Add a Teaching Field

You will need to provide verification to the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) that you have completed a State approved educator preparation program.

• Submitting an official transcript verifying 30 semester hours of coursework in the new teaching field.
AND
• Submitting one of the following additional items:
  • Verification of Satisfactory Experience (Form AF 3009) showing you have the equivalent of one (1) year of half time or more contracted P-12 experience in the new field within the last five years of application date. Example: You have been teaching middle level science at least half time for one year and may use that experience to add the field of Science 6-8.
    
    NOTE: To add P-12 fields, you must have the equivalent of one year of half time or more contracted P-12 experience in each level: P-6 and 6-12. To add 6-8 fields the experience must be in a school setting in which the nationally accepted middle school standards are followed.
  OR
  • Verification of Satisfactory Experience (Form AF 3009) showing you have three (3) years of contracted experience in the same license grade level span under a Hawaii Standard License or its equivalent in another state. Example: You have been teaching middle level science for three years. You may use this experience to add another middle level field, such as Mathematics 6-8.
  OR
  • Passing scores on the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) in the grade level of the new license field. Example: You want to add the new field of Elementary Education K-6 to your license, so you should take the PLT K-6. Please see the Licensure Test Categories page under the Principals of Learning and Teaching section for the listing of passing scores.

• Submitting an official copy of your passing licensure content for new field. If you marked code 8620 on your Praxis registration, HTSB will receive your official score report. If you did not, you must submit an official copy too. For a list of tests and scores please visit the Licensure Test Categories page.
AND
• Submitting one of the following additional items:
  • Verification of Satisfactory Experience (Form AF 3009) showing you have the equivalent of one (1) year of half time or more contracted P-12 experience in the new field within the last five years of application date. Example: You have been teaching middle level science at least half time for one year and may use that experience to add the field of Science 6-8.
    
    NOTE: NOTE: To add P-12 fields through Options 2 and 3, you must have the equivalent of one year of half time or more contracted P-12 experience in each level: P-6 and 6-12. To add 6-8 fields, the experience must be in a school setting in which the nationally accepted middle school standards are followed.
  OR
  • Verification of Satisfactory Experience (Form AF 3009) showing you have three (3) years of contracted experience in the same license grade level span under a Hawaii Standard License or its equivalent in another state. Example: You have been teaching middle level science for three years. You may use this experience to add another middle level field, such as Mathematics 6-8.
  OR
  • Passing scores on the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) in the grade level of the new license field. Example: You want to add the new field of Elementary Education K-6 to your license, so you should take the PLT K-6. Please see the Licensure Test Categories page under the Principals of Learning and Teaching section for the listing of passing scores.

• Submitting a copy of your current, valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification in the new field (does not apply to Hawaiʻi licensed teachers).

• Submitting an official copy of your passing licensure content for the new field. If you marked code 8620 on your Praxis registration, the Hawaiʻi Teacher Standards Board (HTSB) will receive your official score report. If you did not, you must submit an official copy too. For a list of tests and scores visit the Licensure Test Categories page.
OR
• An official transcript showing a major in the new field.

The content assessment administered at the University of Hawaiʻi – Hilo as Hawaiian 490 is recognized for use as a licensure assessment and to add a field in:

• Hawaiian Language,
• Hawaiian Studies,
• Hawaiian Language Immersion,
• Kaiaʻōlelo-Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi and
• Hawaiian Knowledge.

• Complete a preparation program in Literacy Specialist and meet the experience requirement.
• Complete a School District/non-profit sponsored program in Literacy Specialist and meet the experience requirement.
• Hold a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certificate in the following areas:
  • Literacy: Reading-Language Arts: Early and Middle Childhood
  • English Language Arts: Early Adolescence
  • Adolescence and Young Adulthood
    AND
    meet the experience requirement.

  Note: The experience requirement for Literacy Specialist is 3 years of teaching experience.

• Complete a preparation program in Online Teaching and meet the experience requirement.
• Complete a minimum of 9 professional development credits in Online Teaching and meet the experience requirement.
• Hold a license/certificate/endorsement in online teaching from another state and meet the experience requirement.

Note: The experience requirement for the Online Teaching field is verification of 3 years of successful teaching experience and verification of 10 online P‐12 courses you have taught within the last 5 years at a P‐12 school recognized at a federal or state Department of Education level.

• Completing a State Approved Teacher Education Program in Reading Specialist.

• Completing a State Approved Teacher Education Program in Library Science.

• Credit hours in a STEM integrated program and meet the experience requirement. You must have 30 credit hours from an integrated STEM education program that includes all 4 STEM disciplines and at least 3 hours of coursework in the engineering design process,
• A combination of STEM coursework and meeting the experience requirement. A combination is defined as the following coursework:
  • A major of 30 semester hours in at least one STEM field;
  AND
  • A minimum of 6 semester hours in at least one non-major STEM field;
  AND
  • at least 3 semester hours of coursework that includes the engineering design process.
• Complete 9 Professional Development (PD) credits and meet the experience requirement. The minimum completion of 9 PD credits needs to be offered by a private/non-profit organization or school district in integrated STEM education that includes all 4 STEM disciplines with at least 3 hours of the engineering design process. During the course of the PD, the individual must develop and deliver a purposeful unit that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Math along with other content areas.
• Pass two content area Praxis exams and meet the experience requirement. Passing scores on Praxis Technology Education test and a passing score on either the Praxis science or mathematics area test. Please see the Licensure Test Categories page under the Mathematics or Science categories for a list of exams accepted for STEM.

Note: The experience requirement for the STEM field is verification of 1 year of full-time teaching in the field at the grade level requested, or 3 years of full-time teaching at the grade level requested no matter the field or, passing the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test for the grade level requested.

• Complete a teacher preparation program in Teacher Leadership and meet the experience requirement.
• Hold a license/certificate/endorsement from another state with the field of Teacher Leader and meet the experience requirement.
• Pass the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Praxis instructional facilitator assessment and meet the teaching experience requirement.
• Hold a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification in any NBPTS certificate areas and meet the experience requirement.
• Have job embedded experience to verify leadership expertise. This option is for Hawaiʻi public school teachers only.

Note: The experience requirement for the Teacher Leader field is 4 semesters as a Teacher Leader.