Educator Certification
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
(Mailing Address) PO Box 480 Jefferson City MO 65102 |
(Physical Address) 205 Jefferson Jefferson City MO 65101 |
Please Read Before Contacting Educator Certification
Educator Certification experiences a high volume of phone calls, e-mails, and applications to process. To help you check the status of your application, please use our online system. If your application status says “Pending DESE Verification” we are currently processing your application. You will be notified if we need further information and when your application is finalized. Most general questions may be answered using our “How Do I Find?” on the right hand side of this web page.
Change for Certificated Teachers Who Wish to Substitute
Individuals with current teaching certificates who wish to substitute teach in a school district are no longer required by the department to apply for a substitute certificate. For more information, please go to the administrative memo.
DESE Uses Online Certification System
Since June 1, 2011, all educator certification applications are only submitted electronically through the Department's new online certification system. To begin the application process, applicants (i.e. new graduates, educators seeking renewals and upgrades, and substitutes) will need to create a user I.D. and profile. Once an individual account and access is established, the applicant can select the appropriate online application to complete and submit to the Department.
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If you have additional questions or have difficulty logging into the certification web applications, please e-mail certification@dese.mo.gov or call 573-751-0051. You may also contact your regional professional development center: Regional Contact Reference
Certification - Background Clearance
This webinar gave an explanation of the background clearance process.
Overview of the New Online Certification System Webinar
The Office of Educator Quality conducted a webinar to introduce the new Web-based educator certification system.
Questions and Answers from the Webinar participants
Substitute Certification Verification Log -
Attention School District Officials
The Substitute Certification Verification Log is now open for the 2010-2011 school year. Your designated reporter may log into the on-line certification system at any time to verify the individuals that substitute taught for your district. Once logged into "DESE Web Applications," the Verification Log is located under the “Substitute Cert. Log” link.
Webinars Discuss Certification Process
The Office of Educator Quality is pleased to present monthly Webinars on a variety of topics. Recent Webinars have been recorded and some include helpful information about educator certification. They can be viewed anytime.