Certification in Louisiana requires completion of a teacher preparation program that included student teaching or equivalent and leads to certification in another state or country.
- Educators that are certified teachers in another state are usually eligible for out-of-state certification and reciprocity for most teaching endorsements.
- Educators that completed a teacher preparation program in another state but have not been issued certification may still be eligible in Louisiana if all certification requirements were completed, including student teaching or equivalent, and the applicant is only lacking the certification exams required by the program state.
An out-of-state graduate must have the following to be eligible for Louisiana’s Out-of-State (OS) certificate:
- Possess a minimum of a bachelor's degree from a college/university accredited in accordance with 34 CFR 602. Official transcripts must be submitted for all degrees earned and all coursework completed.
- Applicants should send the transcripts to themselves or to their employing school system for upload with the application.
- If the degree was earned in a foreign country, the transcripts/foreign credentials will need to be reviewed by a credentialing evaluation agency that is an endorsed member or a member in good standing with either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) for evaluation where a course-by-course evaluation including comparability of the baccalaureate or graduate degree is provided.
- Hold or be eligible to hold a standard professional level out-of-state teaching certificate as documented with a copy of the certificate (if applicable) and the Teacher Preparation and Certification Status form.
- If no certificate was issued in another state, the Teacher Preparation and Certification Status form will serve as documentation of the initial preparation area and any deficiency which may permit certification in Louisiana.
- Completion of student teaching, an internship, or year(s) of teaching experience as required by the teacher preparation program provider, documented on official transcripts and/or Teacher Preparation and Certification Status form.
- Year(s) of teaching experience accepted in lieu of student teaching or internship must be indicated as successful using the Out-of-State Experience Verification Attestation form.
A letter of eligibility for OS or Level certification will be issued to educators who meet the requirements above indicating the certification areas which will appear on the certificate when issued. Teaching areas designated on the letter/certificate are based upon the educator’s teacher preparation concentration area, reciprocity with other state teaching certificate(s) the educator may hold, and certification areas available in Louisiana.
Using the letter of eligibility, the educator may seek employment in a Louisiana school system as a teacher-of-record. Once employed, the Louisiana employing school system will submit a letter verifying employment and requesting issuance of the appropriate certificate by uploading the letter and a new professional conduct form signed/dated by the educator.
If the educator is employed in a Louisiana school system before applying for certification, the application should be routed to the employing school system for verification, allowing immediate issuance of the certificate.
Exam Requirements
Louisiana standard professional certification requires applicants to fulfill Louisiana's exam requirements. If the exam requirements are not met/evidenced in the documentation provided, the three year non-renewable OS certificate is issued allowing the applicant to teach in Louisiana schools while working toward completing the exams. A letter indicating the Praxis exams required to advance from the OS to the renewable Level 1, 2, or 3 certificate will be provided.
Fulfilling Exam Requirements - When OS certification is requested by the Louisiana employing school system, the Certification specialist will consider the following:
- Three or more years of successful teaching experience outside of Louisiana, prior to employment in Louisiana or issuance of the Louisiana certificate, will fulfill the exam requirements (Praxis Exclusion). Educators eligible for certification with at least three years of teaching experience verified as successful using the Out-of-State Experience Verification Attestation form may bypass the three-year OS and receive a standard, renewable Level 2 or 3 certificate.
- Policy also allows the examinations required for National Board Certification (NBCT) to fulfill some Praxis requirements. Enclose a valid copy of the NBCT certification for consideration.
- An out-of-state graduate who has fulfilled all requirements for certification and who has successfully passed all parts of Louisiana Praxis in alignment with the initial teacher preparation program area verified on the Teacher Preparation and Certification Status form may bypass the three-year OS and receive the standard, renewable Level 1, 2, or 3 certificate.
Bypassing the OS to Louisiana Level Certification
If an educator has fulfilled the exam requirement(s) when the OS certificate is requested by the employing Louisiana school system, teaching experience and degree(s) held will be considered to issue the appropriate Louisiana Level certificate rather than the OS certificate**:
- If less than three years of successful teaching experience is verified, the Level 1 is issued.
- If a minimum of three years of successful teaching experience is documented, the Level 2 is issued.
- If a minimum of five years of successful teaching experience is verified and a graduate degree has been awarded, the Level 3 is issued.
**If an educator has not successfully taught for at least one year within the past five years in a K-12 school setting, a one-year non-renewable OS1 certificate is issued, regardless of experience verified or exams completed. During the one year on the OS1 certificate, the educator must earn an effective rating as a teacher of record. Once a successful teaching evaluation in Louisiana is completed, the educator will work with the employing school system to submit a new Out-of-State application so that the OS or higher level certificate can be issued.
Active duty military or military spouse applicants stationed in Louisiana and holding standard professional teaching certification in another state should complete the Military Out-of-State application.