Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process

Advantages for Wisconsin Teachers

Teachers and pupil services professionals who successfully complete a WMEAP process can obtain a Lifetime Master Educator license . In addition, the WMEAP Master Educators can:

• Obtain initial reimbursement for costs of up to $2,000 personally incurred to achieve certification and subsequent initial reimbursement for the cost to validate your master educator lifetime license [see PI 37.03(1)(a)].

• Receive annual grants of $2,500 or $5,000 for nine subsequent years following initial reimbursement [see PI 37.03(1)(b) and (c)].

The WMEAP process is available only for the following licensure areas

• Administration
  • Superintendent
  • School Business Administrator
  • Director of Instruction
  • Principal
  • Career and Technology Education Coordinator
  • Director of Special Education and Pupil Services
  • Library Media Supervisor
  • Instructional Technology Coordinator
  • Reading Specialist
• Pupil Services
  • School Social Worker
  • School Psychologist
  • School Nurse
• Teaching/Supplemental
  • Theatre
  • Computer Science
  • Dance
  • Psychology
  • Speech and Language Pathology
  • Assistive Technology
  • Adaptive Education
  • Adaptive Physical Education

Eligibility

In order to apply for the WMEAP, candidates must meet all eligibility requirements by submitting all of the following as part of the application:

• Documentation of a related master's degree.
• Verification (from school/district) of at least 5 years of successful professional experience in the licensure area at the lifetime license level.
  • Candidates must have held a Lifetime license for at least 5 years.
• Evidence of contributions to the profession.
• Evidence of improved pupil learning.

Related documents:

• WMEAP Tip Sheet
• PI-1613-WMEAP Employment Verification form
• PI-1610 WMEAP Appendix

Portfolio Development

After receiving approval of the application, candidates will have up to 2 years to develop and submit their portfolios.

The WMEAP portfolio is comprised of specific entries that describe, analyze, and reflect; including samples, artifacts, a video, and demonstrations of the applicant's mastery of Wisconsin Educator Standards. The artifacts and entries in the portfolio must have been obtained within five years of the date of application.

If a candidate is unsuccessful in obtaining Master Educator status upon assessment of the portfolio, the candidate will have one school year to resubmit a portfolio that addresses the portfolio entries that were assessed to be not adequate for mastery. It is recommended that candidates submit their portfolios for assessment in year one so that year two may be used for entries that did not demonstrate mastery and will be resubmitted (a maximum of two entries). If the candidates have three of four entries to submit they must reapply through the WMEAP.

Interested candidates for the WMEAP process must:

1. Meet eligibility requirements.
2. Apply for the license using the Educator Licensing Online system by April 30th.
3. After application approval, develop and complete 4 portfolio entries over 1-2 years during the WMEAP process.
4. Submit portfolio for assessments.
5. For details of the initial application process, please refer to the WMEAP Tip Sheet.

All timelines for WMEAP application are strictly enforced. Late, incomplete, or ineligible applications will be disqualified.

Only approved applicants will be eligible to complete the WMEAP Portfolio to obtain the Master Educator license. A DPI-trained team of assessors review all WMEAP portfolios for approval or denial. Closely follow the guidelines and examples in the relevant guidebook to help ensure a complete and strong application.

Related documents:

• WMEAP Tip Sheet
• PI-1613-WMEAP Employment Verification form
• PI-1610 WMEAP Appendix
• WMEAP Administrator Handbook
• WMEAP Teacher Handbook
• WMEAP Pupil Services Handbook

Reimbursement

After receiving the Wisconsin master educator license and within the first year of the effective date of the license, Wisconsin master educators can apply for initial reimbursement of up to $2,000 for personal expenses incurred for the WMEAP. After exhausting eligibility for the subsequent annual grants, Wisconsin master educators may reapply for initial reimbursement for the cost to validate their lifetime license and become for additional annual grants.

Eligibility

To qualify for the reimbursement, the master educator must be:

• Licensed as a Wisconsin master educator under Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 34.042.
• Employed as a teacher in a public, private, or tribal school in Wisconsin. Teachers must be delivering direct instruction to pupils in the area in which they hold a Wisconsin master educator license under subch. VI or VII of PI 34. School psychologists, school counselors, or school social workers are also eligible. Applicants must be working for a minimum of 40 percent full-time equivalency in a school year as defined in Wis. Admin. Code Ch. PI 37.02). When an applicant is reported in WISEstaff as a Program Coordinator, Academic Support, or Teacher Mentor, etc., they must also be employed and reported as a teacher delivering instruction to pupils for at least 40% FTE to be eligible for the grant.
• Have a rating of effective or highly effective in the applicable Educator Effectiveness System if employed as a teacher in a public school.
• Not receiving a concurrent grant under Wisconsin Administrative Code PI 37 in the same school year.

