NORFOLK, Va. - Shelby Pepmeyer is a Norfolk school teacher certified in both general and special education.
“Teaching is like my whole life, basically,” Pepmeyer told News 3.
After graduating and getting certified in her home state of Pennsylvania, she moved to the Mermaid City.
“Pennsylvania is one of the states that they accept teacher licensure from, so I didn't have to do any additional tests to get licensed in Virginia, which was really nice,” she said.
With the new school year around the corner, News 3 investigators wanted to find out what it takes to be licensed to teach in Virginia schools.
According to officials with the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), the Commonwealth requires teachers to be licensed.
Virginia has specific requirements that must be met in order for someone to earn a state teaching certificate. These include a bachelor's degree, completing an approved teacher education program, passing state-selected assessments and completing the application process.
Officials at the University of Virginia say there are two paths in the Commonwealth to get certified.
There's the traditional path, which involves going through a university-based program, taking classes, doing field experiences and internships, and at the end of the program, getting your degree and certification eligibility.
Then, there's what's called an alternate route for teaching where you could start teaching on what's called a provisional license.
Part of the difference between full professional licenses and provisional licenses is that full licenses, as of 2018, last 10 years. Meanwhile, provisional licenses are good for three years while teachers work on requirements to get full licenses.
Provisional licenses can also be extended for up to two years.
READ: University of Virginia Teacher Education
UVA’s Director of Teacher Education Jillian McGraw said the alternate route involving provisional licenses is becoming more common.
“We're in a teacher shortage,” McGraw said. “We're working with schools to find creative ways to get teachers working with students.”
VDOE officials tell News 3 that provisionally-licensed teachers have been successful in classrooms. They also point to flexibility in licensure regulations.
“A school division can hire someone who doesn't meet the requirements for full licensure yet, hire them with a provisional license, support that provisionally licensed teacher over the course of several years and provide the opportunities he or she needs to meet the state's requirements for full, renewable licensure,” VDOE Director of Communications Charles Pyle said.
Chesapeake teacher Reagan Davis knows this firsthand. Now a fully licensed educator, he started with a provisional teaching license ten years ago.
“The administrator who interviewed me was able to support me in the process of the paperwork for initial licensure,” Davis said.
But what about teachers like Pepmeyer who are already certified in one state and want to come teach in Virginia?
This falls under what’s called, “Licensure by Reciprocity."
According to state officials, this is the case if you have a valid out-of-state license, with full credentials and no deficiencies, that’s active when the Department of Education gets an application for a Virginia license.
“I do think there are a lot of great components to the licensure process when it comes to taking certain modules, like the dyslexia awareness module, child abuse and prevention module,” Davis said. “Those are pivotal processes that are beneficial for everyone who is licensed to teach in the state of Virginia.”
Both Davis and Pepmeyer said certified teachers are crucial in Virginia to help your child get the most out of their education.
“It all comes down to the experience that you get before you come into the classroom, and your background knowledge on how to educate students,” Pepmeyer said.
“We cannot as educators downplay or reduce the process of becoming licensed in the state of Virginia,” Davis added.
VDOE officials also told us, that both last year and this year, Virginia’s General Assembly approved legislation to allow the state Board of Education to extend licenses by two years.
