How to Become a Teacher in Vermont

Vermont certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Vermont Agency of Education — Educator Quality / Vermont Standards Board for Professional Educators publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete a Vermont-approved educator preparation program

   Eligibility through the traditional route is determined by completing a state-approved educator preparation program at a college or university—bachelor’s, post-baccalaureate, or master’s—and receiving the institution’s recommendation for licensure.

   Source: education.vermont.gov

2. 2

   Pass Praxis Core and Praxis II before applying

   All testing requirements must be met before you submit an application. Vermont requires most candidates to take Praxis Core and the Praxis II exam for the endorsement. SAT, ACT, or GRE scores may exempt Praxis Core; see the Agency’s Praxis Core alternate-test FAQ. World-language endorsements may use ACTFL proficiency tests.

   Source: education.vermont.gov

3. 3

   Apply in the Vermont Licensing System for Educators and complete fingerprinting

   Submit the initial Level I application through VLSE (Agency pages also still describe the Online Licensing System). Criminal record checks are completed inside the online application; every applicant must complete a fingerprint-supported criminal record check. Official transcripts go to AOE.Transcripts@vermont.gov when the institution sends them.

   Source: education.vermont.gov

4. 4

   Pay statutory fees and receive a three-year Level I license

   Vermont statute 16 V.S.A. § 1697 sets a $50 processing fee per application and $50 per year for the term of a Level I license ($150 for the typical three-year term). A Level I Professional Educator License is valid for three years and expires June 30 of the third school year. The Agency publishes a separate Licensing Fee Schedule (November 18, 2025).

   Source: legislature.vermont.gov

5. 5

   Advance to Level II and renew with professional learning

   Educators who have worked in Vermont under a Level I endorsement for three years seek a Local or Regional Standards Board recommendation to move to Level II, which is valid for five years. Renewing Level I requires three credits or 45 hours of new professional learning per endorsement (at least one credit / 15 hours in the endorsement standards). Renewing Level II requires six credits or 90 hours per endorsement (at least two credits / 30 hours in the endorsement).

   Source: education.vermont.gov

Vermont still talks about two licensing systems on official pages. The Agency’s 2026 Educators & Licensure hub and renewal documents use Vermont Licensing System for Educators (VLSE), including July 2025 “VLSE: Adding Professional Learning” guidance. Older Online Licensing pages still name ALiS and warn that Safari and Firefox are incompatible. Applicants should enter from the current Agency licensure pages rather than a bookmarked ALiS URL, but should expect the same statutory fees and fingerprint-inside-the-application workflow either way.

Testing is a pre-application gate, not a deficiency to clear later. The Agency states that applications will not be held open for testing schedules and that Praxis Core and applicable Praxis II must be passed first. That rule applies to traditional and Peer Review candidates alike. SAT, ACT, or GRE scores can replace Praxis Core when they meet the Agency’s published alternate-test FAQ; they do not replace Praxis II. World-language endorsements add ACTFL proficiency definitions rather than a second Praxis content test in some cases.

Fees are set in 16 V.S.A. § 1697 rather than only in a web chart: $50 to process an application, $50 per year for Level I, $50 per year for Level II, $50 per year for provisional, emergency, or apprenticeship licenses, $10 for an official license copy, $25 for a pre-application criminal-background determination, and a $1,200 one-time Peer Review fee. Military members and spouses may request a fee waiver under procedures determined by the Secretary. The November 18, 2025 Licensing Fee Schedule PDF is the Agency’s current companion document; this page uses the statute’s dollar amounts because they are enacted law.

Renewal is endorsement-specific and board-mediated. Employed Vermont educators work through a Local or Regional Standards Board; educators not served by a board use the Agency. Hours must map onto endorsement knowledge and performance standards plus the Core Teaching and Leadership Standards—generic workshops that cannot be coded to those standards will not clear a renewal. Level I holders who work three years in Vermont are expected to seek Level II rather than renew Level I indefinitely, though the rules allow one Level I renewal if the first Level II recommendation is denied.

Required exams and fees

Vermont uses ETS Praxis Core (or approved SAT/ACT/GRE alternate) and Praxis II content assessments; ACTFL for some world languages. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Vermont

Vermont accepts professional teaching licenses from all United States jurisdictions, including states, commonwealths, districts, and the Department of Defense Education Activity. Reciprocity applicants still complete the online application and fingerprint-supported criminal record check. Testing may be satisfied by existing credentials as described on the Agency’s become-an-educator pages; candidates without an accepted out-of-state professional license or National Board Certification must meet Vermont Praxis requirements before applying.

Official Vermont reciprocity guidance