NE certification

Nebraska teacher certification

Nebraska reports 11 teaching credentials and 1 alternative route to Title II, and licensed 1,716 new teachers in the latest year.

Credential rules change. Confirm current requirements with Nebraska Department of Education.

Teaching credentials in Nebraska

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

Nebraska credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Alternative Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Career Education Teaching Permit	Yes	3	Yes	7-12
Conditional Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 6-9, 7-12
Initial Teaching Certificate	Yes	5	Yes	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Military Permit	No	3	Yes	K-8, 5-9, 9-12
Postsecondary Teaching Permit	Yes	3	Yes	6-12
Professional Teaching Certificate	No	10	Yes	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Provisional Teaching Permit	Yes	2	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Standard Teaching Certificate	No	5	Yes	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Temporary Teaching Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Transitional Teaching Permit	No	1	Yes	6-12

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
Alternative Permit	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
Career Education Teaching Permit	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Conditional Permit	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Initial Teaching Certificate	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No
Military Permit	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Postsecondary Teaching Permit	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Professional Teaching Certificate	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Provisional Teaching Permit	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Standard Teaching Certificate	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Temporary Teaching Permit	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Transitional Teaching Permit	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No

Verify a teaching license in Nebraska

Teaching licenses in Nebraska are verified on the lookup service run by Nebraska Department of Education. 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
Alternative Permit	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Career Education Teaching Permit	Yes	99	3	The applicant must submit verification for renewal from the administrator of the school system in which the applicant intends to teach.
Conditional Permit	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Initial Teaching Certificate	Yes	99	5	If renewal is prior to expiration or less than five years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application for renewal, must have taught half-time or more for one school year or completed six semester credit hours from a standard institution of higher education. If renewal is five or more years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application for renewal, must have completed fifteen (15) semester credit hours of coursework in an approved program for the preparation of teachers which shall include a course in instructional techniques; a field experience consisting of 100 or more clock hours of contact with students in the classroom, 50% of which shall consist of performing instructional duties; course(s) which address current issues in education, including but not limited to special education, gifted education, reading and writing in content area and school law; and the remaining coursework be directly related to the applicant's area of endorsement on the expired certificate.
Military Permit	Yes	2	3	Continued service in the military
Postsecondary Teaching Permit	Yes	99	3	The applicant must continue to be eligible to teach courses for college credit offered by a Nebraska postsecondary educational entity that have also been approved for high school credit in Nebraska school systems; within 3 years prior to the date of application, have taught 1 or more courses that generate college credit and have been approved for high school credit in at least 2 different semesters; or have received 3 semester hours of graduate credit in the postsecondary content area.
Professional Teaching Certificate	Yes	99	10	If renewal is prior to expiration or less than five years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application for renewal, must have taught half-time or more for one school year or have been employed by the Nebraska Department of Education or have completed six semester credit hours of education related coursework from a standard institution of higher education. If renewal is five or more years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application for renewal, must have completed fifteen semester credit hours of education related coursework in an approved program for the preparation of teachers which shall include a course in instructional techniques; a field experience consisting of 100 or more clock hours of contact with students in the classroom, 50% of which shall consist of performing instructional duties; course(s) which address current issues in education, including but not limited to special education, gifted education, reading and writing in content area and school law; and the remaining coursework be directly related to the applicant's area of endorsement on the expired certificate.
Provisional Teaching Permit	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Standard Teaching Certificate	Yes	99	5	If renewal is prior to expiration or less than five years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application, must have taught half-time or more for one school year or have been employed by the Nebraska Department of Education or have completed six semester credit hours in education related coursework from a standard institution of higher education. If renewal is five or more years after expiration, the applicant, within five years prior to the date of application for renewal, must have completed fifteen semester credit hours of education related coursework in an approved program for the preparation of teachers which shall include a course in instructional techniques; a field experience consisting of 100 or more clock hours of contact with students in the classroom, 50% of which shall consist of performing instructional duties; course(s) which address current issues in education, including but not limited to special education, gifted education, reading and writing in content area and school law; and the remaining coursework be directly related to the applicant's area of endorsement on the expired certificate.
Temporary Teaching Permit	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported
Transitional Teaching Permit	Yes	4	1	The applicant shall submit a written request for renewal from the administrator of the school system in which the applicant teaches and a transcript documenting completion of at least six semester credit hours annually towards completion of the teacher preparation program.

Emergency and temporary credentials

Emergency credentials
Credential	Initial	Years	Renewable	Grade levels
Alternative Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Conditional Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 6-9, 7-12
Military Permit	No	3	Yes	K-8, 5-9, 9-12
Provisional Teaching Permit	Yes	2	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Temporary Teaching Permit	No	1	No	K-8, 5-9, 6-12
Transitional Teaching Permit	No	1	Yes	6-12

Out-of-state teachers

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Nebraska. Ask Nebraska Department of Education how it reviews licenses from other states.

