iteach Alternate Route to Licensure Program
iteach is a non-college program accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation focused on offering aspiring potential educators an accessible and affordable opportunity to earn their teaching certification in Virginia.
Individuals interested in enrolling must apply for admission directly to iteach. Applicants must make sure they have met the prerequisites and have submitted their applications and all required documents directly to iteach and in conjunction with the partnering school division’s Human Resources licensure team.
Prerequisite Requirements
An individual seeking a provisional license through the iteach program must meet the following requirements:
- Complete the application process with iteach
- Seek employment with an approved partnering School Division (For the current list of approved partnerships, visit the iteach website.)
- Possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university (holds an overall 2.5 GPA or average 2.5 GPA in last 60 hours)
- The completion of requirements for an endorsement in a teaching area
- Qualifying scores on the professional teachers’ assessments prescribed by the Virginia Board of Education (see Professional Teacher’s Assessment Requirements)
iteach Program Overview
iteach is an alternative certification program committed to providing excellent teacher preparation. iteach carries the distinction of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation as an assurance that the institution’s teacher preparation program has met the national standards and has undergone rigorous external and impartial review by professionals, policymakers, and representatives of the public.
Getting to Know iteach
Retention and Growing Your Own
A New Career Path Solution
Identifying Candidates & Division Partnerships
A Solution to Vacancy Challenges
Partnering School Division
- Serves as hiring division
- Provides mentor teacher
- Conducts observations
- Submits license applications and documentation
- Verifies yearlong teaching residency requirement
iteach Program
- Professional Studies courses
- Content specific courses (Special Education, Elementary, and Reading, Writing, and Literacy bundled courses)
- Praxis course and test preparation
- Verification of initial credentials
- Program verification and Provisional Eligibility Statement for candidate and hiring division
- Certification of Completion for renewable license application process
- Program technical and educational support
Recommendation for a Ten-Year Renewable License
The holder of a Provisional License in the iteach program will be eligible to apply for a ten-year renewable license after the completion of the following:
- Successful completion of all program requirements for iteach Alternate Route to Licensure Program; and
- Submission of a recommendation from the Virginia employing educational agency with verification of the yearlong residency requirement
iteach Contacts
For the current list of approved partnering school divisions, please visit the iteach.net website.
For candidate specific information, technical assistance, or more information on the application process, contact iteach program representatives at adminVA@iteach.net.
School division representatives interested in learning more about becoming an approved partnering school division can contact Dr. Mo Gaffney, Mid-Atlantic Regional Director, at mo.gaffney@iteach.net.
Approved School Division partners and Human Resource team members can contact Dr. Laura Estes, Virginia Program Director at laura.estes@iteach.net.
For more information about alternate routes to licensure or becoming licensed to teach in Virginia, please contact licensure@doe.virginia.gov.
Programs are reviewed by the Virginia Department of Education's Office of Licensure and School Leadership and certified by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to ensure programs align with the Regulations Governing the Review and Approval of Education Programs in Virginia.
Special Education
iteach’s special education curriculum materials have been reviewed by the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program (SECEP) to ensure that they met requirements for educating potential Virginia educational professionals. Information on that review is available:
Information Session
Participating iteach divisions were able to attend an information session in November 2023 to learn more about the Virginia iteach program, approved programs and VDOE processes, including teacher licenses. The PowerPoint and recording of the webinar is linked below.
For more information, please review our Frequently Asked Questions document.