MT certification

Montana teacher certification

Montana reports 5 teaching credentials and 0 alternative routes to Title II, and licensed 936 new teachers in the latest year.

Credential rules change. Confirm current requirements with Montana Office of Public Instruction.

Teaching credentials in Montana

Each row is a credential Montana reported to Title II. Initial means a first credential for a new teacher. Years is the length of validity.

Montana credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Class 1 Professional Educator License	No	5	Yes	K-8, 4-8, 5-12
Class 2 Standard Educator License	Yes	5	Yes	K-8, 4-8, 5-12
Class 4 Career and Technical Education License	Yes	5	Yes	5-12
Class 5 Provisional License	No	3	No	K-8, 4-8, 5-12
Emergency Authorization of Employment - Not a license	No	1	No	K-8, 4-8, 9-12

Requirements

Yes means the state reports the item as required for that credential. Tests shows only whether tests are required; Title II does not name the tests.

Credential	Bachelor's	Master's	Education degree	Prep program	Tests	Performance assessment	Clinical	Coursework	Credit hours	Min. GPA	Transcripts	Employment	Mentoring	Recency	Background check	Fingerprint	Police check
Class 1 Professional Educator License	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Class 2 Standard Educator License	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Class 4 Career and Technical Education License	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Class 5 Provisional License	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Emergency Authorization of Employment - Not a license	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No

Verify a teaching license in Montana

Teaching licenses in Montana are verified on the lookup service run by Montana Office of Public Instruction. Search there by the teacher's name or certificate number to see current status.

PT3 does not verify licenses and holds no records of individual teachers.

Renewal

Renew times is how many times the credential can be renewed; renewal years is the length of each renewal.

Renewal
Credential	Renewable	Renew times	Renewal years	Details
Class 1 Professional Educator License	Yes	99	5	Pursuant to Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.57.215 Renewal Requirements (1) - Class 1 Professional Licenses require 60 professional development units. http://www.opi.mt.gov/cert
Class 2 Standard Educator License	Yes	99	5	Pursuant to Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) 10.57.215 Renewal Requirements (1) - Class 2 Professional Licenses require 60 professional development units. http://www.opi.mt.gov/cert
Class 4 Career and Technical Education License	Yes	99	5	Pursuant to Administrative Rules of Montana 10.57.420 Class 4A, 4B, and 4C licenses shall be renewable by earning 60 professional units within a five-year period. http://www.opi.mt.gov/cert.
Class 5 Provisional License	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Emergency Authorization of Employment - Not a license	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported

Emergency and temporary credentials

Emergency credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Class 5 Provisional License	No	3	No	K-8, 4-8, 5-12
Emergency Authorization of Employment - Not a license	No	1	No	K-8, 4-8, 9-12

Out-of-state teachers

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Montana. Ask Montana Office of Public Instruction how it reviews licenses from other states.

Newly licensed teachers prepared out of state: 415.

Alternative routes

Title II lists no alternative route for Montana.

About Montana certification

The Montana Board of Public Education (BPE) adopts procedures and regulations governing the accreditation of Montana's eleven educator preparation providers (EPPs). The BPE establishes and oversees licensure and educator preparation requirements. The Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction is authorized to review each Montana EPP on a seven-year cycle, recommending accreditation status for each provider to the BPE. The Superintendent issues licenses to eligible candidates who are recommended for licensure by a state approved educator preparation provider. (See ARM 10.57.102 Definitions)

Pursuant to Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Title 10 Chapter 58 Professional Educator Preparation Program Standards, state approval and accreditation status are required for the eleven Montana EPPs before authorized to issue recommendations for licensure to the superintendent of public instruction. The BPE promulgates rules based on the recommendation of the state superintendent. The state superintendent of public instruction implements these rules to help ensure high quality educator preparation programs graduate well-qualified and effective workforce of teachers ready to serve the P-12 education system in Montana.

National accreditation is voluntary. Of Montana's 11 educator preparation providers, four maintain state and national accreditation through the joint review process of the Montana Board of Public Education and the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The state superintendent of public instruction and CAEP facilitate site reviews of the four joint reviews. The state superintendent of public instruction conducts site reviews of the seven EPPs seeking state approval only. Montana's 11 educator preparation providers are required to align to the educator preparation standards established by the Montana Board of Public Education. Montana preliminarily approved an alternative certification program starting the 2024-25 school year.

Administrative Rules of Montana (ARM) Title 10, Chapter 58, Professional Educator Preparation Program Standards were last revised by Montana education stakeholders facilitated by the Accreditation and Educator Preparation staff of the Office of Public Instruction. The BPE approved the state superintendent's recommendation of rule revisions at the January 2023 meeting. The PEPPS were effective July 1, 2023. The seven-year standards revision cycle was recently completed by the Office of Public Instruction in 2022, through a review of the PEPPS and alignment with the revised CAEP standards.

References and Web Addresses:

Reference: Administrative Rules of Montana 10.58 Professional Educator Preparation Program Standards; Administrative Rules of Montana 10.57 Educator Licensure; Administrative Rules of Montana 10.55 Standards of Accreditation; and Administrative Rules of Montana 10.53 and ARM 10.54 K-12 Content Standards. Go to the Office of Public Instruction's Website to locate Educator Preparation - http://www.opi.mt.gov, click on Leadership, choose Educator Preparation.

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How to become a teacher in Montana Montana teacher preparation providers

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a teaching certificate in Montana?

Montana reports 5 credentials to Title II, 2 of them initial. 1 initial credentials require a bachelor's degree, 1 require a preparation program and 0 require tests. Apply through Montana Office of Public Instruction.

How do I verify a teaching license in Montana?

Licenses are verified on the lookup service run by Montana Office of Public Instruction. PT3 does not verify licenses.

Can I renew a Montana teaching certificate?

3 of 5 Montana credentials are reported as renewable. Renewal details by credential are listed in the Renewal section.

Does Montana issue emergency or temporary teaching certificates?

Yes. Title II lists 2: Class 5 Provisional License; Emergency Authorization of Employment - Not a license.

Can I teach in Montana with an out-of-state license?

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Montana. Ask Montana Office of Public Instruction how it reviews licenses from other states.

Is there alternative teacher certification in Montana?

Title II lists no alternative route for Montana.