                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

(EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2030) REGULATIONS GOVERNING LICENSURE (§ 22.1-298.1)

A. As used in this section:
			&#8220;Alternate route to licensure&#8221; means a nontraditional route to
teacher licensure available to individuals who meet the criteria specified in
the guidelines developed pursuant to subsection O or regulations issued by the
Board.
			&#8220;Industry certification credential&#8221; means an active career and
technical education credential that is earned by successfully completing a
Board-approved industry certification examination, being issued a professional
license in the Commonwealth, or successfully completing an occupational
competency examination.
			&#8220;Licensure by reciprocity&#8221; means the issuance of a license as a
teacher in the Commonwealth to an individual coming into the Commonwealth from
another state when that individual meets certain conditions specified in the
Board&#8217;s regulations.
			&#8220;Professional teacher&#8217;s assessment&#8221; means those tests
mandated for licensure as prescribed by the Board.
			&#8220;Provisional license&#8221; means a nonrenewable license issued by the
Board or by a division superintendent as permitted pursuant to subdivision D 5
for a specified period of time, not to exceed three years, to an individual who
may be employed by a school division in the Commonwealth and who generally meets
the requirements specified in the Board&#8217;s regulations for licensure, but
who may need to take additional coursework, pass additional assessments, or meet
alternative evaluation standards to be fully licensed with a renewable license.
			&#8220;Renewable license&#8221; means a license issued by the Board for 10
years to an individual who meets the requirements specified in the Board&#8217;s
regulations.
			&#8220;Universal licensure by reciprocity&#8221; means the issuance of a
license as a teacher in the Commonwealth to any individual who holds a valid
out-of-state teaching license with full credentials and without deficiencies
that has been in force and in use by the individual as an employed teacher in a
non-virtual classroom setting at a public or private elementary or secondary
school for at least three years prior to and is in force at the time the
Department receives such individual&#8217;s application for a license as a
teacher in the Commonwealth.

B. The Board shall prescribe, by regulation, the requirements for the licensure
of teachers and other school personnel required to hold a license. Such
regulations shall include procedures for (i) the denial, suspension,
cancellation, revocation, and reinstatement of licensure; (ii) written reprimand
of license holders on grounds established by the Board, in accordance with law,
notice of which shall be made by the Superintendent to division superintendents
or their designated representatives; and (iii) the immediate and thorough
investigation by the division superintendent or his designee of any complaint
alleging that a license holder has engaged in conduct that may form the basis
for the revocation of his license. At a minimum, such procedures for
investigations contained in such regulations shall require (a) the division
superintendent to petition for the revocation of the license upon completing
such investigation and finding that there is reasonable cause to believe that
the license holder has engaged in conduct that forms the basis for revocation of
a license; (b) the school board to proceed to a hearing on such petition for
revocation within 90 days of the mailing of a copy of the petition to the
license holder, unless the license holder requests the cancellation of his
license in accordance with Board regulations; and (c) the school board to
provide a copy of the investigative file and such petition for revocation to the
Superintendent at the time that the hearing is scheduled. The Board shall revoke
the license of any person for whom it has received a notice of dismissal or
resignation pursuant to subsection F of &#xA7; 22.1-313 and, in the case of a
person who is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect,
after all rights to any administrative appeal provided by &#xA7; 63.2-1526 have
been exhausted. In the case of a teacher who is the subject of a founded
complaint of child abuse or neglect and whose license has been revoked pursuant
to this subsection, in the event that a court reverses such finding of abuse or
neglect and the individual submits to the Department an application for the
reinstatement of his license as a teacher, the Board shall consider and act upon
such application no later than 90 days after the date of submission. Regardless
of the authority of any other agency of the Commonwealth to approve educational
programs, only the Board shall have the authority to license teachers to be
regularly employed by school boards, including those teachers employed to
provide nursing education.
			The Board shall prescribe by regulation the licensure requirements for
teachers who teach only online courses, as defined in &#xA7; 22.1-212.23. Such
license shall be valid only for teaching online courses. Teachers who hold a
10-year renewable license issued by the Board may teach online courses for which
they are properly endorsed.

