ASPIRING TEACHERS

IPS offers several pathways to become a licensed teacher – and we’ll support you along the way.

Join Team IPS and let’s Prove What’s Possible for our 30,000+ students and community.

Pre-Service Teachers: Classroom Experiences

Indianapolis Teaching Fellows

Program participants engage in one-time pre-employment training from June 1 - July 15. Following the training, Fellows begin teaching in the fall, lead a class of their own students, and earn a full-time teacher’s salary and benefits. Fellows continue building their skills with coaching tailored to their individual needs and complete two years of coursework at Marian University, culminating in Indiana teacher certification and a Master of Arts in Teaching.

Partners: TNTP and Marian University

Requirements: Bachelor's Degree (min GPA 3.0)

    • Elementary Education: Yes

    • Secondary Content Areas: Yes

    • Early Childhood Education: Yes

    • Special Education: Yes

    • Teaching English as a New Language (ENL): Yes

IndyTeach Apprenticeship

The IndyTeach Apprenticeship is a no-cost, paid, fully-embedded educator training program offering a path to teaching for aspiring teachers. Current IPS non-teaching staff, college graduates, or those who wish to pursue a new career in education after starting in other careers are all good candidates for this teacher certification program.

Partner: Christel House Indianapolis

Requirements: Bachelor's Degree (min 3.0 GPA or 2.50 GPA + 5 years of related work experience)

    • Elementary Education: Yes

    • Secondary Content Areas: Yes

    • Early Childhood Education: No

    • Special Education: No

    • Teaching English as a New Language (ENL): No

Early College Teacher Program (ECTP)

The Early College Teacher Pathway (ECTP) at Arsenal Technical High School, starting Fall 2024, provides an opportunity for IPS high school juniors to earn dual credit and gain work-based learning in education. Sophomores in the Education Professions pathway can apply to the two-year Butler ECTP to earn dual credit, learn from college professors, and experience campus life. ECTP prepares students to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Education at Butler University and return to teach in IPS, while including an academic articulation path and additional supports.

Partner: Butler University

Requirements: Junior at Arsenal Technical High School

    • Elementary Education: Yes

    • Secondary Content Areas: No

    • Early Childhood Education: No

    • Special Education: No

    • Teaching English as a New Language (ENL): No

IPS Emergency Permit (EP)/Alternative Special Education Licensure (Alt SpEd) Support Pathway

IPS provides testing support by paying for costs related to Passage Preparation (PP) study coursework and required Praxis assessment(s) for teachers hired into certified teaching roles at high-need schools or in high-need subject areas. PP courses are aligned to content measured on the Praxis licensure exams required by the Indiana Department of Education and include embedded practice quizzes and tests throughout the modules and following course completion. 

Partner: Passage Preparation and ETS/Praxis

Requirements: Bachelor's of Science Degree in Education 

  • Must be pursuing additional licensure in a high-need subject area (Special Education, Foreign Language, Mathematics, Science) OR

  • Must be employed by IPS at a high-need school or in a high-need subject area AND

  • Must have evidence of prior attempt(s) to pass Praxis test(s) corresponding to area of licensure in which currently teaching 

    • Elementary Education: Yes

    • Secondary Content Areas: Yes

    • Early Childhood Education: Yes

    • Special Education: Yes

    • Teaching English as a New Language (ENL): Yes

IPS Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP)

Launching in Fall 2025, the inaugural cohort of IPS RAP apprentices represents an exciting first “on ramp” in what we hope will be a range of professional educator pathways (PEPs) within IPS. Apprentices will pursue their Bachelor's degree through a combination of job-embedded experiences and Marian University online coursework. Candidates for this opportunity include current IPS non-licensed classified staff who are interested in becoming classroom teachers at a greatly reduced or no cost.

Partners: Marian University and BloomBoard

Requirements: Associates Degree

(IPS is actively exploring pathways for candidates starting with a high school diploma or equivalent) 

    • Elementary Education: Yes

    • Secondary Content Areas: No

    • Early Childhood Education: No

    • Special Education: No

    • Teaching English as a New Language (ENL): No

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”
— Japanese Proverb