WV Professional Student Support Certificate Renewal

Use Form 4S to: 

• Request renewal of a three-year or five-year professional Student Support Certificate
• Convert a three-year professional teaching certificate to a five-year professional Student Support Certificate.
• Convert a three-year or five-year professional teaching certificate to a permanent Student Support  Certificate.
  • Review Policy 5202, Minimum Requirements for the Licensure of Professional/Paraprofessional Personnel and Advanced Salary Classifications, for information on the criteria for renewing or converting your professional Student Support Certificate. If you are employed in a county school system, please contact your county certification officer for assistance with the renewal process.
  • Renewal applications can only be submitted after January 1 of the year the certificate expires. This does not apply to candidates seeking a permanent certification who have the following:
    • Five-year certificate.
    • Master's degree.
    • Five (5) years of full-time experience.
    • Completion of the Beginning Educator Internship/Induction or qualify for an exemption.

Candidate Requirements

If you are employed by the West Virginia public school system, Form 4S requires an official recommendation from the county Superintendent. If you are not employed by county school, you must also submit Form 4B: Character Reference with your application. 

General Requirements

To apply, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or hold eligible documentation (see Policy 5202).
• Have recommendation of the county Superintendent.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be physically, mentally, and emotionally qualified.
• Hold, or have previously held, a West Virginia Professional Student Support Certificate.
  • School nurses must hold a valid West Virginia Registered Nurse (WVRN) license.

Renewal Requirements

To be eligible to renew or convert your certificate, one of the following must apply:

• Have completed three (3) hours of eligible coursework or WVLearns courses for a one (1) year certificate.
• Have completed six  (6) hours of eligible coursework or WVLearns coursework.
• Hold a Master’s +30 advanced salary classification.
• Have reached the age of 60.
• Hold a five-year certificate, a master’s degree, and five years of full-time experience.

A minimum of 3.0 GPA is required for all semester hour coursework for renewal. To send official transcripts to our office, please have your college or university send them to cert.transcripts.wvde@k12.wv.us. Transcripts must be received from the institution and not the applicant.

Application Submission

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

For more detailed instructions, watch our Form 4 How To video.

User Guides

• Applicant User Guide - Form 4S
• College or University User Guide - Form 4S
• County User Guide - Form 4S

$35