Check out the WI Licensing 101 interactive resource for a detailed overview and quick answers about WI teacher, administrator, and pupil services licensing. All license types, eligibility, and renewal requirements are detailed in state statute.
Below are highlights of the educator licensing structure.
License Stages
Teacher, administration, and pupil services licenses issued under Wis. Admin. Code PI 34 are based on the following license stages and tiers:
- Conditional Educator Licenses & Permits, Tier I
Educators who hold these licenses have not completed an approved educator preparation program in the area of the license. - Provisional Educator License, Tier II
Educators who have completed an approved educator preparation program for the first time in a license category (Teaching, Administrator or Pupil Services) are issued a provisional educator license for each license within that category. This license is considered a Stage 2 license for the purposes of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement. - Lifetime Educator License, Tier III
A lifetime educator license may be issued to educators who have successfully completed at least six semesters of experience in Wisconsin in the category of their provisional educator license and have completed all statutory requirements. This license is considered a Stage 3 license for the purposes of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement. - Master Educator License, Tier IV
This optional lifetime license may be issued to educators who have successfully completed a National Board Certification by National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) or a Wisconsin Master Educator Assessment Process (WMEAP). This license is considered a Stage 4 license for the purposes of the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement.
License Areas
The following are license areas for Educator Licenses issued under Wis. Admin. Code PI 34:
Wisconsin Licensing System Tiers Flowchart
View and print the PDF of the Wisconsin Licensing System Tiers Flowchart.
Grade Ranges
Educator licenses issued under Wis. Admin. Code PI 34 include the following grade ranges:
| Early Childhood | Birth - 3 |
| Elementary and Middle School | Kindergarten - 9 |
| Middle and High School | 4 - 12 |
| Prekindergarten through grade 12 | PK - 12 |
| Kindergarten through grade 12 | K - 12 |
License Effective Dates
Provisional educator licenses are issued for a period of three years, with typical effective dates starting July 1, ending June 30. These licenses may be renewed an unlimited number of times.
If an applicant completes a state-approved program after September 1, the license may be issued with an effective date that corresponds with the program completion date. The license will be valid until June 30 following the third full school year.
Applications for any school year must be submitted no later than June 30th of that school year.
Recognized Accreditation
Degrees recognized by the Department of Public Instruction for licensure under state law must be from accredited institutions. Accredited institutions under state law are institutions of higher education that meet accepted criteria of quality as established by a regional or national accrediting agency, as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, or a programmatic accrediting organization.
- To check if your college/university is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education, please refer to the U.S. Department of Education accreditation search.
- To view all U.S. Secretary of Education recognized accrediting associations, access the Accreditation in the United States web page.