Educational Psychology
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →KansasTeachers
Renewing a Kansas teaching license when you are not in a classroom
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Renewing a Kansas teaching license when you are not in a classroom still means meeting a renewal option: points under an individual development plan approved by a local council, or 8 credit hours in an approved program. KSDE's pages do not explain how someone outside a district files a plan, so ask KSDE in writing first, then plan your college credit.
Why being out of the classroom makes it harder
Most Kansas teachers earn renewal points through their district: the local Professional Development Council approves the plan, and district in-service hours fill much of it. KSDE says all professional development plans must be approved by your local council. If you are on leave, at home, working in another state or outside education, you may not have a district council handy.
KSDE's renewal page does not spell out how a teacher without a district files a plan. That is the first question to ask, and it is worth asking early in the term rather than in the final year.
Renewal options KSDE lists
- 160 points with at least 80 from college credit under an approved plan (no advanced degree).
- 120 points under an approved plan (advanced degree).
- 8 credit hours in an approved program, or completing an approved program.
- Three years of recent accredited experience in the current term (advanced degree, two renewals at most).
- Half the points if you take part in an educational retirement system.
Questions to send KSDE
Write to KSDE Teacher Licensure (the page lists TLALicense@ksde.gov) and ask:
- I am not employed by a Kansas district. Which Professional Development Council can approve my individual development plan, and how do I file it from outside a school?
- Which programs count as an 'approved program' for the 8 credit hours option?
- Will undergraduate credit on my chosen college transcript count as college credit toward the 80-point minimum?
- If my license lapses before I finish, what is the route back?
Timing when you are away
Keep these points in view:
| Item | What KSDE says |
|---|---|
| License term | 5 years for the professional license |
| When points count | During the current license term |
| Who approves | Your local Professional Development Council |
| Records | Keep records of points, coursework or experience for verification |
A plan that works from home
College credit travels with you; district in-service does not. Once you know who approves your plan, two or three self-paced 3-credit courses related to teaching, such as Educational Psychology and Psychology of Diversity, give 120 to 180 points. Through UPI Study PRO at $99 a month they can be finished in one or two months and moved via a college transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
Get the council's approval of the courses in writing before you start, keep the reply and the transcript together, and submit your renewal well before the term ends. If you plan to return to a Kansas classroom, check too whether the Seal of Literacy requirement starting 1 July 2028 applies to your license area.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask your local Professional Development Council, and KSDE if needed, in writing whether undergraduate credit on your chosen college transcript counts toward the 80 college-credit points before you enrol.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
can i renew my kansas teaching license if i am not teaching
Yes. The renewal options do not require current employment, but points must be earned under an individual development plan approved by a local Professional Development Council. Ask KSDE which council can approve your plan, or use the 8 credit hours in an approved program option.
what is the 8 credit hours option for kansas renewal
KSDE's renewal page lists completing 8 credit hours in an approved program, or completing an approved program, as a renewal option. Ask KSDE in writing which programs count as approved before you enrol in any course for this route.
can i renew a kansas license while living in another state
Usually, yes. College credit is the easiest part to earn from anywhere. The harder part is having an individual development plan approved by a Kansas council, so ask KSDE how out-of-state license holders file one.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
Psychology of Diversity
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Research Methods in Psychology
Self-paced online Research Methods in Psychology course (Psychology 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Two courses cover the 80-point college minimum once posted on a college transcript.
Sources
- KSDE Teacher Licensure: License Information and Application (Renew a Professional (5 year) License) (official)Professional license is a 5-year license. Renewal options: 160 points including at least 80 from college credit under an approved IDP (no advanced degree); 120 points under an approved IDP filed with the local PDC (advanced degree); 8 credit hours in an approved program, or completing an approved program; one college credit hour is 20 PD points; all plans approved by the local Professional Development Council; retirement system participants complete half the points; Seal of Literacy requirement for some educators from 1 July 2028. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- K.A.R. 91-1-205(b), Renewal of a professional license (Cornell LII copy of the Kansas regulation)(b)(3)(C): 160 professional development points under an approved individual development plan filed with a local professional development council, including at least 80 points for college credit, without an advanced degree; 120 points with an advanced degree; (b)(3)(E): three years of recent accredited experience for advanced-degree holders, limited to two renewals; (b)(3)(F): half the points for people in an educational retirement system. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- KSDE: Professional Development (official)A professional development point represents one hour of in-service education; one semester hour of college credit equals 20 professional development points. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.