If you want to become an elementary teacher and work in the schools of Kansas, you must follow the regulations set out by the state for hiring teachers to fill these teaching positions. Kansas students graduating from high school must enter a four-year university degree program and attain a Bachelor's degree. Then they must meet the admission requirements of a teacher preparation program and pass the courses for this program. Admission to these programs generally involves taking and passing the Praxis 1 exams for Basic skills in Reading, writing and Math. Finally, a graduating student must pass the Praxis 11 exams for the elementary grade level or for specific content areas of the curriculum.
You can also begin this route by taking your first two years of post-secondary education at a community college. Then you transfer to a four-year program and finally enter a teacher-training program. If you have a teaching certificate and experience teaching in another state, you can get a job as an elementary teacher in Kansas when you submit your transcripts, evidence of teaching experience and references to the State licensure board. If you don’t possess all the qualifications needed to be an elementary teacher in this state, you can get a provisional two-year license, during which time you must complete the specified courses to enable you to receive a standard teaching license.
As an elementary teacher in Kansas, you must apply for an initial teaching license. To meet the requirements for this license, your grade point average in university must be at least 2.5 on a 4-point scale. There is also a requirement for a student teaching component to the teacher-training program in which you must spend at least one year teaching within the last six years. You are required to pass the Praxis Principles of Teaching and Learning exam and at least one other exam pertaining to what you want to teach and have them listed on your teaching certificate. For example, to be an elementary teacher, you can take one or more of the following exams:
- Elementary Education: Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment
- Middle School English Language Arts – Grades 5 - 8
- Earth and Space Science – Grades 6-12
- Middle School Social Studies
- Middle School Mathematics
- Middle School Science
In order to advance in your career as an elementary teacher, Kansas regulations require that you complete the Kansas Performance Assessment in order to move to the second level of licensing, which is the Professional Teaching License. As part of the conditional license, you have two years in which to complete this assessment. Your initial teaching certificate in Kansas can only be renewed for one additional two-year period, so you do have to take steps to ensure that you will still have a job at the end of the validation period. Once you get experience teaching, you may want to advance in your career by taking the route required to achieve an accomplished teaching certificate. With this certificate you can apply for positions at the administrative level.