Alternative Teacher Certification in Arkansas

Arkansas alternative certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Arkansas Department of Education — Division of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Licensure publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Choose a DESE-listed alternate pathway and hold a bachelor’s degree

   DESE’s Pathways to Licensure page lists ArPEP, Arkansas Teacher Corps, Highly Qualified Professor, iTeach, the Provisional Professional Teaching License, Teach For America, approved master’s routes that lead to a first-time license, and other providers. These routes typically let you serve as teacher of record while finishing requirements. Special Education K-12, Adult Education, and Guidance/School Counseling are excluded from several of the post-baccalaureate options.

   Source: dese.ade.arkansas.gov

2. 2

   Pass Praxis subject assessments before teaching where the pathway requires it

   ArPEP, iTeach, PPTL, and several other routes require passing Praxis Subject Assessment scores for the subject and grade level before a teaching position and provisional license. ArPEP also requires clearance of all required background checks and a two-year commitment as teacher of record with summer intensives and monthly training.

   Source: dese.ade.arkansas.gov

3. 3

   Apply in AELS for the Provisional or non-traditional license

   AELS accepts applications for a Standard or Provisional Arkansas teaching license and for non-traditional licenses (including TFA, MAT/MEd/MTLL, and the former APPEL pathway). Employment documentation and program enrollment or provider recommendation are part of the file. Provisional licenses may run up to three years under current licensure rules.

   Source: dese.ade.arkansas.gov

4. 4

   Complete mentoring, pedagogy, and Right to Read obligations

   ArPEP is a two-year work-based program administered by DESE. PPTL requires 12 hours of pedagogy training each year of licensure in addition to district and statutory professional development. Elementary and special education candidates on alternate routes still owe Foundations of Reading 890 at 233 for a Standard License.

   Source: dese.ade.arkansas.gov

5. 5

   Convert to the five-year Standard License

   After program completion, required assessments, background checks, and provider or superintendent recommendation, apply in AELS for the Standard License and pay the $75.00 first-time fee if you have not already paid it for a Standard credential. American Board completers become eligible for a three-year provisional and then a Standard after three years of teaching, mentoring, and superintendent recommendation.

   Source: dese.ade.arkansas.gov

ArPEP is the Division’s own work-based program, not a campus MAT with a different label. DESE describes a two-year commitment, two weeks of face-to-face summer training each year, monthly training, and a teacher-of-record job for the entire program. Applications open March–May. It leads to any first-time area except Special Education K-12, Adult Education, and Guidance and School Counseling—so a career changer aiming at K-12 special education must pick a different approved route.

PPTL is the outlier: DESE says there is no training or support beyond what the employing district gives every novice, plus 12 hours of pedagogy each year. It excludes Elementary K-6 and Special Education K-12. Candidates who want structured coaching should not treat PPTL as interchangeable with ArPEP or iTeach. Praxis subject scores and background checks still have to clear before the provisional is issued.

Provider price tags on the pathways page (ArPEP $2,250 per year, iTeach monthly tuition, American Board enrollment) are program tuition, not DESE’s license fee. The Division’s Standard application remains $75. Do not confuse those figures when budgeting; only the $75 license/renewal amounts are DESE application fees used in this dataset.

American Board’s Arkansas exit is slower than ArPEP’s. Completers become eligible for a three-year provisional and need three years of teaching, the state’s mentoring program, and a superintendent recommendation before the Standard License. That timeline matters for anyone comparing a self-paced online provider with DESE’s two-year ArPEP clock.

Required exams and fees

Arkansas uses Praxis subject assessments plus NES Foundations of Reading 890 (cut score 233) for Elementary K-6 and Special Education K-12. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Arkansas

Alternate routes are for candidates entering Arkansas’s pipeline, not for converting another state’s emergency certificate automatically. Licensed out-of-state teachers should use DESE’s Licensure by Reciprocity page. Remaining testing or Arkansas History can be covered by a superintendent-signed VOPLE Provisional while those items are finished.

Official Arkansas reciprocity guidance