How to Become a Teacher in Delaware

Delaware certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Delaware Department of Education — Licensure and Certification publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Understand the license-plus-certificate model

   Delaware requires both a license (permission to practice) and at least one certificate (what you may teach). You hold only one license at a time. Apply for an Initial License if you are new or have less than four years of licensed teaching experience; a Continuing License if you have four or more years; or an Advanced License if you hold National Board certification.

   Source: education.delaware.gov

2. 2

   Complete an approved preparation program and Praxis II

   A Standard Certificate requires a passing Praxis II score in the content area (or coursework if no Praxis II exists) and completion of an approved educator preparation program that includes student teaching—or completion of a Delaware-approved Alternative Routes to Certification program. Send Praxis/ACTFL scores to Delaware using ETS reporting code R7065.

   Source: education.delaware.gov

3. 3

   Apply in DEEDS through EdAccess

   K-12 licensure applications are filed in the Delaware Educator Data System (DEEDS 3.0). Create or use an EdAccess account (eLearning account type for public applicants) unless your district already provisions access through ClassLink. Upload official transcripts, test scores, proof of student teaching if it is not on the transcript, and any out-of-state credential.

   Source: education.delaware.gov

4. 4

   Pay the one-time $100 first-license fee

   Beginning January 15, 2016, a one-time non-refundable $100 fee is charged for an educator’s first Delaware license (Initial, Continuing, or Advanced) under 14 Del. C. § 122(27). DDOE keeps the fee whether or not a license is issued. After you are employed in a Delaware public district or charter school and fully licensed and certified, DDOE reimburses the $100 from DEEDS hire data.

   Source: education.delaware.gov

5. 5

   Complete mentoring and move from Initial to Continuing

   An Initial License is valid for four years (up to six for trade and industry teachers), is not renewable, and is typically issued to educators with fewer than three years of full-time experience. At the end of initial licensure, a Continuing License (five years, renewable) requires successful mentoring and other prescribed professional development plus no more than one unsatisfactory DPAS-II annual evaluation during the Initial period.

   Source: education.delaware.gov

Delaware’s split vocabulary trips up applicants from single-document states. The license answers “may this person work?” The certificate answers “in which field?” A clean Initial License with no Standard Certificate is not enough to be teacher of record in a content area. Adding a second certificate later is a separate DEEDS transaction and does not require another $100 if you already paid for the first license.

The $100 fee is statutory and non-refundable at the point of application, then reimbursable after you appear on a public district or charter hire list. DDOE pulls that list from DEEDS twice a year and mails a check to the home address on file. Private-school employment does not trigger the reimbursement language on the fees page. Paying with a debit card is called out as a problem in out-of-state applicant instructions—have a credit card for DEEDS.

Initial is a closed four-year box, not a renewable provisional. If mentoring or DPAS-II goes badly (more than one unsatisfactory annual evaluation), the Continuing License is not automatic. Trade and industry teachers get up to six years on Initial, which is easy to miss if you copy a colleague’s four-year calendar. DDOE will not treat an expired Initial as a Continuing just because you kept working.

Advanced License is National Board–specific. It is not a seniority promotion for veteran Delaware teachers who never sat for NBPTS. Reciprocity applicants with four-plus years of licensed experience should file Continuing, not Advanced, unless they actually hold National Board certification.

Required exams and fees

Delaware uses Praxis II content assessments (ETS reporting code R7065) and ACTFL where applicable. Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Delaware

Out-of-state applicants apply in DEEDS for the license tier that matches experience (Initial if under four years of licensed teaching; Continuing if four or more; Advanced if National Board certified). Submit a copy of the out-of-state credential and Verification of Experience (Form E or E/NT). DDOE notes Praxis/ACTFL scores are not required for reciprocity applications. The same one-time $100 first-license fee applies and is reimbursable after public/charter employment. You must still meet certification requirements before a license is issued.

Official Delaware reciprocity guidance