Paraeducator Certificate, English Language Learner Subject Matter Paraeducator Certificate, Special Education Subject Matter Paraeducator Certificate, and Advanced Paraeducator Certificate. All certificates require a Fundamental Course of Study (FCS) and additional specialized training depending on the type.

For further details, visit the OSPI’s Certification page.

Washington Teacher Outlook, Salary, and Jobs

With 60,183 teachers and 1.1 million students, Washington has a student-to-teacher ratio of about 18:1.³ During the 2017-2018 school year, there were 2,425 public K-12 schools in operation in the state, according to data available from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).³

Job prospects through 2030 are much stronger for teachers in Washington than the expected national averages, with growth for elementary teachers in the state projected at 15.6% compared to 7.4% nationally; for middle school teachers, 15.6% compared to 13.1% nationally; and for secondary school teachers, 15.5% compared to 13.7% nationally.²

The table below provides a detailed comparison of job growth prospects and salary levels for Washington teachers.

*The estimated job growth average is based on projections for mainstream kindergarten, elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Projections for other categories, such as special education and career and technical education, may be higher or lower than the average.

Teacher Shortages in Washington

According to the US Department of Education Teacher Shortage Area report for 2023-2024, Washington has designated the following deficits:

• Career and Technical Education: Communication and Media
• Career and Technical Education: Health and Medical Occupations, Pre-K-12
• Career and Technical Education: Vocational Technology, Pre-K-12
• Core Subjects: Elementary Education, Pre-K-12
• Mathematics, Pre-K-12⁶

In addition to these deficits, Washington had 1,810 teacher vacancies during the 2022-2023 school year.⁷ In addition, 4,880 teachers were considered underqualified for their positions during the 2021-2022 school year, including teachers assigned to classrooms outside their certification fields on a temporary or emergency basis.⁷

Additional Resources

• OSPI Certification: The Professional Certification Department of the OSPI, which regulates the certification of teachers and administrators in the state of Washington.
• OSPI EDS E-Certification System: Apply for, reissue, or renew a Washington state teacher, administrator, educational staff associate, or career technical educator certificate.
• Washington State PESB: Provides information on becoming a teacher in Washington and finding an approved educator preparation program in the state.
• Washington Education Association (WEA): The largest representative of public school employees in the state, calling for quality public education and professional pay and respect for educators.

Washington Teacher Interviews

• Kindergarten Teacher, Rebecca Ross

Related Articles

• Alternative Teacher Certification in Washington
• Guide to Funding Your Teaching Degree
• Overview of the Bachelor’s in Education
• Washington Schools Guide
• Top Online Master’s Programs for Initial Certification

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: How do you become a substitute teacher in Washington?

Answer: Differing from many states, Washington requires its substitute teachers to meet the same licensing standards as regular classroom teachers and apply for certification. Therefore, the minimum requirements are completing a bachelor’s degree and a state-approved teacher preparation program along with earning passing scores on the state-mandated exams. Candidates who hold a regular certificate in another state with at least three years of K-12 teaching experience may also qualify. Washington also offers an emergency substitute license which must be requested by the school.

Question: Is there a teacher shortage in Washington State?

Answer: According to the latest available data, during the 2019-20 school year, Washington had 672 private schools, employing 9,682 full-time teachers and serving 94,937 students.⁸ Washington law requires certification for all classroom teachers, including private school teachers, though some exceptions may exist. You should check with local private schools to confirm their specific requirements.

References:
1. Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: https://ospi.k12.wa.us/certification
2. Projections Central, Long Term Occupational Projections: https://projectionscentral.org/Projections/LongTerm
3. National Center for Education Statistics, State Nonfiscal Public Elementary/Secondary Education Survey Data, 2017-2018: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/stnfis.asp
4. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Washington: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_wa.htm
5. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates: https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm
6. US Department of Education, Teacher Shortage Areas: https://tsa.ed.gov/#/reports
7. Teacher Shortages in the United States, Tuan D. Nguyen et al.: https://teachershortages.com/
8. National Center for Education Statistics, Private School Universe Survey, 2019-20: https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/tables/TABLE15fl1920.asp