Only Alaska certificates issued for five or more years are eligible for renewal or reinstatement. The following types of certificates may be renewed or reinstated.
The earliest you may apply for renewal is one year before the expiration date on the certificate you are renewing.
To renew or reinstate a certificate, you will need the following:
To apply for renewal or reinstatement, eligible applicants may use the Online Renewal System or apply with a paper application available here.
Applicants are encouraged to submit all supporting documents (transcripts, mandatory training certificates or transcripts, continuing education unit certificates, etc.) with the application. If using the online renewal system, applicants would need supporting documents to be electronic, so that they all can be uploaded at the time of submission. If submitting a paper application, applicants should attempt to submit printed versions of all the supporting documents.
If required, the fingerprint card and printed official transcripts will always need to be mailed to the Teacher Certification office. Scanned copies of the fingerprint card or the printed official transcripts are not accepted.
When mailing items to the Teacher Certification office, we encourage applicants to use a shipping method that will provide them with tracking information.
Six renewal credits are required to renew or reinstate a regular five-year certificate. Each of the following equals one renewal credit:
Renewal credits must be:
If you believe a college course or a continuing education unit you plan to take meets one of the requirements listed above, but may not be clear upon submission to the Teacher Certification office, please submit the
To be eligible for renewal or reinstatement, you are required to provide evidence of the completion of any combination of six renewal credits earned after the effective date of the certificate you are renewing or reinstating.
More information concerning pre-approved non-academic credit and continuing education units is located here.
Information about how to submit transcripts is located here.
As required by 4 AAC 12.405(g) School Psychologists holding a Type C Special Services certificate must accrue 90 contact hours during the life of the certificate they are renewing. Verification must accompany the renewal application.
In place of the renewal credits, certified School Psychologists must have completed a minimum of 90 contact hours in assessment, evaluation, intervention, program planning, program development, or staff or program administration in (1) regionally accredited college or university coursework; (2) workshops, seminars, or institutes; (3) school district or university-sponsored in-service training programs; (4) college training; or (5) workshop or seminar teaching, within the life of the certificate being renewed.
If the expiration date on your five-year certificate has passed, you have entered a 12-month reinstatement period, and you are no longer certified. You may not work in a position requiring a certificate until you have reinstated your certificate. You have exactly 12 months beyond the expiration date on your certificate to submit your application for reinstatement, without having to complete any additional requirements.
When Teacher Certification receives your completed reinstatement application and all supporting materials, you are certified. Your certificate effective date becomes the date your complete reinstatement application packet was received by Teacher Certification.
You may only reinstate a certificate in the 12 months following the expiration date. If your certificate has expired more than 12 months ago, you are no longer in a reinstatement period and are considered an initial application for certification.
We do not fax or mail a copy of your renewed certificate to your school districts. It is the responsibility of the educator to provide the district with a copy of his/her certificate.
Renewal requirements are located in 4 AAC 12.405 and 4 AAC 12.410.