Every Washington certificate type,
with the OSPI clock hours behind it.
A curated reference for K-12 educators working in Washington. Each row shows the required OSPI clock hours, accepted college semester credit hours, renewal cycle, and the public OSPI / WAC citation that backs the numbers — so a recertification window never opens with a guessing game.
Seeded from public OSPI guidance — owner-maintained
The rows below are seeded from publicly available Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and WAC guidance. The full dataset lives in one editable TypeScript module — src/lib/business/wa-license-types.ts — so anyone maintaining the CredenSync educator experience can refresh the numbers, add a new pathway, or update a citation without touching the page itself.
When a number is uncertain, this page shows — rather than guessing. Treat the rows as a starting point: the citation in each row links to the underlying public source, and the linked Washington Department of Education educator-certification landing page is the authoritative reference for any individual case.
Each row tells the same five-part story
The library groups Washington educator certificate types by pathway so the renewal rules for a CTE teacher read next to the renewal rules for a school principal — instead of getting lost inside a single undifferentiated list.
Washington license types, grouped by pathway
Each table covers one pathway. Rows are ordered the way OSPI lists them in its educator-certification guidance.
Initial
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Initial Teaching CertificateEntry-level Washington teaching certificate issued after completion of an OSPI-approved educator preparation program and the required Washington Educator Skills Tests (WEST) or comparable content assessment. Valid 5 years; the holder must complete the ProTeach Portfolio (or an OSPI-approved residency alternative) to advance to the Residency certificate. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI Initial Educator Certificate |
Standard
3 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Residency Teaching CertificateSecond-level Washington teaching certificate. Issued after the Initial holder completes an OSPI-approved teacher residency and a year-long comprehensive assessment (ProTeach, NBPTS, or an approved Continuing pathway). Valid 5 years and renews into the Professional certificate upon meeting the Professional Growth plan requirements. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI Residency Certificate |
Professional Teaching CertificateWashington’s standard renewable teaching certificate. Renewal requires completion of an OSPI-approved Professional Growth Plan (PGP) — typically 15 OSPI clock hours of job-embedded continuing education logged across the 5-year cycle, evaluated against the Washington Educator Standards. Continuing education is documented through eCert via the OSPI PGP portal. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI Professional Certificate Renewal (PGP) |
School Counselor CertificateIssued to school counselors completing an OSPI-approved school counseling program and the required WEST-E School Counselor assessment. Renewal follows the same Professional Growth Plan (PGP) cadence as the Professional Teaching certificate, with content aligned to the Washington School Counselor Standards. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI ESA School Counselor |
Administrator
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Principal CertificateRequired for Washington building-level administrators (principal, assistant principal). Issued after the Principal ESA program and a passing score on the WEST-E Principal assessment. Renewal: Professional Growth Plan (PGP) — typically 15 OSPI clock hours — aligned to the Washington State Leadership Standards and including evaluation training. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI Principal ESA Certificate |
Program Administrator CertificateRequired for Washington district-level program administrators (CTE directors, special education directors, Title I/LAP directors, etc.). Renewal follows the same PGP cadence as the Principal certificate, with content tied to the specific ESA program role rather than building-level leadership standards. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI Program Administrator ESA |
Career & Technical
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Career & Technical Education (CTE) CertificateIssued to CTE teachers in Washington-approved CTE program areas (or those holding a relevant industry credential + qualifying occupational experience). Renewal: PGP — typically 15 OSPI clock hours — supplemented by industry credential maintenance; WAC 180-77A pathways cover both standard and limited CTE certificates. | — | — | 5-year cycle | OSPI CTE Certificate (WAC 180-77A) |
Bring this reference into a living recertification record
The CredenSync educator plan keeps your Washington OSPI clock hours, PGP plan entries, and renewal cycle visible in one place — and warns you before a window opens. Start free while you evaluate.