C. The Board&#8217;s regulations shall include requirements that a person
seeking initial licensure:

   1. Demonstrate proficiency in the relevant content area and other core skills
   for educators by achieving a qualifying score on professional assessments or
   meeting alternative evaluation standards as prescribed by the Board. Such
   assessments for any individual seeking initial licensure with an endorsement
   in early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education
   preschool through grade six, special education general curriculum kindergarten
   through grade 12, special education deaf and hard of hearing preschool through
   grade 12, or special education blindness/visual impairments preschool through
   grade 12 or as a reading specialist shall include a rigorous test of
   science-based reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction;

   2. Complete study in attention deficit disorder;

   3. Complete study in gifted education, including the use of multiple criteria
   to identify gifted students; and

   4. Complete study in methods of improving communication between schools and
   families and ways of increasing family involvement in student learning at home
   and at school.

D. In addition, such regulations shall include requirements that:

   1. Every person seeking initial licensure and persons seeking licensure
   renewal as teachers who have not completed such study shall complete study in
   child abuse recognition and intervention in accordance with curriculum
   guidelines developed by the Board in consultation with the Department of
   Social Services that are relevant to the specific teacher licensure routes;

   2. Every person seeking renewal of a license shall complete all renewal
   requirements, including professional development in a manner prescribed by the
   Board, except that no person seeking renewal of a license shall be required to
   satisfy any such requirement by completing coursework and earning credit at an
   institution of higher education;

   3. Every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license shall
   provide evidence of completion of certification or training in emergency first
   aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external
   defibrillators. The certification or training program shall (i) be based on
   the current national evidence-based emergency cardiovascular care guidelines
   for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external
   defibrillator, such as a program developed by the American Heart Association
   or the American Red Cross, and (ii) include hands-on practice of the skills
   necessary to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The Board shall provide a
   waiver for this requirement for any person with a disability whose disability
   prohibits such person from completing the certification or training;

   4. Every person seeking licensure with an endorsement as a teacher of the
   blind and visually impaired shall demonstrate proficiency in reading and
   writing Braille;

   5. Every teacher seeking an initial license in the Commonwealth with an
   endorsement in the area of career and technical education shall have an
   industry certification credential in the area in which the teacher seeks
   endorsement. If a teacher seeking an initial license in the Commonwealth with
   an endorsement in the area of career and technical education has (i) not
   attained an industry certification credential in the area in which the teacher
   seeks endorsement, the division superintendent may issue the teacher a
   provisional license to allow time for the teacher to attain such credential or
   (ii) a high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate and an
   industry-recognized credential, certification, or license in the area in which
   such person seeks an endorsement but has not completed all requirements
   specified in the Board&#8217;s regulations for licensure, the Board shall
   issue the person a provisional license to allow time for such person to
   complete, in lieu of the outstanding requirements specified in the
   Board&#8217;s regulations for licensure, coursework in classroom management,
   curriculum and instruction in career and technical education, and human growth
   and development or educational technology;

   6. Every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license shall
   complete awareness training, provided by the Department, on the indicators of
   dyslexia, as that term is defined by the Board pursuant to regulations, and
   the evidence-based interventions and accommodations for dyslexia;

   7. Every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license with an
   endorsement as a school counselor shall complete training in the recognition
   of mental health disorder and behavioral distress, including depression,
   trauma, violence, youth suicide, and substance abuse;

   8. Every person seeking initial licensure as a teacher who has not received
   the instruction described in subsection D of &#xA7; 23.1-902 shall receive
   instruction or training on positive behavior interventions and supports;
   crisis prevention and de-escalation; the use of physical restraint and
   seclusion, consistent with regulations of the Board; and appropriate
   alternative methods to reduce and prevent the need for the use of physical
   restraint and seclusion;

   9. Every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license shall
   complete instruction or training in cultural competency;

