As of July 1, 2025, all Indiana Educator Preparation Program completers who are eligible for their original professional educator licenses issued for K-6 Elementary Generalist, P-3 Early Childhood Education, or any Special Education Area (Mild Intervention, Intense Intervention, Blind and Low Vision, or Deaf and Hard of Hearing), or for a new addition in one of these areas to an existing license, will be required to have the new early literacy endorsement.
If an applicant in one of the above mentioned content areas meets all requirements for licensure except for the early literacy endorsement, they may receive a one-year Professional Educator License Extension (PELE). The one-year professional educator license extension will not include the early literacy endorsement. The application for the PELE will be processed by the licensing advisor at the recommending educator preparation program.
Once a holder of a PELE has met all requirements to add the early literacy endorsement to their license, they can convert their license to a standard Professional Educator License (PEL) if they are applying for their first initial professional educator’s license. If someone already holds a professional educator’s license and needs to add their PELE area to that license, they need to do an addition application with coursework and exam.
If, after one year, the holder of a PELE does not meet the requirements to add the early literacy endorsement, they can renew their PELE. However, they must show proof of progress towards early literacy endorsement eligibility through either progress in completing the coursework or approved professional development, or test attempts for the Praxis 5205 Teaching Reading: Elementary test for adding the early literacy endorsement.
Application Instructions for Original PELE holders:
If you hold a PELE, and do not hold another instructional professional educator’s license, and have fulfilled your early literacy requirements you will need to apply to convert your PELE to the standard professional educator’s license (PEL). Please see below for information on the application’s required documentation and instructions for the application:
Required Documentation for Converting a PELE to a Professional Educator License (PEL):
- An official letter on official letterhead from the licensing advisor at the college/university where you completed the literacy requirement
OR
- An official letter of completion from the DOE Literacy Center.
AND
- Official test score for content exam Praxis 5205 Teaching Reading: Elementary.
- Proof of Human Trafficking Training
- Proof of Suicide Prevention Training
- Proof of CPR Certification
- Proof of Child Abuse and Neglect Training
Step-by-step directions for Converting PELE to PEL in LVIS: here
Application Instruction for holders of an existing professional educator’s license, who have an additional PELE:
Now that you have completed the early literacy requirements you will need to do an application for an addition for the content area you are adding to your existing professional license. Do not apply for a new original professional educator’s license because all instructional content areas should be on the same instructional license.
You will not do an application to add the early literacy, you will instead select ‘Addition with Coursework and Testing’ then the early literacy endorsement will be added at the same time as your additional area. You can upload the required documentation for this addition in the ‘Additional Documentation’ section under the ‘Documents’ tab in the application.
Required Documentation for the Addition with Coursework and Testing:
- Official transcripts showing the relevant completed coursework; if coursework was completed at an Indiana institution, applications will be routed to those institutions for processing and no transcript is required.
- Official Indiana Praxis Assessment score report; or a statement that the score is loaded to your LVIS account.
Additional Documentation to include for the early literacy endorsement:
- An official letter on official letterhead from the licensing advisor at the college/university where you completed the literacy requirement
OR
- An official letter of completion from the DOE Literacy Center.
AND
- Official test score for content exam Praxis 5205 Teaching Reading: Elementary.
Step-by-step directions for an Addition with Coursework and Exam when adding a PELE to PEL in LVIS: here