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To become a PE teacher in Alaska, you must complete the following steps:
Physical education in Alaska is based on standards developed by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, which focuses on physical education as a content area in a total educational program. According to the Department, physical education is essential for the health and well-being of every student in Alaska, including those with special needs.
In Alaska, a physical education program must:
- Focus on fitness
- Teach skills that lead to the enjoyment of lifelong physical activity
- Embraces challenges unique to Alaska, including its geographic location, its cultural diversity, its climate and its local school structure
- Enhance all areas of a student’s development, including their:
- Health
- Academic performance
- Movement knowledge
- Physical fitness
- Goal setting
- Self-esteem
- Stress management
- Social skills
Alaska also recognizes a physically educated student as someone who is able to:
- Demonstrate competency in motor and movement skills as to perform a variety of physical activities
- Participate regularly in physical activity
- Apply fitness concepts to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of personal fitness
- Exhibit personal and social behavior that ensures the respect of everyone in physical activity settings
- Value physical activity for social interaction, health, enjoyment, and challenge
Step 1. Complete a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher from a Regionally Accredited College or University
All applicants for an initial teacher certification in Alaska must hold a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution.
If you do not currently possess a bachelor’s degree, the most direct route in Alaska to teacher certification is through the completion of an Alaska Approved Teacher Education Program.
However, you may also qualify for teacher certification as a physical education teacher in Alaska by achieving a State Recommendation. This applies if you have completed:
- A state-approved (non-university program) teacher preparation program for certification in another state
OR
- An Institutional Recommendation if you have completed either an Alaska Approved Teacher Education Program or a university teacher preparation program in another state
Even if you have not yet completed a teacher preparation program you may also qualify for certification and be eligible to fill PE teacher jobs in Alaska by submitting proof of program enrollment to the Board of Education.
Step 2. Complete a Basic Competency Examination
Teachers in Alaska must meet the basic competency exam requirement for teacher certification in Alaska, which includes achieving passing scores in reading, writing, and mathematics through the completion of one of the following approved basic competency examinations:
- PRAXIS I, Pre-Professional Skills Test: You must achieve the following passing scores on the PRAXIS I:
- Reading: 175
- Writing: 174
- Math: 173
- PRAXIS Academic Skills for Educators (This examination will replace the PRAXIS I as of July 1, 2014.) You must achieve the following passing scores on the ASE:
- Reading: 156
- Writing: 162
- Math: 150
- Alabama Work Keys
- California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)
- Florida Teacher Certification Examination – General Knowledge:
- Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators
- Illinois Certification Testing System
- Michigan Test for Teacher Certification
- New Mexico Assessment of Teacher Basic Skills
- New York State Teacher Certification, Liberal Arts and Science Test
- Oklahoma General Education Test
- Washington Educator Skills Test (WEST-B)
Step 3. Apply for an Alaska PE Teacher Certificate
Depending on your background and qualifications, you may apply for one of the following teacher certificates in Alaska:
Initial Two-Year Teacher Certificate
To qualify for an initial two-year teacher certificate, you must:
- Have completed an approved teacher preparation program (through either an Institutional Recommendation or a State Recommendation)
- Have achieved passing scores on an approved basic competency examination (Step 2)
Initial Three-Year Teacher Certificate
To qualify for an initial three-year teacher certificate, you must:
- Have completed an approved teacher preparation program (through either an Institutional Recommendation or a State Recommendation)
- Have achieved passing scores on an approved basic competency examination (Step 2)
- Have completed at least three semester hours of approved Alaska studies coursework
- Have completed at least three semester hours of approved multicultural coursework
Initial One-Year Teacher Certificate (Out-of-State)
To qualify for an initial one-year teacher certificate, you must:
- Hold a current and valid out-of-state certificate at the time of initial application
- Have completed at least three semester hours of approved Alaska studies coursework
- Have completed at least three semester hours of approved multicultural coursework
Initial One-Year Teacher Certificate (Program Enrollment)
To qualify for a one-year teacher certificate through program enrollment, you must:
- Have achieved passing scores on an approved basic competency examination (Step 2)
- Be currently enrolled in a state-approved teacher preparation program
All applicants for teacher certification in Alaska must complete the Teacher Certification Application for Initial Certification and send it, along with one completed fingerprint card (email the teacher certification office at [email protected] to request a fingerprint card), all related documentation (proof of basic competency examination and program completion), and a cashier’s check or money order (made payable to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development) for $185 ($125 application fee and $60 fingerprint processing fee) to:
Department of Education and Early Development
Teacher Education and Certification
P.O. Box 110500
Juneau, Alaska 99811
Step 4. Renew your PE Teacher Certification
Second Initial Teacher Certificate
The next step in teacher certification in Alaska for physical education teachers is the Second Initial Teacher Certificate, which is valid for a period of three years. To qualify for this certificate, you must show proof of the completion of (if you haven’t done so already):
- The completion of at least three semester hours of approved Alaska studies coursework
- The completion of at least three semester hours of approved multicultural coursework
- The completion of at least 6 semester hours of coursework in the five years prior to the application
Professional Teacher Certificate
To qualify for the professional teacher certificate in Alaska, you must show proof of the completion of:
- Two years of teaching physical education on a valid teaching certificate
- Six semester hours of college coursework in the last five years
- Passing scores on an approved content area examination (PRAXIS II: Physical Education, Content Knowledge (5091 or 0091).
The professional certificate is valid for a period of five years and is renewable upon the completion of:
- Six semester hours of credit, with at least three semester hours of those credits being in upper division or graduate credits
- Verification of employment in an Alaska public school district
All certificate renewals in Alaska, including those for physical education teaching certification, are completed online.
Phys Ed Teacher Salary in Alaska
Both the U.S. Department of Labor and the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development have not been able to truly capture the average Alaska PE teacher salary. However, we can get a good idea of how PE teachers in Alaska are being paid by looking to the individual school districts.
Below is a snapshot of salaries from the Anchorage School District:
Bachelor’s Degree
Step 0: $47,449
Step 1: $48,737
Step 2: $50,027
Step 3: $51,315
Step 4: $52,604
Step 5: $53,894
Step 6: $55,181
Step 7: $56,472
Step 8: $57,760
Step 9: $59,049
Step 10: $60,337
Bachelor’s Degree Plus 36 Units
Step 0: $52,175
Step 1: $53,464
Step 2: $54,752
Step 3: $56,041
Step 4: $57,330
Step 5: $58,618
Step 6: $59,908
Step 7: $61,197
Step 8: $62,485
Step 9: $63,774
Step 10: $65,062
Step 11: $66,352
Step 12: $67,641
Step 13: $68,929
Step 14: $70,218
Master’s Degree
Step 0: $52,748
Step 1: $54,037
Step 2: $55,326
Step 3: $56,616
Step 4: $57,903
Step 5: $59,193
Step 6: $60,481
Step 7: $61,771
Step 8: $63,058
Step 9: $64,348
Step 10: $65,637
Step 11: $66,926
Step 12: $68,214
Step 13: $69,503
Step 14: $70,791
Step 15: $72,082