Add a Teaching Field

The information provided below is sourced from Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) §8-54-9.5, which pertains to adding a field to a teaching license.

Before starting an application to add a teaching field, it is important to confirm your eligibility by ensuring you hold an active, valid license with no deficiencies BEFORE applying. Applicants are required to submit their application online in order to add a new teaching field to an existing Hawaiʻi license. During the application process, they must they the "Add Teaching Field" option.

Begin your application by navigating to the Licenses/Permits tab in your HTSB account. Click the "Add Teaching Field" button and complete the application, ensuring you save after each step. When your application is complete, click the "Submit" button.

It may take up to six (6) weeks to process your application. This can be due to, but is not limited to, waiting on additional information from external agencies or schools. To check on the status of your application, go to My Profile Home in your HTSB account and view My HTSB Transaction history.

Before starting the application process of adding a teaching field, it is recommended to review the following informational guides:

License fields approved by HTSB: Go to > License and Permit Information page > Available License Fields & Grade Levels section
Go to > HTSB SATEP page

Licensed Through a SATEP

Completion of a State-Approved Teacher Education Program (SATEP) is required before certain credentials can be added to your teaching license. These endorsements or areas of certification cannot be granted through testing or experience alone and must be earned through the successful completion of a SATEP.

Teaching Field	HTSB Approved SATEP
Early Childhood Education (see HAR §8-54-9.5(b))	Chaminade University University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Literacy Specialist (see HAR §8-54-9.5(b))	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Reading Specialist (see HAR §8-54-9.5(b))	No HTSB approved preparation program
School Counselor Approved 9/17/2021 (see HTSB’s New Business Item 21-12 policy)	Chaminade University: Behavioral Sciences (School Counseling) University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
School Librarian (see HAR §8-54-9.5(b))	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa: Library and Information Science

Added Fields Only

Added Fields Only allows educators with an active, valid license and no deficiencies to expand their credentials by adding approved fields of teaching. This extension does not grant an initial license but serves to broaden existing licensure areas through the proper qualification process.

Teaching Field	HTSB Approved SATEP
Career and Technical Education (CTE)	Brigham Young University - Hawaiʻi Leeward Community College: Career and Technical Education (CTE) University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo
Ethnomathematics	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Online Teaching Only available for a Standard or Advanced License (see HTSB’s New Business Item 13-33) policy)	University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Teacher Leader Revised 3/4/2022 (see HTSB’s New Business Item 14-31 Revised policy)	University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Special Field Pathways

Pathways to Special Fields allow licensed educators with an active, valid license and no deficiencies to add approved fields to their credentials. These additions must meet established state requirements and cannot be used as a substitute for an initial license. Through added fields or endorsements, educators can specialize in new areas, strengthen their qualifications, and create more opportunities for professional growth.

Please note that for those interested in adding Teacher Leader to a Hawaiʻi license, the following job-embedded Teacher Leader experience must be verified at each renewal period. The Hawaiʻi Department of Education, Charter School, or Private School administrator must verify four (4) semesters of successful experience as a Teacher Leader for any of the following experiences:

Curriculum or Content Specialist / Coach
State Officer or Complex Area Instructional or Data Coach
Mentor Teacher
Department / Grade Level Chair
Service on school-wide, district, state, or national level that develops leadership skills and benefits students, the school community, or the profession, e.g., accreditation team, school turnaround team, instructional leadership team, etc. Service as a union faculty representative alone does not qualify an individual for the Teacher Leader license field.

Special Fields

Pathway

STEM

Updated as of March 3, 2022

Content Knowledge:

A total of thirty (30) semester credit hours (30) from an integrated STEM education program that includes six (6) semester credit hours in each of the four STEM disciplines at least three (3) semester hours in each of the disciplines must be upper-division level; the remaining 6 semester credit hours may be from any of the four STEM disciplines; OR
Complete 9 Professional Development (PD) credits and meet the experience requirement. The minimum completion of 9 PD credits needs to be offered by a private/non-profit organization or school district in integrated STEM education that includes all 4 STEM disciplines, with at least 3 hours of the engineering design process. During the course of the PD, the individual must develop and deliver a purposeful unit that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, along with other content areas; OR
Passing scores on the Praxis Technology Education test and a passing score on either the Praxis Science or Mathematics area test. Please see the Praxis Tests page under the Mathematics or Science categories for a list of exams accepted for STEM.

AND

The experience requirements for the STEM field verification of 1 year of full-time teaching in the field at the grade level requested, or 3 years of full-time teaching at the grade level requested, no matter the field, or passing the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test for the grade level requested.

Teacher Leader

Updated as of March 4, 2022

(see HTSB’s New Business Item 14-31 policy)

Completion of a teacher preparation program in Teacher Leadership; OR
Hold a license/certificate/endorsement from another state in the field of Teacher Leader; OR
Pass the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Praxis Performance Assessment for Teacher Leaders (PATL); OR
Hold a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification in one of the approved NBPTS certificate areas; OR
Complete an in-state board-approved Teacher Leadership program, e.g., Teacher Leader Academy (TLA), Na Kumu Alakaʻi, Hawaiʻi State Fellows, or Teacher Leadership Institute (TLI).
Job-embedded teacher leader experience in the areas identified by NBI 14-31. Please have your administrator complete the HTSB form TL7010, verifying at least four (4) semesters as a Teacher Leader.