   10. Every person seeking initial licensure or renewal of a license with an
   endorsement in history and social sciences shall complete instruction in
   African American history, as prescribed by the Board;

   11. Every person seeking renewal of a license as a teacher shall complete
   training in the instruction of students with disabilities that includes (i)
   differentiating instruction for students depending on their needs; (ii)
   understanding the role of general education teachers on the individualized
   education program team; (iii) implementing effective models of collaborative
   instruction, including co-teaching; and (iv) understanding the goals and
   benefits of inclusive education for all students; and

   12. Every person seeking initial licensure with an endorsement in
   early/primary education preschool through grade three, elementary education
   preschool through grade six, special education general curriculum kindergarten
   through grade 12, special education deaf and hard of hearing preschool through
   grade 12, or special education blindness/visual impairments preschool through
   grade 12 or as a reading specialist shall complete study in science-based
   reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction.

E. No teacher who seeks a provisional license shall be required to meet any
requirement set forth in subdivision D 1, 3, 6, or 8 as a condition of such
licensure, but each such teacher shall complete each such requirement during the
first year of provisional licensure.

F. The Board shall issue a license to an individual seeking initial licensure
who has not completed professional assessments as prescribed by the Board, if
such individual (i) holds a provisional license that will expire within three
months or, at the discretion of the school board and division superintendent,
within six months if the individual has received a satisfactory mid-year
performance review in the current school year; (ii) is employed by a school
board; (iii) is recommended for licensure by the division superintendent; (iv)
has attempted, unsuccessfully, to obtain a qualifying score on the professional
assessments as prescribed by the Board; (v) has received an evaluation rating of
proficient or above on the performance standards for each year of the
provisional license, and such evaluation was conducted in a manner consistent
with the Guidelines for Uniform Performance Standards and Evaluation Criteria
for Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents; and (vi) meets all other
requirements for initial licensure.

G. Each division superintendent may waive for any individual whom he seeks to
employ as a career and technical education teacher and who is also seeking
initial licensure or renewal of a license with an endorsement in the area of
career and technical education any applicable requirement set forth in
subsection C or subdivision D 2, 4, or 6.

H. The Board&#8217;s regulations shall require that initial licensure for
principals and assistant principals be contingent upon passage of an assessment
as prescribed by the Board.

I. The Board shall establish criteria in its regulations to effectuate the
substitution of experiential learning for coursework for those persons seeking
initial licensure through an alternate route as defined in Board regulations.
Such alternate routes shall include eligibility for any individual to receive,
notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a renewable one-year
license to teach in public high schools in the Commonwealth if he has:

   1. Received a graduate degree from a regionally accredited institution of
   higher education;

   2. Completed at least 30 credit hours of teaching experience as an instructor
   at a regionally accredited institution of higher education;

   3. Received qualifying scores on the professional teacher&#8217;s assessments
   prescribed by the Board, including the content-area assessment for the
   endorsement sought. Such assessments for any individual seeking initial
   licensure through an alternate route with an endorsement in early/primary
   education preschool through grade three, elementary education preschool
   through grade six, special education general curriculum kindergarten through
   grade 12, special education deaf and hard of hearing preschool through grade
   12, or special education blindness/visual impairments preschool through grade
   12 or as a reading specialist shall include a rigorous test of science-based
   reading research and evidence-based literacy instruction; and

   4. Met the requirements set forth in subdivisions D 1 and 3.

J. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Board (i) may
provide for the issuance of a provisional license, valid for a period not to
exceed three years, pursuant to clause (i) of subdivision D 5 or to any person
who does not meet the requirements of this section or any other requirement for
licensure imposed by law; (ii) shall provide for the issuance of a provisional
license, valid for a period not to exceed three years, pursuant to clause (ii)
of subdivision D 5; (iii) shall provide for the issuance of a provisional
license, valid for a period not to exceed three years, to any former member of
the Armed Forces of the United States or the Virginia National Guard who has
received an honorable discharge and has the appropriate level of experience or
training but does not meet the requirements for a renewable license; and (iv)
may provide for the issuance of a provisional license, valid for a period not to
exceed three years, to any individual who has held within the last five years a
valid and officially issued and recognized license or certification to teach
issued by an entity outside of the United States but does not meet the
requirements for a renewable license if the individual&#8217;s license or
certification to teach has been evaluated and verified by an entity approved by
the Department.

