Educators are licensed in Wisconsin based on completion of a state-approved educator preparation program. Because there are statutory requirements governing educator licensing in Wisconsin, all educator preparation programs in Wisconsin that are approved by the State Superintendent have incorporated all the statutory requirements as stated in Wis. Stat. 118.19 and Wis. Admin. Code PI 34.

It is likely that an approved educator preparation program outside of Wisconsin will not have the same statutory requirements in their programs. As such, applicants for Wisconsin educator license who completed their program outside of Wisconsin will not have fulfilled the statutory requirements for Wisconsin educator license. For applicants who are otherwise eligible for a Wisconsin license based on their credentials, they may be issued a license with stipulations.

License with Stipulations

If an educator is issued a license with stipulations, they will receive a stipulation letter along with their license certificate. The license holder should retain the stipulation letter. A few things to note about license with stipulations:

• Licenses with stipulations are non-renewable.
• All stipulations must be satisfied or removed during the 5-year of the license period, before the expiration date of the license, in order to obtain a regular educator license (without stipulation).
• Educators who hold Initial Educator License with Stipulations must remove all stipulations and successfully complete a PDP before they can advance to Professional Educator License.
• Educators who hold Professional Educator License with Stipulations must remove all stipulations and fulfill all professional growth requirements (PDP or six semester credit, depending on their license type) before they can renew their Professional Educator License as a license without stipulation.

Educators who hold license with stipulations must submit the following application form to remove their stipulations.

• PI-1602-STP: License Application – Stipulation Removal
  

  In addition to proof of completion of the stipulations requirement, make sure to include other information that is required to advance or renew the license (e.g. professional growth requirement, experience verification, transcripts)

If the stipulation removal is approved, and the requirements for advancement or renewal of the license are fulfilled, a regular Professional Educator license (without stipulation) will then be issued as a result of that application. No other application forms will need to be submitted to advance the Initial Educator license or renew the Professional Educator license.

All stipulations, except conflict resolution and student teaching, cannot be removed by experience. Coursework is required for removing stipulations.

Other Information

If you feel that you have already completed coursework that covers any stipulations cited when your license was issued by the DPI, make a copy of the stipulation letter and send it to the college/university where you completed your educator preparation program. Request that an official from the college/university (preferably the certification officer or dean of the education department) forwards a letter of verification to the DPI, indicating that specific coursework satisfy one or more of the stipulations.

This verification letter should be mailed to the DPI Madison office. You will receive a written notification from the DPI of any changes regarding your stipulations.

Courses and Workshops that Address Stipulations

Any identified stipulation that can be fulfilled through coursework can be completed at any approved program. However, the following includes information of programs created specifically to the needs of educators who holds license with stipulations.