More Renewal Information

Acceptable Renewal Credits

Credits need to be earned after the issue date of the current license, or be no more than five years old if the license is expired. Credits should be relevant to education or an endorsement area. 

For renewals, Iowa accepts:

• Licensure renewal credits from approved Iowa providers, such as Iowa's Area Education Agencies, Iowa State Education Association, Professional Educators of Iowa, Iowa Safe Schools, Members Impacting Students: Improving Curriculum, and School Administrators of Iowa.
• Undergraduate or graduate college credits from regionally-accredited institutions.
• Semester hours of college credits (not CEUs or staff development) from a college or university that has institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 

More Renewal Credit Options

Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)

Holders of a standard, master, professional administrator or professional service license can use one IPDP (annual goal setting) for up to 1/2 of the required renewal credits for their license type.

• Standard Teaching License - 1 IPDP plan is 3 credits (6 needed)
• Master Educator Teaching License - 1 IPDP plan is 2 credits (4* needed)
• Professional Administrator License - 1 IPDP plan is 2 credits (4* needed)
• Professional Service License - 1 IPDP plan is 2 renewal credits (4 needed)

In your renewal application, upload a completed (spring) IPDP signed by you and your evaluator. The plan should minimally include specific goal(s), planned activities, alignment to building/district goals, alignment to the Iowa teaching standards, data collected and how the goal impacted student learning. The plan needs to have been completed after the issue date of the current license, or be no more than five years old if the license is expired. The plan must be completed in an Iowa school setting, as the plans are based on the Iowa teaching or administrator standards.

*Specialist and Doctoral Degree holders: 2 renewal credits are required to renew the master educator or professional administrator license. You will need to upload your transcripts showing the degree as well as your renewal credits. The IPDP plan is worth one renewal credit in this case. An evaluator course is required to renew a professional administrator license. A specialist endorsement (such as a reading specialist) is not the same as a specialist degree.

Cooperating Teachers

If you served as a cooperating teacher for an Iowa Teacher Education program, you will need to get an official certificate from the Iowa college showing how many credits were earned (maximum of 2). 

• 1/2 credit may be earned by serving as a cooperating teacher for practicum students for 90 hours
• 1 credit may be earned by serving as a cooperating teacher for practicum students for 180 hours
• 1/2 credit may be earned by serving as a cooperating teacher for a student teacher for 1/2 semester
• 1 credit may be earned by serving as a cooperating teacher for a student teacher for 1 full semester

Micro-Externships

Educators who participate in a micro-externship will be able to earn one renewal credit per experience. 

The micro-externship is a content-related externship work experience in business or industry (not education) pre-approved by the employing school district. This externship will first need to be approved by a school administrator. The workplace learning coordinator should also be informed of the externship (if the district has such a position).  A minimum of 40 hours of micro-externship experience are required for this renewal credit. Renewal credits may not be earned if college credits are earned for the same experience.

Micro-Externship Verification Form

National Board Certification

Four renewal credits may be earned for successful completion of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. This certification may be used one time for either the standard or master educator license. Four renewal credits may also be earned for each National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification renewal and may be used toward the subsequent renewal of either the standard or master educator license.

Accredited Colleges & Universities

Semester hours of college credit (graduate or undergraduate) may be used to renew a teacher or administrator license.

Note: Only college credit is accepted.

Do not submit "Professional Development Units" or similarly titled units for license renewal. The Board is not able to accept them.

College credits must be earned through a college or university that has institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.