How to Become a Teacher in Kansas

Kansas certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Kansas State Department of Education — Teacher Licensure publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete a state-approved teacher preparation program

   Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and complete a state-approved teacher preparation program. Kansas also requires recency: at least eight credit hours or one year of accredited teaching experience within the last six years.

   Source: ksde.gov

2. 2

   Pass Praxis content and PLT pedagogy assessments

   Complete a content knowledge assessment in each endorsement or teaching subject for which you finished a preparation program, plus the Principles of Learning and Teaching pedagogy assessment. KSDE links the list of Kansas required assessments and cut scores through its Initial License Requirements page.

   Source: ksde.gov

3. 3

   Submit fingerprints and the $57 KBI/FBI background fee

   First Kansas licenses, renewals of expired licenses, and applicants who have never submitted fingerprints must send one fingerprint card and a $57 fee for KBI and FBI clearance. Do not combine the background fee with the license application fee.

   Source: ksde.gov

4. 4

   Apply through the Kansas Licensure Application System (KLAS)

   Register a username at the KSDE applications site, open KLAS, and submit the Initial Teaching License application used by Kansas graduates. Application processing fees are not refundable. Monitor status through Educator License Lookup.

   Source: ksde.gov

5. 5

   Receive a two-year Initial teaching license

   Kansas regulation 91-1-201 provides that each initial license is valid for two years from the date of issuance. Upgrade to a professional license through KLAS after meeting the Board’s published professional-level requirements.

   Source: ksde.gov

Kansas publishes the fingerprint price and hides the license application amount. The License Application and Fingerprint Information pages are explicit that first licenses require a $57 KBI/FBI fee and that applicants must not combine that payment with the license application fee—which exists, is non-refundable, and is collected in KLAS, but is not stated as a dollar figure on the public Teacher Licensure pages reviewed in September 2026. This file therefore records only the $57 background fee as a sourced numeric fee.

Recency is easy to miss and commonly blocks otherwise-qualified applicants. In-state and out-of-state initial applicants must show at least eight credit hours or one year of accredited teaching experience completed within the last six years. A candidate who finished a program several years earlier and has not taught or returned to coursework can meet every other requirement and still be ineligible until recency is restored.

Testing is endorsement-specific, not a single battery. KSDE requires a content assessment in each endorsement or teaching subject completed in the preparation program, plus PLT pedagogy. Out-of-state applicants may use the content and pedagogy tests that were required to obtain the other state’s license when those tests are acceptable to Kansas. KSDE points to its required-assessments list and cut-score table rather than reprinting every passing score on the requirements narrative page.

Out-of-state options are a ladder, not automatic professional licensure. Depending on testing and employment, KSDE may issue a two-year exchange license, a one-year nonrenewable license if the applicant is hired, or a substitute license while tests remain unfinished. Applicants who already meet experience requirements can come in at the professional level. That structure rewards documented experience and completed testing more than it rewards simply holding any out-of-state certificate.

Required exams and fees

Kansas uses ETS Praxis content assessments and Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Kansas

Out-of-state applicants need a bachelor’s degree, a state-approved teacher preparation program, recency (eight credit hours or one year of accredited teaching within six years), and content and pedagogy tests—tests used to obtain the out-of-state license may be acceptable. KSDE may issue a two-year exchange license if applicable, a one-year nonrenewable license if the applicant is hired, or a substitute license until content and pedagogy tests are completed. Applicants who already meet experience requirements may enter at the professional license level.

Official Kansas reciprocity guidance