Initial Grant Reimbursement

The reimbursement application is administered online. Before beginning the application, applicants must ensure all receipts substantiating expenses that will be listed on the application are in an electronic format (JPEG, PDF, Microsoft Word, etc.). Receipts are required to be uploaded in the application process. Receipts must include the applicant's name, date of expense, verification that the applicant incurred the expense, the amount, and the payee. When applying for mileage reimbursement, list it as an expense within the online application and attach a document that outlines the dates of travel, addresses traveled to and from, and the total number of miles for each trip. The current mileage reimbursement rate is $0.51 per mile.

Online reimbursement application steps for applicant:

• Applicant enters name and email address.
• Applicant enters name and email of appropriate person within their school/district to complete the employer verification form.
• Applicant clicks "Begin signing." After which, the applicant will be emailed a unique code to the previously entered email address. Applicant must use this code to access the application.
• Applicant completes the subsequent sections of the application: general information, expense reimbursement details, and eligibility criteria certification.
• Applicant completes the state and federal tax forms. These forms will automatically appear within the application.
• Applicant uploads receipts substantiating expenses.
• Applicant completes the signature and date section.
• Applicant clicks "finish."

The online employer verification form is sent to the person the applicant identified at the beginning of the application process. The applicant will receive an automated email that the form has been sent to the employer.  At this point, the application is not complete and any notice received does not constitute confirmation of a completed application.

Online application steps for the employer:

The employer will have to complete the remainder of the application.  Employers will receive notification the application to complete via DocuSign. The following will need to be completed by the employer:

• Employer indicates if the educator is employed in the area in which they are nationally certified.
• Employer enters school(s) in which applicant is employed and percentage of employment as a teacher (FTE).
• Employer indicates if applicant is working under contract as an administrator, and, if yes, the percentage of employment/FTE.
• Employer enters school year.
• Employer indicates if the teacher has been rated as effective, highly effective or is in the process of being evaluated in the Educator Effectiveness System.
• Employer completes verification by entering name of school district, school district address, their name, signature, date, title, email and phone number.
• Employer clicks "finish."

DPI Review

Ater the employer verification has been completed, the application is then sent to DPI for review. Once DPI’s review is complete, all parties (applicant, employer, and DPI) will receive an automated email indicating the application has been completed.  This email does not mean the application has been approved. The notification email contains a link to the fully executed application.  Applicants can use that link to check the approval status of the application, which is indicated at the bottom of the first page.

• If the application is approved, please allow 6-8 weeks for payment processing. Payment will be in the form of a paper check mailed to the applicant’s home address.
• If the application is disapproved, the reason for denial will be indicated at the bottom of the first page of the fully executed application (available from the link in the notification email).

Application Cycle

The application cycle is closed. The 2025-26 initial reimbursement/annual grant application will be posted in the fall.

Completed applications are due annually by June 30 at 11:59 p.m. To be considered ‘complete,’ the applicant AND employer sections must be fully completed AND the necessary receipts substantiating expenses outlined for reimbursement must be included.

Annual Grant

After receiving the initial reimbursement for WMEAP expenses (above), Wisconsin master educators (teachers and pupil services professionals) are eligible to apply for an annual grant in each of the subsequent nine years following the initial reimbursement. After the nine years have expired, educators may submit an initial grant to renew eligibility for future annual grants.

Eligibility

To qualify for the subsequent nine annual grants the master educator must:

• Maintain the Wisconsin master educator license.
• Remain employed as a teacher in Wisconsin (i.e., delivering direct instruction to pupils; or school psychologists, school counselors, or school social workers) in the area in which they hold a Wisconsin master educator license under subch. VI or VII of PI 34. Applicants must be working for a minimum of 40 percent full-time equivalency in a school year as defined in Wis. Admin. Code Ch. PI 37.02). When an applicant is reported in WISEstaff as a Program Coordinator, Academic Support, or Teacher Mentor, etc., they must also be employed and reported as a teacher delivering instruction to pupils for at least 40% FTE to be eligible for the grant.
• Have a rating of effective or highly effective in the applicable Educator Effectiveness System if employed as a teacher in a public school.
• Not receiving a concurrent grant under Wisconsin Administrative Code PI37 in the same school year.

Annual $2,500 grants are awarded in each of the nine subsequent school years. Master educators (teachers and pupil services professionals) who are employed in a high poverty school are eligible for a $5,000 annual grant.

