Requirements to Become a School Teacher in Alabama, AL.
So, you want to become an educator in the ‘Heart of Dixie’? Need some help getting a push in the right direction? Well congratulations, you landed here and that’s a good start. Let’s begin by looking at the overview of the teaching industry in Alabama. As of last year there were approximately 731,000 students boasting one of the highest diversity rates in the nation. The state has 1563 public schools, broken down into 722 elementary, 249 middle, and 365 high schools. With an average salary of $42,610 (according to bls.gov), teachers in Alabama make about 130% the salary of the average worker in the state. While last year the nation as a whole struggled with falling standardized exam scores, Alabama actually managed to improve upon theirs, speaking volumes about the quality of teachers in the state. Because of budget issues, there is now a high demand for new teachers, and with the economy on the up and up now is one of the best times to fill that position.
Browse Additional pages About:
Preliminary Requirements
To be eligible to apply for a teaching certification, you must first satisfy the following:
- Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution
- Completed the Alabama Basic Skills Test
- Meet the Alabama Prospective Teacher Testing Program (APTTP) requirements for the Applied Mathematics, Reading for Information, and Writing assessments from the ACT WorkKeys System.
- Take and pass the Praxis II: Subject Assessments administered by the Educational Testing Service
- Pass criminal background check
- Individual schools/districts may have extra requirements
Applying for Accreditation
After satisfying these requirements, you must then apply for an Alabama Teaching Certification, in order to do this you must submit a packet including:
- The APP form (Application for Alabama Certification)
- Official transcripts in from the Colleges/Universities you attended in sealed envelopes
- $30 nonrefundable application fee
What next?
Once you have fulfilled these requirements and submitted the appropriate paperwork, you must go in for state administered fingerprinting, information on how to do this may be found online or by calling (866) 989-9316 (toll free). After completing these steps, you are on your way to becoming a teacher and should look into which district you would like applying for, now go out there and help shape the youth.