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Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction application documents

Which documents does Washington require from an out-of-state teacher?

The state, institution, employer or testing provider may need to send some records directly.

Open First-Time Teacher Certification
Official state guidance State makes the decision Checked 2026-08-23

Core application evidence

Requirement

Official degree transcripts, program-completion verification or a full regular out-of-state certificate plus experience verification, test evidence and fingerprints are core materials for the out-of-state route.

Which application this evidence supports

Washington offers Residency and Professional teacher certificates, with separate out-of-state pathways based on preparation, full certification, experience, advanced certification and National Board status.

What can change this answer

A state-approved preparation program or a full regular out-of-state certificate plus three years of teaching can support the Residency route; only a comparable advanced certificate, National Board certification or ProTeach can support the Professional tier.

Conditions to resolve before sending records

  • The experience alternative requires a full regular out-of-state certificate and three years of verified out-of-state or out-of-country teaching
  • Washington may accept qualifying out-of-state test scores, but subject, version and score comparability matter
  • Professional certification requires an approved advanced out-of-state certificate, National Board certification or ProTeach in addition to Residency requirements

Send identity documents and background records only where the state agency instructs. TeachPassport does not receive them.

Official sources

Check again by 2026-11-23