COLUMBUS - Teachers will continue to be students under the state's updated - and more intensive - licensing program that has been 10 years coming and begins in full force this fall.

        Teachers who began college in 1998 and graduated in the spring are the first who must meet the requirements, which include obtaining a master's degree within the first 12 years of teaching. Previously, no graduate degrees were required.

        “We expect all teachers to continue their professional development throughout their careers,” said Marilyn Troyer, associate superintendent for the Ohio Department of Education's Center for the Teaching Profession.

        The state in 1992 began revamping the way it licenses teachers. A 34-member committee reviewed standards and recommended changes with a goal of putting better teachers in classrooms to ultimately improve student performance.

        The state school board approved the new requirements in 1996.

        The state has about 112,000 teachers in Ohio's elementary, middle and high schools. About 5,000 are first-year teachers and would be affected this year.

        “It's going to be a pretty long time before there's a big impact on the teaching force,” Ms. Troyer said.

        Among the requirements: Teachers must spend two years under a provisional license before being able to receive a professional license that can be renewed every five years. Professional development time, such as taking college courses, is required for renewal. No longer is there a permanent license.

        Among the largest changes are the types of licenses available.

        Previously, teachers could receive licenses to teach grades kindergarten through 8 or high school, and they did not necessarily have to be certified in a particular subject area.

        Now, an early-childhood license covers grades kindergarten through 3 and teachers must have a general knowledge of all subject areas.

        A middle-childhood license covering grades 4 through 9 requires teachers to have at least 20 college semester hours in a subject they want to teach.

        The high school-level license remains little changed.

        With the new system, the state will be doing much of what the No Child Left Behind Act, the federal education reform law passed in January, requires it to do to improve the quality of classroom teachers.

        A major part of the law involves making sure that teachers are instructing courses in the subjects in which they are licensed.

        Some districts say the new licenses limit their ability to put teachers into any level where they are needed between kindergarten and grade 8.

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