Newly licensed teachers prepared out of state: 276.

Alternative routes

Transitional Certification Program (formerly called Transition to Teaching) (teach while completing)

All alternative routes in Nebraska

About Nebraska certification

There are sixteen (16) approved teacher education programs in Nebraska. In addition to the requirement that all Nebraska institutions successfully complete the state program approval process, thirteen (12) institutions have also attained national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and one by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP).

All sixteen (16) institutions that prepare teachers in Nebraska are members of the Nebraska Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (NACTE) and are also represented on the Nebraska Council on Teacher Education (NCTE), an advisory body to the State Board of Education. NCTE consists of equal representation from educators, educator preparation administrators, and governance representatives which work in partnership to assure high standards for Nebraska educator preparation and quality education for PreK-12 students statewide.

Section 79-318(5)(g) of the Nebraska Revised Statutes (R.R.S.) requires the State Board of Education to approve teacher education programs conducted in Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions designed for the purpose of certificating teachers, administrators, and special services providers. Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) regulations and guidelines relating to educators, administrators and special services providers are contained in the following Chapters:

Title 92, Nebraska Administrative Code (NAC), Chapter 20, Regulations for the Approval of Teacher Education Programs, provides the procedures for the approval of teacher education programs conducted in Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions designed for the purpose of certifying teachers and administrators and other professional school personnel requiring certification. State Board-approved guidelines that accompany Chapter 20 further inform institutions of teacher preparation program expectations.

Title 92, NAC, Chapter 21, Issuance of Certificates and Permits to Teach, Provide Special Services, and Administer in Nebraska Schools, provides procedures for the issuance of teaching, administrative, and special services certificates and permits for use in accredited or approved Nebraska school systems. Candidates for endorsements on Nebraska certificates are required to pass the appropriate test for certification as of September 1, 2015. In 2015 certain certificates were renamed to more clearly distinguish between full certification (certificates) and permits (generally indicating deficiencies or limitations). A new permit provides additional flexibility to consider individuals who have completed alternative certification programs in other states to gain certification in Nebraska.

Title 92, NAC, Chapter 24, Regulations for Certificate Endorsements, contains regulations for obtaining endorsements indicating grade levels and areas of specialization on Nebraska teaching, administrative, and special services certificates. State Board-approved guidelines that accompany Chapter 24 further inform Nebraska post-secondary educational institutions of teacher preparation program expectations. Chapter 24 is updated on an annual basis to reflect revisions to endorsements that are reviewed on a rotation.

Each teacher education institution is required to submit to the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) an annual request for approval of its teacher education programs which will be offered the following academic year. These requests are reviewed for compliance with Chapters 20 and 24 and submitted to the State Board of Education for consideration. Approval of these programs is immediate upon approval by the State Board of Education.

In addition to the annual approval of its teacher education programs by the state, each Nebraska institution must undergo a comprehensive state approval process of its educator preparation program every seven (7) years during which a review is conducted of the institution’s compliance with the requirements of Chapters 20 and 24 for PreK-12 school personnel preparation programs. The review includes two components: an off-site review of program folios (program information and data) by teams made up of NCTE members, content experts, and NDE representatives; and an on-site visit, conducted in conjunction with national accreditation visit if applicable, by a team made up of NCTE members and NDE representatives. Upon the conclusion of the state approval components, a report is compiled and submitted for review to NCTE which, in turn, makes a recommendation to the State Board of Education to grant, deny, or revoke approval of the institution’s teacher education program.

A multi-step process is in place for institutions to correct any deviations or areas of non-compliance that may be determined during the approval process. It is expected that institutions immediately move forward with correcting any deficiencies identified during the approval process. Chapter 20 provides that an institution is given the opportunity to correct program deficiencies or deviations prior to the State Board of Education taking probationary action.

How to become a teacher in Nebraska Nebraska teacher preparation providers

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a teaching certificate in Nebraska?

Nebraska reports 11 credentials to Title II, 4 of them initial. 3 initial credentials require a bachelor's degree, 2 require a preparation program and 1 require tests. Apply through Nebraska Department of Education.

How do I verify a teaching license in Nebraska?

Licenses are verified on the lookup service run by Nebraska Department of Education. PT3 does not verify licenses.

Can I renew a Nebraska teaching certificate?

7 of 11 Nebraska credentials are reported as renewable. Renewal details by credential are listed in the Renewal section.

Does Nebraska issue emergency or temporary teaching certificates?

Yes. Title II lists 6: Alternative Permit; Conditional Permit; Military Permit; Provisional Teaching Permit; Temporary Teaching Permit.

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

Title II lists no separate out-of-state credential for Nebraska. Ask Nebraska Department of Education how it reviews licenses from other states.

Is there alternative teacher certification in Nebraska?

Yes. Nebraska reports 1 alternative route to Title II.