Driver Education (DE) & DE Teacher Certification

Director: Danika Woods

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Overview

WTCS driver education (DE) courses serve two purposes:

  •  Some DE courses provide the necessary training required in order to test for a Wisconsin Class D driver’s license with the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles (WisDMV). These courses serve the general public, both adults and minors.
  • Some DE courses provide driver education teacher education (aka “train-the-trainer”). These courses serve educators who need the required certification to become driver education instructors in the state of Wisconsin. See below for further teacher certification information.

All WTCS DE course offerings comply with federal and state regulations.

WTCS DE Course Offerings

WTCS DE Instructor Certification

WTCS DE instructors are subject to the requirements outlined in Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter PI 34.080 Driver Education. To become certified, WTCS DE instructors must complete 9 credits of teacher education (3 credits each of basic driver, advanced driver and general safety coursework), obtain a Wisconsin teaching license through the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and meet the following requirements per PI 34.080:

(1)  Authorization. A license issued under this section authorizes an individual to teach driver education and traffic safety education.
(2)  Eligibility. The state superintendent may issue a driver education license under this section to an applicant who meets all of the following requirements:
(a) Has a teaching license issued under subch. VI or a pupil services license issued under subch. VII.
(b) Holds a valid driver‘s license.
(c) Has at least 3 years of driving experience with a valid driver‘s license.
(d) Has no more than 6 demerit points or a major violation charged by the department of transportation or similar demerits or violations charged by an equivalent authority in another state during a twelve-month period.
(e) Has approved coursework in driver and safety education, including coursework in all of the following:
1. A basic driver education course.
2. An advanced driver education course.
3. A general safety course.
4. Behavioral aspects of accident prevention.
5. Alcohol and drugs and their relationship to traffic safety.
6. At least 10 hours of supervised experience in teaching practice driving.
(3)  Duration. The state superintendent may issue a two-year, renewable driver education license under this section to an applicant who meets all of the following requirements:
(a) The applicant meets all of the requirements under sub. (2) (a) to (d).
(b) The applicant has at least 6 semester credits of coursework in driver and safety education, including all of the following:
1. A basic driver education course.
2. An advanced driver education course.
3. At least 10 hours of supervised experience in teaching practice driving.
Additionally, all WTCS instructors must meet System-wide Faculty Quality Assurance System (FQAS) teacher certification requirements.