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As you learn how to become a PE teacher in Wyoming you will want to review the following steps:
 | Consider Your Pathway to Wyoming PE Teacher Certification |
 | Apply for and Renew a PE Teacher License in Wyoming |
 | Additional Considerations for Wyoming’s PE Teachers |
Wyoming’s Professional Teaching Standards Board is responsible for ensuring all the licensed PE teachers in the state are held to a high standard of competence and professionalism. As an independent board, nothing will get in the way of it making a reasoned and objective decision about which applicants to license. This Board is overseen by the State Legislature and the Governor’s Office, and since 1993, has operated independent of the Wyoming Department of Education.
Step 1. Consider Your Pathway to Wyoming PE Teacher Certification
The Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board recognizes two basic pathways to licensure for prospective PE teachers:
- Traditional route, including for online students and out-of-state applicants
- Alternative route, including for out-of-state experienced teachers
All prospective PE teachers must demonstrate knowledge of the US Constitution and the Wyoming State Constitution, either through previous academic coursework or by taking an exam on these subjects at the Professional Teaching Standards Board office in Cheyenne, or any Wyoming school district administration office. If you live out-of-state you can arrange to have the test sent to a proctor.
All PE teacher preparation programs will eventually culminate with an extended student teaching assignment in a local school where you will be placed under the supervision of an experienced PE teacher.
Traditional Route to PE Teacher Certification in Wyoming
To obtain a teaching license via the traditional route, you will need to complete at least a bachelor’s degree that includes an educator prep program. The degree program and teaching prep program must both be accredited.
In addition to including a student teaching segment, the PE teacher preparation program must also meet one of the following requirements:
- Be a PE program that is recognized by NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education)
- Be capable of issuing an Institutional Recommendation for PE on your behalf
Official Wyoming educator preparation programs are automatically accepted as valid. The Northern Plains Transition to Teaching (NPTT) program has been granted an in-state status.
If you already have a bachelor’s degree but have not completed a teacher preparation program, you will need to complete a post-bachelor’s teacher prep program before you can become a licensed PE teacher in Wyoming.
If you are completing an online degree and/or educator preparation program, or are an out-of-state resident, keep in mind that to be eligible for an Institutional Recommendation you need to be eligible for licensure as a teacher in your educational institution’s home state. Being eligible for a teaching license or certification may mean completing additional tests, depending on the policies of your educational institution’s home state licensing agency. For example, if you are a Wyoming resident and you are studying in an online college or university, you must meet the requirements for licensure as a PE teacher in the state where that online institution is headquartered.
Alternate Route to PE Teacher Certification in Wyoming
If you have worked as a PE teacher in another state for at least three of the past six years, you may be eligible for Wyoming teaching certification based on an alternative route. To obtain certification in this way, you will need to meet the following requirements:
- Be able to provide verification of at least three years of full-time teaching experience, not including student teaching
- Be able to provide a copy of your home-state teaching certification
Northern Plains Transition to Teaching (NPTT)
If you are a prospective PE teacher in the NPTT, you are eligible to work as such in Wyoming while you complete your teacher preparation program. This is a route you can consider if you have already completed at least a bachelor’s degree in a field that is closely related to PE, but have yet to complete the PE teacher prep segment. To be eligible for this program the following must happen:
- A Wyoming school must be unable to find a qualified PE teacher
- You must receive a conditional offer of employment from this school
- Upon receiving this offer you must enroll in the NPTT program and apply for an Exemption Authorization that will allow you to function as a PE teacher in that particular Wyoming school for one year
Step 2. Apply for and Renew a PE Teacher License in Wyoming
Once you have met all the necessary requirements you will be ready to fill out an application for licensure. In this application, you should mark the box that indicates you are applying as a Classroom Teacher. Along with this application you will need to submit transcripts and/or an Institutional Recommendation from your PE academic program.
Your PE Teaching license is valid for five years. You can renew this online or submit a paper renewal application. By the time you submit your renewal application, you will have needed to accumulate five renewal credits, which are considered to be:
- Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board-approved workshops
- University or college credits
Step 3. Additional Considerations for Wyoming’s PE Teachers
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) – Although becoming a NBPTS-certified teacher is not one of the requirements for PE teacher jobs in Wyoming, this is one way to distinguish yourself as a skilled teacher while at the same time earning renewal credits for your teaching license.
Referred to as National Board Certification, to gain this credential you will need to create an extensive portfolio of your work as a PE teacher in Wyoming. This should include video recorded examples of you teaching your PE class, and instances which demonstrate the effectiveness of your teaching and how this fosters student growth and development. The creation, submission, and evaluation of your teaching portfolio will take at least a year and is an involved, extensive process. The year you receive National Board Certification as a PE teacher, you will automatically earn three workshop renewal credits.
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) – NCATE is one of the institutions recognized by Wyoming’s Professional Teaching Standards Board as providing acceptable PE educator preparation courses. There are more than 100 NCATE-approved PE teaching programs nationwide, whose completion will make you eligible for physical education teacher jobs in Wyoming.
A program that is accredited by NCATE has met rigid standards and evaluations, signifying that it provides students with a professional level of PE education. NCATE has identified six key standards an approved PE educator preparation program will possess:
- Scientific and theoretical knowledge
- you will be able to apply and describe the biomechanical and physiological concepts related to movement
- you will be able to apply behavioral psychology to physical education principles
- Competent knowledge of fitness principles
- you will be able to demonstrate fine motor skill performance in a variety of activities
- you will be able to maintain a health-enhancing level of fitness throughout your class
- Planning and implementation
- you will be able to create and enact short and long-term curriculum plans
- you will be able to isolate and achieve specific lesson and fitness objectives
- you will be able to create and enact plans that address the issues of all your students
- Instructional delivery and management
- you will be able to effectively communicate using many methods, both verbal and non-verbal
- you will enact strategies that model responsible personal and social behavior
- you will create and maintain a productive and supportive PE learning environment
- Impact on student learning
- you will choose the most effective skills assessment methods to measure the progress of your PE students
- you will participate in self-reflection and invite the constructive advice of your superiors and colleagues to improve your teaching performance
- Professionalism
- you will act on the assumption that all students are capable of being successful in the PE classroom
- you will act respectfully in your actions and communications
- you will participate in activities that lead to professional growth through enhanced collaboration
As of July of 2013, NCATE has been consolidated to become a part of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, abbreviated as CAEP.
Phys Ed Teacher Salary in Wyoming
The Wyoming Labor Market Information website, which is managed and operated by the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, finds that there is an average physical education teacher salary in Wyoming of $67,608. This compares favorably with the national average of $63,770. The median in Wyoming is just slightly lower than the average at $62,373.
The overall salary gap is 50.7% with average salaries ranging anywhere from $46,867 to $94,990. Here is a more detailed breakdown:
Median; $62,373
Average: $67,608
10th Percentile: $46,867
25th Percentile: $53,643
75th Percentile: $76,117
90th Percentile: $94,990
Additionally, below is a snapshot of how physical education teachers in the Laramie County School District are paid:
Bachelor’s Degree
1 year: $47,142
5 years: $49,266
10 years: $51,929
15 years: $54,718
20 years: $57,634
26 years: $61,311
Bachelor’s Degree Plus 30 Units
1 year: $51,199
5 years: $53,323
10 years: $55,986
15 years: $58,775
20 years: $61,691
27 years: $66,002
Master’s Degree
1 year: $55,256
5 years: $57,380
10 years: $60,043
15 years: $62,832
20 years: $65,748
27 years: $70,059