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.

General Requirements

To apply, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or hold eligible documentation (see Policy 5202)
• Have recommendation of the county Superintendent
  • If you are not employed by county school, you must also submit Form 4B: Character Reference with your application. 
• 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 Guide

• Applicant User Guide - Form 4S

$35