How To Become a Teacher Online in Wisconsin

To become a teacher in the state of Wisconsin, you'll need to earn at least a bachelor's degree, though some teachers hold master's degrees. A few colleges and universities in Wisconsin offer these online.

You'll also need to meet Wisconsin teaching license requirements by completing teaching exams, many of which can also be done online. Keep reading to learn how to become a teacher online in Wisconsin.

Steps for Becoming a Teacher Online in Wisconsin

In Wisconsin, you'll need a bachelor's degree to become a teacher at a public school. Some colleges and universities in Wisconsin offer online education and teaching degrees that lead to teacher certification.

You'll also need to complete an educator preparation program and pass the required teaching tests before you're eligible for a teaching license. Below, we've broken down the basic steps to becoming a teacher online in Wisconsin.

1. Determine Your Area of Focus

Before you start applying to online programs, you need to choose which grade level, and which subject area, if applicable, you want to teach.

Wisconsin offers licensure for the following grade ranges

• early childhood education: infancy through grade 3
• elementary and middle school: kindergarten through grade 9
• middle and high school: grades 4-12
• preschool (pre-k) through grade 12
• kindergarten through grade 12 cross-categorical special education

Next, you'll need to choose your specialization. For elementary and early childhood educators, this isn't necessary, but possible specializations include music, art, and physical education.

Those teaching middle and secondary education will need to choose a specialization. These are available in fields like English, social studies, science, math, and foreign languages.

2. Gain an Undergraduate Degree Online

To be a teacher in Wisconsin, you'll need a bachelor's degree, which is an undergraduate degree that usually takes four years of full-time study. While online teaching degrees are not the most common, many colleges and universities, including a few in Wisconsin, offer these programs.

Your online courses will depend on your area of focus but often cover the fundamentals of pedagogy, like creating lesson plans, classroom management, and effective teaching strategies. If your degree program is also a teacher preparation program, you'll conclude the degree with student teaching experience, which must be done in person.

3. Participate in an Educator Preparation Program

All teachers in Wisconsin are required to complete an educator preparation program, also called a teacher preparation program. These programs include core teaching coursework and student teaching experiences.

Many bachelor's degrees in teaching double as teacher preparation programs, allowing students to complete both simultaneously and graduate ready to obtain their teaching license. You can find a list of approved Wisconsin teacher preparation programs through the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

4. Complete Required Teaching Hours

As part of your teacher preparation program, you'll need to complete student teaching hours, sometimes referred to as field experience. You'll usually complete these hours toward the end of your program.

During student teaching, you'll start by observing an experienced, licensed teacher in their classroom. Then, you'll be the teacher, teaching under the guidance of the usual teacher.

5. Pass a Background Check

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction runs a background check on all Wisconsin educator license applicants. This is to check if the applicant has engaged in any behavior that endangers the health, welfare, safety, or education of pupils.

The background check is part of the Wisconsin teaching license application. Some applicants may need to be fingerprinted for their application.

6. Pass Wisconsin Required Teaching Tests

Some teaching applicants in Wisconsin are required to take teaching exams. These exams determine the teacher's content knowledge and teaching competency.

Most exams required for teacher licensure are through Praxis, a company that administers teaching tests for many states. There are a small number of exams created by the state that some applicants may need to pass.

Praxis Core Exams

The Praxis Core Exams cover three content areas: reading, writing, and mathematics. To pass, you'll need a score of 150 on the math exam, 156 on reading, and 162 on writing.

Applicants who completed a bachelor's degree that doubled as a licensure program will likely not have to take this exam. However, those pursuing an alternative teacher education pathway may have to.

Praxis II Subject Exams

All applicants are required to pass the Praxis subject exams that correspond to the teaching license they're pursuing. Praxis offers one exam for early childhood educators and one for elementary and middle school.

Those wanting to teach specific subjects in a middle school or high school setting will need to take the Praxis exam that relates to that subject. For example, those wanting to teach English must take the English Language Arts: Content Knowledge exam.

ACTFL World Language Test

In Wisconsin, applicants who want to teach a world language may need to take the ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL). These exams are available for the following languages:

• Arabic
• Chinese (Mandarin)
• English
• French
• German
• Italian
• Japanese
• Korean
• Portuguese
• Russian
• Spanish

Several forms of the exam are available depending on the grade level you want to teach and how experienced you are in the language. More information is available at actfl.org.

Wisconsin Foundations of Reading Test

For licensure in elementary education or special education, or as a reading teacher or reading specialist, you'll need to take and pass the Wisconsin Foundations of Reading Test.

Applicants can take this exam in person on a computer or through online proctoring. There are 100 multiple-choice questions and two written assignments, and students have four hours of testing time.

7. Obtain Teaching Certification

Once you've fulfilled all the certification requirements to become a teacher in Wisconsin, you can earn your teaching license. You'll complete your application through the Educator Licensing Online (ELO) portal.

You'll need to determine if you need to be fingerprinted and gather the necessary documents. Once you complete the application, you'll pay the application fee. Processing times vary.

Online Bachelor's Programs for Aspiring Teachers in Wisconsin

Below, we've highlighted a few online bachelor's programs for aspiring teachers in Wisconsin.

University of Wisconsin- Superior

The University of Wisconsin, Superior is a public liberal arts university in Superior, Wisconsin. It offers multiple online bachelor's degrees that lead to teaching licenses, including majors like:

• broad field language arts-4-12 education
• elementary education-grades K-9
• English-4-12 education
• health-K-12 education

These programs include a full semester of student teaching and are approved teacher preparation programs.

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is a public university in Whitewater, Wisconsin. It offers an online bachelor's degree in special education for those who want to teach students with intellectual, emotional, behavioral, and learning disabilities.

This is an approved teacher certification program. UW-Whitewater also offers an online bachelor's in early childhood education, but this program does not lead to licensure.

Concordia University Wisconsin

Concordia University Wisconsin is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin. It's part of the national Concordia University system and offers several online bachelor's programs that lead to licensure, including:

• cross-categorical special education
• elementary education
• secondary education-English and language arts
• secondary education-mathematics
• secondary education-social studies

Some programs are offered in an accelerated format, allowing students to earn their degree in as few as three years. Students can do their field experiences anywhere in the U.S.

How Do I Maintain Teaching Certification in Wisconsin?

After teaching for at least six semesters, your provisional Wisconsin teaching license can be bumped up to a lifetime license. This license is good for the rest of your life so long as your license isn't revoked.

To maintain your licensure, you'll need to submit a request for a background check every five years. This process is also done through the ELO portal.