The Kindergarten Endorsement can be added to a teaching license where the person is already licensed to teach elementary education. The applicant can log into their ND Teach account and submit the online application and authorize the $80 fee to add this new area. (They’d select begin a new application – Add Endorsement from ESPB – Select General Endorsement, then Kindergarten). If they have taken any of the courses for kindergarten, they can upload their transcript.
If the teacher has not completed all the requirements, they can have the endorsement added to their license for two years. During the two years the teacher would need to complete the additional requirements if they don’t want the endorsement to expire and drop off their license.
There are 4 courses that ND requires to teach Kindergarten and PreKindergarten, or you can challenge the Early Childhood Praxis test.
The 4 required courses are:
Intro to Early Childhood
Early Language and Literacy
Kindergarten or EC Methods
Observation and Assessment for Kindergarten/EC
*Student teaching in kindergarten is required, or a year’s experience teaching PreK, K or Grade 1 in ND.
Or here is a link to information on the Early Childhood Praxis test: https://www.ets.org/praxis/prepare/materials/5025
If a person completes the Praxis test option, they do not need to student teach in kindergarten.
Please remember to email ESPB a copy of your Praxis Test score report, or upload it to your application, as the scores are not sent to ESPB, as a test taker is lead to believe.