Professional Student Support Certificate (Reciprocity from Out-of-State)

If you hold a valid student support certificate from a state other than West Virginia, use Form 20SR to request reciprocity.  This certificate is valid for one year.

Candidate Requirements

If you are employed by WVDE in any capacity in a county school system, multi-county CTE Center, West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition (WVSDT), or the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf/Blind (WVSDB), Form 20SR requires a recommendation from your employer. 

If you are not employed in any capacity of these entities, select NO COUNTY under EMPLOYING COUNTY and submit Form 4B Character Reference with your application.

General Requirements:

• US Citizen or hold eligible documentation (see WVBE Policy 5202)
• Good character
• Age 18
• Physically, mentally, and emotionally qualified
• Minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.5 for a bachelor’s degree or minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.0 for a master’s degree

Position Specific Requirements

• School Counselors must have a master’s degree in school counseling from an accredited IHE that offers a program leading to work in the K-12 public schools as a school counselor.
• Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) must have a master's degree in Speech Language Pathology from an accredited IHE that ofefrs a program leading to work in the K-12 public schools as a SLP.
• School Psychologists must have completed of an approved School Psychologist MA program from an accredited IHE or an equivalent degree as determined by the West Virginia Board of Examiners of Psychologists.
• Social Services and Attendance must have completed the program leading to licensure for Social Service and Attendance to work in the K-12 public schools as an Attendance Director. 
• School Nurses must have a valid Registered Nurse (R.N.) license issued by the West Virginia Board of Examiners, and one of the following:
  •  A bachelor’s degree in nursing with successful completion of an accredited School Nurse Program, OR 
  • A master’s degree with either 1) a valid national certification in school nursing from the National Board for Certification of School Nurses, Inc. or 2) a valid national certification in an area recognized by WVDE for School Nurses. Recognized areas include, but are not limited to, school nurse practitioner, pediatric nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, clinical specialist in community health nursing, clinical specialist in child and adolescent psychiatric and mental health nursing, or advanced nursing administration 

To send official transcripts to our office, please have your college/university send them to cert.transcripts.wvde@k12.wv.us. Transcripts must be received from the institution and not the applicant.

Application Instructions

Form 20SR must be completed online. If this is your first time using the WVDE Certification Portal, you will need to register. Follow the instructions for first-time applicants.

1. Log in to the portal and select apply for licensure, the license type, and the certification. 
2. Fill in the applicant information and attach any required documentation. You will need to provide personal information, such as your name and address, respond to legal disclosure questions, and indicate the county where you're employed, if applicable. ou may also need to provide supporting documentation verifying your current license or work history.
3. Submit the application.
4. If you are employed in a WV school system, multi-county CTE center, or West Virginia Schools of Diversion and Transition (WVSDT) Superintendent or designee, WVSDB, or WVD, your application will be sent to your county for approval. Following school and county approval, you will receive an email for payment. Log back in to the portal to pay the application fee. 
5. If you are not employed, the "pay now" button will appear on your dashboard, and you will be able to pay immediately.
6. Following the receipt of the application by the Office of Certification, you will receive an email with instructions for completing your background check.
7. When your background check is complete and your application is approved, you will receive an email with instructions to download your certificate. You may follow the status of your application on the Certification Portal or by checking the Application Status feature.

For more detailed instructions, watch our Form 20SR How To video: 

$100