The International Schools Review Forum

If you teach at a school that is not accredited by a US association, will it be difficult to renew your certificate?

What about schools that are accrredited?

The best answer that I can give you is that it depends. You should probably check with your state's department of education to understand their requirements for renewing your certification.

Most international schools have [i]some[/i] kind of accreditation; it might not be from the accreditation body that schools in your state typically have though.

Unless your state requires credible service hours or PD hours be earned at an accredited institution it shouldnt be a problem. Just about every IS is accreditied at least by the appropriate government ministry/department in the host country. I've never had a problem.

The biggest hassle has been getting "enough" PD to renew a certificate. There are several posts already on this.

Generally, the western association accredits schools in asia. The southern association in south/central america, and the Northern associations in Europe.

[quote="PsyGuy"]Unless your state requires credible service hours or PD hours be earned at an accredited institution it shouldnt be a problem. Just about every IS is accreditied at least by the appropriate government ministry/department in the host country. I've never had a problem.

The biggest hassle has been getting "enough" PD to renew a certificate. There are several posts already on this.

Generally, the western association accredits schools in asia. The southern association in south/central america, and the Northern associations in Europe.[/quote]

Online classes through and accredited program are a good bet. Yes, you may have to pay out of pocket, but there shouldn't be a problem with your state accepting the credits and it shows future employers that you are trying to stay up to date on professional development (and you may actually learn something worthwhile).