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Licensure

Applying for a Principal or Superintendent License

Once you have completed all the coursework for licensure and have taken the Praxis Exam, you can begin the process of applying for your administrative license. The Ohio State University certifies to the State of Ohio that you have completed all the requirements for our approved program.

All items listed below need to be turned in to the Licensure Coordinator in Room 122 Ramseyer Hall. Once ALL of your materials, including official PRAXIS scores, are received your file will be audited and sent to the Licensure Committee for approval.  After their approval is granted your application is sent to the college office for an official endorsement before being forwarded to ODE. Please Note: The Licensure Committee only meets a few times each quarter. Only complete files (with PRAXIS scores) can be forwarded to the committee for approval. It is advised that students apply early for a license since it can take several months to complete the process.

  • Copy of approved planning form(s) for each license
  • Ohio Department of Education application form(s) (#2. Initial License) - education program completed inside the state of Ohio)
    Please Note: CURRENT APPLICATION FORMS should always be downloaded from the ODE website when a candidate is actually ready to submit the application. This helps avoid submitting outdated application forms that have to be returned to a candidate and the wait for a new one to be resubmitted.
  • Check or money order payable to "Treasurer, State of Ohio"
  • Letter(s) verifying employment experience which states specific grade(s) taught and length of time at each grade level
  • Field experience evaluation letter from supervisor at school
  • Exit Survey for Licensure (pdf)
  • Copy of Standard Pupil Services License (teaching, school counseling, etc) if you are applying for a principal’s license or a copy of Standard Administrator’s (Principal) License if you are applying for a superintendent’s license and we do not already have one on file.
  • Transcript if necessary - If your Master's Degree was not obtained at OSU, you will need to submit an official transcript from the other institution which indicates that the Master's was received, unless this was received with your program application information.
  • PRAXIS Scores for the Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision Exam officially reported to both Ohio State and the Ohio Department of Education (see below or read our PRAXIS II - Registration Information).
  • Current Background Check on file with ODE.

Any individual applying for an initial Ohio license is required to complete a background check through the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCII). We recommend that you complete this process at least one quarter prior to eligibility for license.

In September 2010, ETS began administering a new version of the PRAXIS exam to meet the updated requirements set forth by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The new examination is called "Educational Leadership: Administration and Supervision" (code #0411). The qualifying score for the new PRAXIS exam is 149. Please note: Students who have taken the old exam (#0410) will be allowed to use those scores to apply for an administrative license for at least the next year. Currently, we are waiting on a decision from the College as to whether or not old exam scores can be used beyond that.

PRAXIS SCORES must be reported to the OSU Testing office at the time the test is taken. Test takers are only given a very short window in which to access their score reports electronically, and once that window closes they will have to pay the additional $40.00 fee to access it again.

Please Note: Regarding the PRAXIS, It is the candidate's responsibility to

  1. request every score report be sent to OSU, using the reporting code 1592, beginning with their very first test
  2. download the score report to their computer while their "window" is open, AND print a paper copy to be included in their professional portfolio
  3. check their advising report to be sure it actually appears on their advising report
  4. contact PRAXIS/ETS if it does NOT appear on their advising report

Application forms to register for the PRAXIS exam are available at the PRAXIS website, or you may phone 609-771-7395. It is strongly recommended that you also obtain the Test At A Glance preparation booklet.

It is advisable to register for the exam three quarters prior to program completion.

When taking the exam, request that the scores be sent directly to OSU (code #RA1592) in addition to the Ohio State Department of Education. We can only recommend licensure when the University has received qualifying scores from the Educational Testing Service. Notation is made on OSU transcripts that the appropriate exam has been passed; actual scores are not posted.