K. The Board&#8217;s licensure regulations shall also provide for licensure by
reciprocity:

   1. With comparable endorsement areas for those individuals holding a valid
   out-of-state teaching license and national certification from the National
   Board for Professional Teaching Standards or a nationally recognized
   certification program approved by the Board. The application for such
   individuals shall require evidence of such valid licensure and national
   certification and shall not require official student transcripts; and

   2. For any spouse of an active duty or reserve member of the Armed Forces of
   the United States or a member of the Virginia National Guard who has obtained
   a valid out-of-state license, with full credentials and without deficiencies,
   that is in force at the time the application for a Virginia license is
   received by the Department. Each such individual shall establish a file in the
   Department by submitting a complete application packet, which shall include
   official student transcripts and an official copy of the military permanent
   assignment orders of the individual&#8217;s spouse. No service requirements or
   licensing assessments shall be required for any such individual. The
   Department shall determine and communicate such individual&#8217;s eligibility
   for licensure by reciprocity within 15 business days of receipt of the
   complete application packet.

L. The Board&#8217;s licensure regulations shall also provide for universal
licensure by reciprocity for any individual who holds a valid out-of-state
teaching license with full credentials and without deficiencies that has been in
force for at least three years prior to and is in force at the time of
applications. No service requirements or licensing assessments shall be required
for any individual who applies for universal licensure by reciprocity. Any
individual who applies for universal licensure by reciprocity shall provide a
copy of the individual&#8217;s out-of-state teaching license that meets the
criteria set forth in this subsection. Any such individual shall be subject to
the provisions of &#xA7;&#xA7; 22.1-296.2 and 22.1-296.4. The Department shall
prioritize applications for universal licensure by reciprocity.

M. The Board shall include in its regulations an alternate route to licensure
for elementary education preschool through grade six and an alternate route to
licensure for special education general curriculum kindergarten through grade
12. Each such alternate route to licensure shall require individuals to (i) meet
the qualifying scores on the content area assessment prescribed by the Board for
the endorsements sought and (ii) complete an alternative certification program
that provides training in the pedagogy and methodology of the respective content
or special education areas prescribed by the Board. The curriculum of any such
alternative certification program shall be approved by the Board. Nothing in
this subsection shall preclude the Board from establishing other alternate
routes to licensure.

N. The Board, in its regulations providing for licensure by reciprocity
established pursuant to subsections K and L, shall (i) permit applicants to
submit third-party employment verification forms and (ii) grant special
consideration to individuals who have successfully completed a program offered
by a provider that is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of
Educator Preparation.

O. The Board shall develop guidelines that establish a process to permit a
school board or any organization sponsored by a school board to petition the
Board for approval of an alternate route to licensure that may be used to meet
the requirements for a provisional or renewable license or any endorsement. Any
such alternate route may include alternatives to the regulatory requirements for
teacher preparation, including alternative professional assessments and
coursework. The petitioner may proffer or the Board may impose conditions in
conjunction with the approval of such petition.

HISTORY: 2006, cc. 27, 349; 2008, cc. 474, 827; 2012, c. 365; 2013, cc. 498,
530, 588, 650; 2014, c. 79; 2015, cc. 385, 562; 2016, cc. 389, 649; 2017, cc.
240, 247, 255, 520, 688, 783; 2018, cc. 711, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749; 2019, cc.
63, 407, 409, 587; 2020, cc. 513, 640, 870; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, cc. 23, 24, 451,
452; 2022, cc. 545, 546, 549, 550, 656, 657; 2023, c. 771; 2024, cc. 642, 672,
729, 845; 2025, cc. 676, 682.