High Poverty Schools Identified for WMEAP Grants (The 2024-25 list will be used for 2025-26 grant applications.)

Pursuant to Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PI 37.03 (1) (c), applicants applying for the Annual WMEAP Grant are eligible for payment in the amount of $5,000 if employed as a teacher in a school in which at least 60% of the pupils enrolled satisfy the income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch under 42 USC 1758 (b) (1). To ensure the most accurate information available, the below lists are based off certified income eligibility criteria for a free or reduced-price lunch from the previous school year. The lists of public and private high-poverty schools for the WMEAP Annual Grant are as follows:

2024-25 (coming soon)

Public Schools
Private Schools

WMEAP Annual Grant online application steps for applicant:

• Applicant enters name and email address.
• Applicant enters name and email of appropriate person within school/district to complete the employer verification form.
• Applicant clicks "Begin signing." After which, the applicant will be emailed a unique code to the previously entered email address. Applicant must use this code to access the application.
• Applicant completes the subsequent sections of the application: general information, eligibility criteria certification, and application signature and date.
• Applicant clicks "finish."

The online employer verification form is then sent to the person the applicant identified at the beginning of the application process. The applicant will receive an automated email that the form has been sent to the employer. At this point, the application is not complete and any notice received does not constitute confirmation of a completed application.

Online application steps for the employer:

The employer will have to complete the remainder of the application. Employers will receive notification the application to complete via DocuSign. The following will need to be completed by the employer:

• Employer indicates if the educator is employed in the area for which they are nationally certified.
• Employer enters school(s) in which applicant is employed and percentage of employment as a teacher (FTE).
• Employer indicates if applicant is working under contract as an administrator, and, if yes, percentage of employment/FTE.
• Employer enters school year.
• Employer indicates if the teacher has been rated as effective, highly effective or is in process of being evaluated in the Educator Effectiveness System.
• Employer completes verification by entering name of school district, school district address, their name, signature, date, title, email, and phone number.
• Employer clicks "finish."

DPI Review

Application is then sent to DPI for review. Once DPI’s review is complete, all parties (applicant, employer, DPI) will receive an automated email indicating application has been completed.  This email does not mean the application has been approved.  To determine if the application was approved or disapproved. applicants must click on the document within the email and reference the bottom of first page of the application.

If the application is approved, please allow 6-8 weeks for payment processing.  Payment will be in the form of a paper check mailed to the applicant’s home address.

Application Cycle

The application cycle is closed. The 2025-26 initial reimbursement/annual grant application will be posted in the fall.

Completed applications are due annually by June 30. To be considered ‘complete,’ the applicant AND employer sections must be fully completed AND submitted by 11:59 p.m. on June 30th.

Wisconsin statutes and administrative rules supporting national teacher certification or master educator license:

• Wis. Stat. 115.42 - Grants for national teacher certification or master educator licensure.
• Wis. Admin Code PI 37 - Criteria and procedures for awarding grants for national teacher certification or master educator licensure.
• Wis. Admin Code PI 34.042 - Master educator license.

WMEAP portfolios are formally assessed by a team of three educators who:

• Have the same or similar job responsibilities.
• Have been nominated by professional organizations, including school board organizations.
• Have been provided training by the Department of Public Instruction.
• Have been approved for appointment by the State Superintendent.

In addition, WMEAP assessors are educators who:

• Are not current or non-achieving candidates for the WMEAP.
• Hold a Wisconsin lifetime license in the assessment area.
• Have at least five years of successful professional experience in the assessment area.
• Hold a master's degree related to the assessment area.

School board members may be an additional member of the WMEAP assessment team. To be part of the team, the school board member must:

• Be nominated by professional organizations, including school board organizations.
• Have been provided training by the Department of Public Instruction.
• Not be a current or non-achieving candidate for the WMEAP.
• Be approved for appointment by the State Superintendent.

All assessors will sign a pledge of confidentiality and:

• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates from their own school/district.
• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates to whom they are/were related.
• Will not assess WMEAP applications of candidates for whom they could not remain impartial and objective.

WMEAP assessors are trained annually, during the summer, using a portfolio assessment guide developed by a national expert in the teacher portfolio assessment and Wisconsin educators who are involved in the development of the WMEAP.  Assessors use note-taking strategies, summary statements, rubrics, and a judgment of each entry's documentation of mastery.

Related Forms:

• PI-WMEAP-0002: WMEAP Assessor Nomination Form
• PI WMEAP-0003:  WMEAP Employment Verification Form