Virginia Teacher Certification Renewal
Virginia teacher certification renewal now runs on a 10-year cycle requiring 270 professional development points, replacing the older 5-year, 180-point license Virginia stopped issuing in 2018. Renewal requests go through VALO, the Virginia Licensure Online portal that replaced the retired eGOV system. Teachers employed by a Virginia school division typically have their renewal materials reviewed and submitted by that division. Unemployed or out-of-state applicants submit directly through VALO.
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Virginia teacher certification renewal has looked different since Virginia’s Board of Education began issuing 10-year renewable licenses to nearly every teacher hired since July 1, 2018, and those license holders need 270 professional development points to renew, not the 180 points tied to the older 5-year license. If your license was issued before that date and is still on its original 5-year cycle, you’ll complete that cycle at 180 points before moving to the 10-year, 270-point system afterward. Either way, the process now runs through VALO, the Commonwealth’s licensing portal, since VDOE retired the older eGOV system on December 31, 2024.
Teaching Certification Renewal
Virginia teachers renew their license by completing an individualized professional development plan built from one or more of eight approved activity categories set by the Virginia Board of Education. Total points needed depend on your license term: 270 points for a 10-year license, or 180 points if you’re finishing out an older 5-year license. The same point system applies to administrators renewing a Virginia principal certification under the Postgraduate Professional or Collegiate Professional license tiers.
College Credit
Candidates may complete coursework at an accredited two- or four-year college or university to develop subject knowledge. One semester credit hour equals 30 professional development points, so a teacher without a master’s degree who completes three semester hours earns 90 points toward renewal. The same graduate coursework can also move you up a lane on your division’s Virginia teaching salaries and benefits schedule.
Professional Conference
Candidates may attend or hold a professional seminar lasting four or more hours that focuses on professional development.
Curriculum Development
Candidates may show they’ve contributed to improving the curriculum at a school.
Publication of an Article
Candidates may write an article that contributes to advancing the education profession or knowledge of a particular teaching area. Articles must be published in a recognized professional journal.
Publication of a Book
Candidates may write books that contribute to the teaching profession or knowledge in a particular subject area. Books should focus on planning and assessment, encouraging student progress, instruction, safety and learning, communication, or community relations. Self-published books don’t qualify.
Mentorship and Supervision
Candidates may show they’ve helped mentor student teachers or interns to improve classroom performance through demonstration, direct instruction, observation with feedback, or consultation. Anyone using this option must complete mentor training before taking on the role, and again at least once during the 10-year renewal cycle.
Educational Project
An educational project is a focused plan based on teaching and learning that concludes with a written report and increases knowledge in a subject area.
Professional Development Activity
Activities that increase student learning and achievement, build teaching strategies, or support school-wide initiatives count toward your point total.
Mandatory Training Requirements
Beyond professional development points, Virginia regulation 8VAC20-23-110 requires every renewal to include statutory training, regardless of license term. These include child abuse recognition and intervention training developed by the Virginia Board of Education with the Virginia Department of Social Services, training in instruction for students with disabilities, current CPR, AED, and emergency first aid certification, and dyslexia awareness training. Cultural competency training has also been required for initial licensure and renewal since July 1, 2023, under Code of Virginia § 22.1-298.7. Teachers renewing a license endorsed in middle school civics or economics, or high school government or history, must also complete a five-point Virginia history and government module, and teachers renewing a history and social science endorsement must complete instruction in African American history.
How to Submit Your Renewal
Renewal requests go through VALO (Virginia Licensure Online), which replaced the state’s older eGOV portal when it went offline on December 31, 2024. If you’re employed by a Virginia public school division or an accredited nonpublic school, that division recommends your renewal to VDOE using the point system, and your renewal work in certain options needs advance approval from your division’s chief executive officer or designee. If you’re not employed by a Virginia educational agency, you submit your own renewal application, individualized renewal record, official transcripts, and fee directly to VDOE’s Office of Professional Licensure through VALO. Fees are listed on VDOE’s current licensure fee schedule and can be paid online through VALO or by personal check, money order, or cashier’s check made payable to the Treasurer of Virginia.
Paper applications and supporting documentation that aren’t submitted through VALO can be mailed to:
Virginia Department of EducationOffice of Licensure and School Leadership
PO Box 2120
Richmond, VA 23218
Reinstatement of Certification
An expired Virginia teaching license doesn’t have to stay expired. Per VDOE’s renewal manual, a license doesn’t need to be active to be renewed, so teachers whose licenses have lapsed follow the same VALO renewal process described above rather than a separate reinstatement track. Renewal activity, including the statutory training requirements, must fall within the ten-year period before the renewal request is submitted.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many professional development points do I need to renew my Virginia teaching license?
You need 270 professional development points if you hold a 10-year renewable license, the license type Virginia has issued since July 1, 2018. If you’re still completing an older 5-year license issued before that date, you need 180 points for that renewal, after which you’ll move to the 10-year, 270-point cycle.
What is VALO and do I need to use it to renew my license?
VALO, or Virginia Licensure Online, is the state’s current online licensing portal. It replaced the older eGOV system, which VDOE took offline on December 31, 2024. If you’re employed by a Virginia school division or accredited nonpublic school, your division recommends your renewal to VDOE. If you’re not employed by a Virginia educational agency, you submit your own renewal application and fee through VALO.
Can I renew an expired Virginia teaching license?
Yes. A Virginia teaching license doesn’t need to be active for VDOE to renew it. Teachers with expired licenses follow the standard VALO renewal process, provided their professional development and statutory training activities fall within the ten-year period before the renewal request.
What training is required for every Virginia license renewal?
Every renewal requires child abuse recognition and intervention training, training on instruction for students with disabilities, current CPR, AED, and emergency first aid certification, dyslexia awareness training, and cultural competency training. These are separate from and required in addition to your professional development points. Teachers with certain endorsements have added requirements, such as the Virginia history and government module for civics, economics, government, or history endorsements, and African American history instruction for history and social science endorsements.
How long is a Virginia teaching license valid before it needs to be renewed?
Virginia’s current licenses are valid for 10 years. Licenses issued before July 1, 2018, were valid for 5 years, and those license holders complete one more 5-year renewal cycle before shifting to the 10-year term.
- 10-year licenses need 270 points, not 180 — Virginia stopped issuing 5-year, 180-point licenses in 2018, so most teachers renewing today are on the 270-point, 10-year cycle.
- VALO replaced eGOV — all renewal submissions now go through Virginia Licensure Online after the state retired its older portal on December 31, 2024.
- Statutory training is separate from PD points — child abuse recognition, CPR/AED, dyslexia awareness, cultural competency, and special education training are required on top of your point total, with added modules for certain endorsements.
- Your division recommends your renewal — teachers employed by a Virginia school division or accredited nonpublic school have their renewal recommended to VDOE by that division, while unemployed applicants submit directly through VALO.
- Expired licenses still qualify for renewal — a license doesn’t need to be active for VDOE to renew it, as long as required activity falls within the prior ten-year window.
Find accredited programs and coursework in Virginia that can help you complete professional development points for your teaching license renewal.
