Arkansas Teacher License Renewal
Arkansas teacher license renewal happens every five years and requires 36 hours of professional development per year plus a current background check. Teachers whose license lapsed less than a year ago can typically renew through the same process. Longer lapses may require additional coursework or current content-area assessments, depending on the license type and how long it’s been expired, so the Arkansas Department of Education’s licensure office should confirm the exact path.
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Renewing your Arkansas teaching license comes down to two things: professional development hours and paperwork deadlines. Miss either one and you’re looking at a reinstatement process instead of a simple renewal. Here’s what the Arkansas Department of Education’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires at each stage, from a first Standard Teaching License through a lapsed one. (If you’re still working toward your first Arkansas license, see Arkansas Teaching Certification for the full path to becoming a teacher in the state.)
How to Renew Your Standard Teaching License
New teachers start on an Initial Teaching License and complete an induction period of at least one year and no more than three years, with built-in mentoring support throughout. Induction concludes with a state-mandated performance assessment. Once you finish induction and pass that assessment, DESE converts your license to the five-year Standard Teaching License (also called the Standard Educator License).
The Standard Teaching License runs on a five-year clock. To renew it, you’ll need to document 36 hours of professional development per year, for a total of 180 hours across the five-year period. If you’re employed by an Arkansas public school, cooperative, or charter school, your employer handles verification and reports your hours to DESE annually.
| Requirement | Standard License Renewal |
|---|---|
| Renewal period | Every 5 years |
| Professional development hours | 36 hours per year (180 over 5 years) |
| Background checks | Current Arkansas State Police, FBI, and Child Maltreatment Central Registry clearance |
| Renewal fee | $75 (nonrefundable) |
Most professional development hours can come from college courses, conferences, mentoring, or independent study. But Arkansas also requires four specific mandated topics on a five-year rotation: mandated reporting, mental health awareness, teen suicide awareness and prevention, and bullying prevention, each two hours, for eight hours total. Review DESE’s Professional Development for Licensure Renewal page for the current schedule. Many districts also count graduate coursework toward both your renewal hours and your salary lane, so it’s worth checking how those credits affect your pay on Arkansas Teaching Salaries and Benefits before you choose a course.
Eligible educators employed by an Arkansas public school district may qualify for district-assisted automatic renewal if all current DESE renewal requirements are met, which generally include:
- Holding a valid Standard Teaching License
- Teaching in an Arkansas public school during the year the license expires
- Meeting current criminal background and Child Maltreatment Central Registry requirements established by DESE
- Paying the current renewal fee (currently $75, nonrefundable)
- Documenting 36 hours of professional development per year
Meet those requirements, and DESE processes your renewed Standard Teaching License, which you can access through your Educator View account online.
How to Reinstate an Expired License
If your Standard Teaching License expired less than a year ago, you can typically use the renewal process above. If it’s been expired longer, you’re likely looking at reinstatement instead, which can mean additional coursework, a current content-area assessment, or other documentation depending on the length of the lapse, your license type and endorsement, and current DESE rules. Because these requirements have changed over time, confirm your specific path with DESE before applying. In general, reinstatement candidates who’ve already met a licensure area’s content-assessment requirement (such as the applicable Praxis content assessment, where required) tend to have a shorter list of remaining requirements than those who haven’t:
- A completed renewal application (use DESE’s Renewing a License page)
- Current criminal background and Child Maltreatment Central Registry clearance
- Verification of six hours of coursework in your professional specialty area within the past five years, or verification of meeting the current content-assessment requirement in at least one licensure area
- Verification of 36 hours of professional development in the previous year
- The current renewal fee (currently $75)
If you haven’t yet met the content-assessment requirement for your licensure area, DESE will typically also ask for:
- A completed renewal application (use DESE’s Renewing a License page)
- Current criminal background and Child Maltreatment Central Registry clearance
- Verification of meeting the required content assessment(s) for your licensure area and level
- Verification of 36 hours of professional development in the previous year
- The current renewal fee (currently $75)
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Keep a copy of every renewal or reinstatement confirmation the Arkansas Department of Education sends you. Your school district will need that documentation on file before the start of the school year, especially if you’re changing districts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a Standard Teaching License valid in Arkansas before it needs renewal?
Five years. DESE requires 36 hours of professional development per year during that period, verified and reported by your employer if you’re teaching in an Arkansas public school.
What happens if my Arkansas teaching license expires?
If it’s been expired for less than a year, you can typically still use the standard renewal process. If it’s been longer, you’ll likely need to go through reinstatement instead, which can add coursework or current content assessment verification on top of the usual requirements, depending on your license type and how long it’s been lapsed.
Does my Arkansas teaching license renew automatically?
It can be for educators employed by an Arkansas public school district who meet all current DESE renewal requirements, including background checks and documented professional development hours.
What professional development counts toward renewal?
College courses, conferences, mentoring, and independent study can all count. Arkansas also requires four specific topics on a five-year rotation — mandated reporting, mental health awareness, teen suicide awareness and prevention, and bullying prevention — each two hours.
Do I need to pass an exam to reinstate an expired license?
It depends on whether you’ve already met the content-assessment requirement for your licensure area and how long your license has been expired. DESE can tell you exactly which requirements apply to your specific situation.
- Standard licenses run on a 5-year renewal cycle — with 36 hours of professional development required each year (180 total), verified by your employer if you’re in an Arkansas public school.
- Automatic renewal is available — for teachers employed in an Arkansas public school district who meet all current DESE background-check, fee, and PD-hour requirements.
- A grace period generally applies to recently-expired licenses — licenses expired less than a year can typically still use the standard renewal process.
- Reinstatement requirements vary by situation — the length of the lapse, your license type and endorsement, and current DESE rules all affect what’s required, so confirm your specific path with DESE.
- Confirm current fees before applying — DESE’s renewal fee is currently $75, but licensure fees can change.
Whether you’re renewing your Arkansas Standard Teaching License or thinking about your next endorsement, explore accredited teacher certification programs to see what’s available in Arkansas.
