Professional Student Support Certificate (Out-of-State)

The initial Student Support Certificate is valid for three (3) years. This certificate is required for school counselors, school nurses, school psychologists, speech language pathologists, and attendance directors.

General Requirements

To apply, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or hold eligible documentation (see Policy 5202, Minimum Requirements for the Licensure of Professional/Paraprofessional Personnel and Advanced Salary Classifications)
• Be at least 18 years old
• Be physically, mentally, and emotionally qualified
•  Have verification and approval on the Form 20SA from the certification official or designee at the college or university where the program was completed
  • If you are employed in any capacity in a WV public school system, the county official or designee must approve the Form 20SA. 
  • If you are not employed in any capacity with these entities, select "no county" under "employing county". 

Education Level

To qualify, you must: 

• Have a minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.5 for a bachelor’s degree or minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 for a master’s degree
  • Refer to the licensure testing directory and Policy 5202 for West Virginia Board of Education testing requirements. 

Please have your college or university email official transcripts to our office (cert.transcripts.wvde@k12.wv.us). Transcripts must be received from the college or university, not the applicant.

Position Specific Requirements

School Counselors 

You must have a master’s degree in school counseling from an accredited college or university that offers a program leading to licensure to work in the public school system as a school counselor. 

Speech Language Pathologists (SLP)

You must have a master's degree in speech language pathology from an accredited college or university that offers a program leading to licensure to work in the public school system as an SLP.

School Psychologists

You must have completed of an approved school psychologist master's degree program from an accredited college or university, or an equivalent degree as determined by the West Virginia Board of Examiners of Psychologists.

Attendance Directors

You must have completed the program leading to licensure for social services and attendance to work in the public school system as an attendance director.

School Nurses

You must have a valid Registered Nurse (R.N.) license issued by the West Virginia Board of Examiners or a compact state, and one of the following:

• A bachelor’s degree in nursing with successful completion of an accredited School Nurse Licensure Program
• A master's degree with either:
  • A valid national certification in school nursing from the National Board for Certification of School Nurses, Inc.
  • A valid national certification in an area recognized by the Department for School Nurses
    • Recognized areas include, but are not limited to:
      • School nurse practitioner
      • Pediatric nurse practitioner
      • Family nurse practitioner
      • Clinical specialist in community health nursing
      • Clinical specialist in child and adolescent psychiatric and mental health nursing
      • Advanced nursing administration

Application Submission

For instructions on how to apply for a license to work in West Virginia public schools, follow the steps detailed on the certification application process page.

If this is your first time using our Certification Portal, you will need to register. Follow the instructions for first-time applicants. 

For more detailed instructions, watch our Form 20SA how-to video.

$100