PI 34 Frequently Asked Questions

Initial Educator

Who is an initial educator?

Anyone who completes a program for the first time in a particular licensure category (teacher, pupil services, or administrator) after 8/31/2004 is considered an initial educator in that licensure category and must complete a PDP to advance to the professional educator license stage.

How does an initial educator advance to the professional educator stage?

The Initial Educator License is issued for five years. An initial educator can advance after 3-5 years of successful employment as long as the PDP process is successfully completed. For more information, go to the Initial Educator Page.

What happens if an initial educator does not find employment during the Initial Educator License period?

The Initial Educator License is a five-year non-renewable license unless the individual has not been employed in his/her license category for at least three years within the five-year period. If an educator chooses not to work or cannot find a position, the Initial Educator License may be renewed with an application/fee at the end of the five-year period.

If an educator is hired in the “middle” of their initial educator license, what options does s/he have for completing a PDP?

PI 34 requires that initial educators have at least three years of regular (not substitute) experience before becoming eligible for the Professional Educator License. If the initial educator does not have three years of regular (not substitute) experience during the five-year license cycle, the initial educator cannot advance to the professional educator stage. The initial educator can receive additional initial educator licenses in order to complete the three years of regular experience required under the rule.

An example may be useful in answering this question. A new candidate was issued a 2006-2011 Initial Educator License but does not get hired until 2009. In that case, the initial educator is in the fourth year of licensure, and, therefore, will not have at least three years of regular experience in which to successfully complete a PDP before the license expires. As a result, the initial educator may apply for and be issued a new Initial Educator License in 2011 - giving the candidate time to successfully complete three years of regular experience and the PDP in order to advance to the professional educator stage.

What happens if an initial educator completes a program in Wisconsin, receives an Initial Educator License, and is hired for their first job in another state?

An educator may complete the requirements for advancement to the professional educator stage while working either in Wisconsin or in another state. An initial educator may work on the PDP while teaching out-of-state as long as the goal has been approved and the PDP verified by a Wisconsin DPI-trained PDP team (e.g. through the Quality Educator Interactive, a License Renewal Support Center, or the Wisconsin PDP). For more information, see the PDP Page.

What happens if an initial educator does not have his/her goal approved by two of the three PDP team members?

If an initial educator does not receive goal approval, s/he will be required to revise the plan and resubmit it to their PDP team.

Can a teacher who holds an Initial Educator License and who completes an approved principal program apply for and be issued an Initial Educator License as a principal?

No. The educator would first have to complete all requirements to advance his/her non-renewable Initial Educator License for teaching to the professional educator license stage. If an Initial Educator License was issued in an administrative category to an educator who still was licensed at the initial educator stage as a teacher, there is no assurance that the educator would complete requirements for advancement to the professional educator stage as a teacher. The educator would therefore no longer be eligible for the administrator license since eligibility for a teaching license is a prerequisite.

Related Resources

Initial Educator Page
PI 34 FAQ
Other FAQ Licensing Topics

For questions about this information, contact Mark A. Schwingle (608) 266-1633

Last updated on 6/26/2008 4:22:06 PM