Alternative Teacher Certification in West Virginia

West Virginia alternative certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as West Virginia Department of Education — Office of Certification publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Hold a bachelor’s degree and a county job in an approved alternative program

   The Alternative Teaching Certificate (Form 25) is issued only to applicants hired by a county to teach while completing that county’s West Virginia Board of Education-approved alternative certification program. Hold a bachelor’s degree with a qualifying GPA; general-education endorsements also require an academic major related to the endorsement and/or related occupational qualifications. A county superintendent recommendation is required.

   Source: wvde.us

2. 2

   Pass WVBE-required Praxis exams

   Form 25 states that applicants must have passed West Virginia Board of Education-required Praxis exams. Related degree or work experience may be required in certain situations, and passed Praxis exams may be required in additional situations depending on the endorsement.

   Source: wvde.us

3. 3

   Apply for the one-year Alternative Teaching Certificate

   Register in the Certification Portal, complete Form 25, and pay the $35 online fee after required approvals. The certificate is valid one year and may be renewed twice, for a total validity period of three years (Form 25R for renewal).

   Source: wvde.us

4. 4

   Complete the county alternative program while teaching

   Serve as teacher of record in the hiring county while finishing the approved alternative certification program. Policy 5202 sets minimum licensure requirements. Candidates who complete the West Virginia Department of Education Alternative Certification Program (Option 4) later use Form 20WV for the Professional Teaching Certificate.

   Source: wvde.us

5. 5

   Convert to a three-year Professional Teaching Certificate

   After completing Option 4 or the county program and all Policy 5202 requirements—including required exams and a minimum GPA of 2.5 (bachelor’s) or 3.0 (master’s)—apply on Form 20WV with a designated Department official’s recommendation and, if employed, an employer recommendation. The Professional certificate is valid three years. The Form 20WV fee is $35.

   Source: wvde.us

West Virginia alternative certification is county-owned. Form 25 is not a statewide job-seeking permit; it is issued after a county with an approved program hires the candidate for a specific endorsement. Without that offer and the superintendent’s recommendation, there is no Alternative Teaching Certificate. That makes the route unavailable as a speculative “move to West Virginia and then look” strategy unless a county is already recruiting into its program.

The three-year ceiling is created by two one-year renewals, not by a single three-year alternative license. Candidates who cannot finish the county program in three years lose Form 25 authorization. Conversion is a different form: Option 4 completers use Form 20WV, which still demands Policy 5202 exams, GPA floors, and a Department official’s recommendation. Successful converters land on the same three-year Professional Teaching Certificate traditional completers receive, not a five-year or permanent credential.

General-education endorsements add a content-major or occupational-qualifications rule on top of the bachelor’s degree. Policy 5202 and the Form 25 page both tie general endorsements to a related academic major and/or educational or non-educational occupational qualifications, plus passing Praxis exams. Career changers whose degrees do not map onto the advertised endorsement should expect a denial even if a county wants to hire them.

Fees stay at $35 across Form 25, Form 25R, and Form 20WV, which is unusually consistent. The cost risk is time, not the application fee: three years of county employment, Praxis, and program completion. Relocating teachers who already hold a transferable professional certificate should not enter Form 25 at all; Form 20R is the published reciprocity instrument, albeit at $100.

Required exams and fees

West Virginia uses ETS Praxis basic-skills, content, and professional education assessments (PLT or approved Teacher Performance Assessment; Teaching Reading for Elementary Education when applicable). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to West Virginia

Form 25 is for candidates employed in a West Virginia county alternative program. Out-of-state professionally licensed teachers use Form 20R reciprocity ($100), not the Alternative Teaching Certificate. Completing a West Virginia alternative program does not by itself create a reciprocal credential in another state.

Official West Virginia reciprocity guidance