• District Leadership (superintendent)
• Building Leadership (principal)

Regulations provide for an initial school leadership license (2 years) and a professional school leadership license (5 years).

Building or District Administrator Requirements

• You must have five years of experience in a state-accredited school while holding a professional level teaching, school specialist or clinical license or a full vocational-technical certificate.
• You must complete the appropriate approved graduate level school leadership program and hold a graduate degree to qualify for a school leadership license.
• Contact the licensure officer, at the college or university, for a plan of study (Institutional Contact List), including entry requirements into the program. You should not start the program unless you meet the experience requirements described above
• Complete all program and degree requirements:
  • Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.25 or above in your graduate coursework is required.

Complete a School Leadership content test:

School leadership exam administered through Educational Testing Services.
For information on testing: https://www.ets.org/praxis/ks/requirements

                                        THEN

1. Apply for and receive an initial school leadership license.
2. Complete a performance assessment:
       A year-long approved mentoring program chosen by the hiring local education agency.
3. Apply for and receive a five –year professional school leadership license.

Are the requirements for a school leadership license the same if I am an experienced administrator coming from out-of-state?

The degree, program, GPA, recency and minimum experience requirements are the same.  However, if you meet specific experience requirements, you may qualify for a professional school leadership license as your initial Kansas license and would be exempt from any testing requirements.  If you do not meet the requirements for a professional school leadership license, you would have to meet all requirements of the initial school leadership license, including completion of a school leadership assessment.

Out-of-state applicant requirements for a professional school leadership license:

• Graduate degree from a regionally accredited college
• Completion of a graduate level state approved program
• 3.25 cumulative grade point average in graduate coursework
• Recency - means the applicant must have at least 8 credit hours or one year of accredited experience completed within the last six years
• Three years of accredited experience under a valid professional license/certificate
• School leadership licensure assessment

AND

• Successful completion of a school leadership content and performance assessment

OR

• Three years of recent accredited experience in a school leadership position with a valid professional school leadership license

I have already completed all the requirements for a license and need to apply.  Where can I get an application?

• Completed a Kansas program
  • Contact the licensure officer at your Kansas institution for the appropriate application form and to coordinate the application process.
• Completed an out-of-state program
  • Initial Out-of-State Application - Form 2  (PDF)