• Documentation Guidelines

  • Providing relevant documentation is a vital part of the licensure and certification process both for initial applicants and and for Delaware-certified educators wishing to add an area to their certification. This Documentation Guidelines page includes the following sections:

     

    Introduction

    Candidates who are not employed by a Delaware public or charter school shall have all official documentation related to licensure/certification sent by mail (with the exception of test scores, which are forwarded electronically upon request) to the following mailing address, or electronically to deeds@doe.k12.de.us:

    Delaware Department of Education
    Collette Education Resource Center
    35 Commerce Way, Suite 1
    Dover, DE 19904
    ATTN: Certification

    Employed candidates should send all documentation (with the exception of test scores which should be sent directly to the Department as outlined in the Testing Guidelines) to their district personnel office or charter school, which will forward the information to the Department

    The Department will not process your file until receiving documentation of all statements (test scores, education, experience, etc.) you have made in the online application. As a candidate for licensure and certification, you are responsible for monitoring the receipt of your documents via the Delaware Educator Data System (DEEDS). To do so, simply log in to the system using your username/password and follow the prompts.

    Please keep in mind that documents will not appear on your documentation checklist as received until they are manually logged into the system, a process which can take several weeks (allowing for third party processing, postal service and data entry). Once received by the Department, all documents become part of your permanent file. Please do not contact the Department asking for any of the documents (in original or copied form). The Department cannot dismantle your file and does not have the manpower to serve as a source of documentation for other organizations. Delaware public and charter schools have access to their employees’ information via DEEDS.

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  • Defining Official

    All documents, with the exception of copies of out-of-state and/or national certificates (if applicable), must be official, meaning they must be sent directly from the appropriate third party (e.g., the college/university, testing organization, former employer, independent credentialing agency) to the Department by mail or electronically to deeds@doe.k12.de.us, or forwarded unopened to the Department by the candidate.  Applicants submitting test scores should be sure to review the Testing Guidelines for test-specific submission procedures. 

    As a candidate, you may choose to have all necessary documents sent to your home address so that you can forward them to the Department as a single package provided that the documents remain unopened until their arrival at the Department. Employed candidates should forward their documents to the Department via their district office or charter school. Documents submitted by districts and charters must have met the standard of official documents when received at the district- or school level.

    All photocopies submitted must be in document format.  Photographic and/or jpg images are not accepted.  Photocopies may be submitted via email to DEEDS.

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  • Certification Related Documents

    Official College Transcripts:

    • Required for all candidates for Delaware licensure/certification.
    • Candidates with non-U.S. credentials will substitute their sealed independent evaluation reports (see below) for official transcripts.
    • Candidates should send verification of all college-level coursework. All transcripts must meet the standard of an official document. Graduates of a non-Delaware education program must use the Form T to verify the out-of-state approved program if transcript verbiage is not easily interpreted.
    • Official, sealed, regionally accredited bachelor’s transcripts are required for all licensure applications. All other transcripts submitted must also be official, sealed, and regionally accredited.
    • Electronic transcripts must be submitted as follows:
      • eScrip-Safe requests sent to "Delaware Department of Education"
      • Other online transcripts emailed to deeds@doe.k12.de.us.

    Independent Evaluation of Non-US Coursework:

    • Required for: All candidates with non-U.S. coursework and/or degrees.
    • This evaluation substitutes for the transcript and must meet the standard of an official document.

    Official Test Scores:

    • Required for all candidates, except those wishing to teach in an area where a test has not yet been approved by the State of Delaware.
    • As detailed in Testing Guidelines, test scores should be forwarded to the Delaware Department of Education electronically upon your request.

    School Counseling Clinical Experience (Form C):

    Out-of-State Approved Program Form (Form T):

    • Required for all graduates of a non-Delaware education program.
    • In addition to serving as a transcript request form, this form also serves as a means of verifying the accreditation of one’s education program. The form typically accompanies the sealed transcript and therefore meets the standard of an official document. If sent separately from the transcript, the form must also meet the official standard.

    Teaching Experience Form (Form E):

    • Required for applicants who have held a full-time (non-substitute) K-12 teaching position in a school other than a Delaware public or charter school. Teaching experience in a Delaware public or charter school is documented in DEEDS and thus does not need to be documented via Form E.
    • Form E must be completed by the school or the personnel office of the school or district where the experience was obtained and must meet the standard of an official document.

     Non-Teaching Experience Form (Form E/NT):

    • Required for applicants who have held a full-time position as a school administrator, guidance counselor, library/media specialist, nurse, psychologist, or social worker in a school other than a Delaware public or charter school. Non-teaching experience obtained in a Delaware public or charter school is documented via DEEDS and thus does not need to be documented via the Form E/NT. Trade and industry, School Nurse, and School Social Worker applicants should also use the form to document the full-time experience in a non-school setting. School Guidance Counselor, School Psychologist, and School Social Worker applicants should use the form to document relevant internship experience.
    • The Form E/NT must be completed by the candidate's former employer (in the case of administrators and specialists, the school or personnel office of the school or district where the experience was obtained) and must meet the standard of an official document.

    Course Comparability Request Form (Course Comparability Request Form):

    • Required to request the interpretation of alignment of the regulation course requirement to the educator’s proposed course for review for comparability.
    • The Course Comparability Form must be completed by the educator and submitted to the indicated email address.

    Full and Current Out-of-State Licenses/Certificates:

    • Required for all holders of full and current out-of-state licensure/certification.
    • Photocopies of full and current out-of-state licensure/certification must be submitted.

    National Certificates:

    • Required for all current holders of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) and nationally certified specialists. 
    • Photocopies are required for all national certificates. Past documentation of national certificates may also be required.

    Professional Licenses:

    CPR Training:

    • Required for all candidates for School Nurse licensure/certification.
    • Photocopies required for all current CPR/AED training certifications.


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  • Submission Guidelines for Previously Evaluated Candidates

    This information includes holders of Emergency, Limited Standard and Temporary Certificates. If you are submitting documentation to fulfill the requirements of an evaluation letter, either for your first license/certificate, for an additional certificate, or for a standard certificate in an area where you currently hold an emergency certificate, you should follow the instructions given to you in your letter. A candidate who has been told to complete coursework or meet a testing requirement should submit documentation of having done so using the above documentation guidelines. Forms should also be submitted according to these guidelines. Upon receiving documentation from a previously evaluated candidate, the Department will review the candidate’s file and make the necessary adjustments to his or her licensure/certification (should a change be warranted). A candidate does not submit an additional online application/evaluation request.

    Holders of expired limited standard or temporary certificates should refer to Limited Standard Certificate or Temporary Certificate.

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Last Modified on July 19, 2022