Wisconsin Teacher Certification Renewal

Learn how to renew a Professional Educator Certification or reinstate a Professional Educator Certification in Wisconsin.

Teaching Certification Renewal

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI), after five years, an initial educator’s license expires, and a teacher must undergo the renewal process. The Initial Educator’s License is non-renewable, except for teachers who have not attained three years of teaching experience in the five years.

If a candidate has not completed three years of teaching experience before their license expires, they may apply for another five-year initial license.

For teachers who have completed three years of teaching, they are eligible to advance to a Professional Educator License. A Professional Educator License requires applicants to complete three to five years of teaching, and also must submit a Professional Development Plan (PDP).

A PDP ensures that teachers are improving throughout their educational careers, and shows evidence of professional growth in teaching.

With a completed PDP and three years of experience, initial educator license holders are prepared to apply for five-year Professional Educator Licensure.
Information about renewing a Professional Educator License may be found here.

The third stage of licensure after Professional Educator Licensure is the Master Educator License. A Master Educator License is an optional 10-year certification available to holders of a Professional Educator License.

There are two routes to earning a Master Educator License: