Licensed Educators

All Tennessee educators, including teachers and school services personnel, must visit TNCompass to take action on a current license. 

Educator licenses must be renewed on or before the date of expiration. If an educator does not submit a transaction to renew by the date of expiration but otherwise met all requirements, the educator has until October 1st of the year of expiration to submit a reactivation request. Step-by-step instructions for renewing a license are available here.”

Teacher and School Services Personnel

To renew a practitioner – 1st issuance license, an educator must:

Some pathways to the School Services Personnel License do not require completion of an educator preparation program and/or professional assessments. In such cases, these requirements are considered to be satisfied for renewal or advancement purposes. Please consult Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.102) to verify if assessments are required for a specific endorsement area.

To renew a professional license, an educator must meet the following requirements:

  • submit 60 professional development points (PDPs) earned within the validity period of the license or complete two years of qualifying experience within the validity period of the license
  • meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

To renew a professional license, an educator must:

Occupational Teacher

To renew a practitioner 1st issuance occupational license, an educator must:

  • complete an approved occupational educator preparation program or have completed coursework in classroom management, pedagogy, serving students with disabilities and English Learners from a State Board-approved educator preparation provider prior to licensure”

To renew a practitioner (non-1st issuance) occupational license, an educator must:

To renew a professional occupational license, an educator must:

For step-by-step advancement transaction instructions, see the Licensure Guidance Documents section.

To advance from a practitioner license to a professional license, an educator must meet requirements for one (1) of the following pathways:

Pathway 1

  • Complete an approved educator preparation program;
  • Submit passing scores on all required content assessments as defined in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.102);
  • Acquire 30 PDPs during the most recent validity period of the license or receive a Director of Schools recommendation;
  • Have completed 25 months of qualifying educator experience; and
  • Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

Pathway 2

  • Hold a current, valid, and active Out of State Professional Level License or National Board Certification; and
  • Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

To advance from a practitioner occupational license to a professional occupational license, an educator must meet requirements for one (1) of the following pathways:

Pathway 1

  • Complete an approved educator preparation program or have completed coursework in classroom management, pedagogy, serving students with disabilities and English Learners from a State Board-approved educator preparation provider prior to licensure;
  • Acquire 30 PDPs during the most recent validity period of the license, at least 20 of which must be obtained by completing the New Teacher Training program; and
  • If applicable, hold a valid Department-approved industry certification

Pathway 2

  • Hold an active out-of-state professional-level occupational license; and
  • If applicable, hold a valid Department-approved industry certification

To advance from a practitioner school service personnel license to the professional level, an educator must meet requirements for one (1) of the following pathways:

Pathway 1

  • Acquire 30 PDPs during the most recent validity period of the license or receive a Director of Schools recommendation;
  • Have completed 25 months of qualifying school service experience;
  • Complete an approved educator preparation program (if required for the endorsement area); and
  • Submit passing scores on all required content assessments as defined in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.102)

Pathway 2

  • Hold an active out-of-state professional-level school service personnel license

Educators with an expired Tennessee license and/or a retired license will need to reactivate their license and/or meet criteria to convert to an active type. The educator must have a registered TNCompass account.

Currently, the Tennessee State Board of Education’s licensure rules establish three primary pathways for reactivating an expired license: possession of an active professional license in another state, National Board certification, or submission of current assessment scores.

Additionally, expired professional licenses can now be reactivated with 2 years of qualifying experience or the submission of 60 professional development points (PDPs) earned after the validity period of the license. If a license does not specifically say “Professional” in TNCompass, these options do not apply. Educators with expired professional licenses should review the TN Literacy Success Act section below and then submit a Reactivate License transaction for our office to review. Additional experience can be documented using this form, and information about PDPs can be found by visiting PDP FAQ for Educators (tn.gov).

Non-professional expired licenses can be reactivated using any of the options listed below:

Professional-Level License from a State Other Than Tennessee

Educators who hold an expired Tennessee license may reactivate without submitting qualifying scores on required assessments if the individual holds an active professional-level license in another state that is considered equivalent to Tennessee’ Professional 6 Year license. Individuals who meet this requirement will need to upload a copy of their out-of-state license to the Attachments section on the Licensure tab of their TNCompass educator profile and submit a Reactivate License (not Out of State Educator) transaction.

National Certification

Teachers who hold active National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and School Services Personnel who hold a national certification identified in Educator Licensure Rule (Chapter 0520-02-03) may use their certification to reactivate their license. Qualifying educators will need to upload a copy of their national certification to the Attachments section on the Licensure tab of their TNCompass educator profile and submit a Reactivate License transaction.

Submission of Current Professional Assessment Scores

If the first two pathways do not apply, the remaining option for reactivation requires verification of completion of an educator preparation program (EPP) and qualifying scores on state-required content and literacy assessments for each endorsement the educator seeks to reactivate. Educators who are reactivating a Practitioner Teacher (not 1st issuance) license, Apprentice license, or an Out of State license will not need to provide EPP verification, as this was already verified when the license was originally issued. Educators who completed an out-of-state EPP and are seeking to reactivate a license that requires program verification will need the EPP to complete this recommendation form.

In order to reactivate a license, educators must submit current Praxis content assessment scores for each endorsement they wish to reactivate. These assessments are located under the Content Knowledge Assessments for Specific Endorsement Areas section found here. If multiple assessments are listed for an endorsement area, the educator must take each assessment in order to qualify for reactivation of that endorsement. The only exception is for Elementary Education, where educators have the choice of taking the 5001 or subparts 5002-5005, along with the Teaching Reading assessment. Educators are welcome to reactivate their license with one endorsement and apply to reinstate additional expired endorsements at a later date.

Educators who are reactivating a Practitioner 1st issuance license (or equivalent retired license) through this pathway that was issued on the basis of enrollment in an EPP with job-embedded clinical practice must also have the appropriate pedagogical assessment on file in order to reactivate. Educators who went through an in-state job-embedded program must submit a passing score on the appropriate edTPA. Educators who went through an out-of-state job-embedded program would need either the edTPA or Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching assessment.

When determining whether one needs to retake an assessment that is already reflected on their TNCompass account, it is important to pay close attention to the test codes for the assessments that have been taken. Many older assessments share similar names to the current ones, but if the test codes are different, the assessments are not considered equivalent to each other. When an assessment is replaced in the State Board’s Professional Assessments Policy, there is usually a phase-out period where the older assessment can still be accepted. Educators can check to see if any of their older assessments can still be used for reactivation by reviewing the phase-out guidance available here: Candidate Assessment (tn.gov).

For information regarding sending official Praxis score reports, please visit https://www.ets.org/praxis/scores/send. Be certain to specify Tennessee's code (8190) and provide your full social security number when registering for assessments or requesting scores be sent. If the SSN is not provided, your scores will not appear in TNCompass and you will need to contact ETS to request that they be resent, which may involve an additional fee. Score reports must be sent directly from the testing agency and will not be accepted from any other party.

Once scores are visible in TNCompass under the assessments section of the Preparation tab for one or more of the endorsements listed on the expired license, a Reactivate License transaction can be submitted for our office to review.

TN Literacy Success Act – Applies to educators reactivating an Elementary, Early Childhood, ESL, SPED, Administrator, or other impacted endorsement area

On August 1st, 2023, the TN Literacy Success Act (TLSA) introduced new requirements for educators pursuing licensure in endorsement areas aligned with early literacy. To reactivate an endorsement impacted by TLSA, candidates must either complete the Department’s Early Reading or Secondary Literacy training or pass the Tennessee Early Literacy assessment. A list of current and retired endorsement areas impacted by TLSA is available here. More information regarding TLSA requirements can be found on the TLSA landing page. Candidates with inquiries regarding the training or assessment should contact earlyreading.training@tn.gov or secondaryliteracy.training@tn.gov for assistance.

If you are unable to log-into your TNCompass account due to losing access to the login email address associated with your account, please contact Support@TNCompass.org

Note regarding retired endorsements: Tennessee no longer issues a general Elementary 1-8 or Middle Grades 4-8 endorsement. Educators who held one of these endorsements have the option of reactivating by submitting content assessments for one or more of the following endorsement areas: Elementary Education K-5 (not available to educators who were only licensed in middle grades), Middle Grades Language Arts 6-8, Middle Grades Mathematics 6-8, Middle Grades Science 6-8, and/or Middle Grades Social Science 6-8. Please note that all of these endorsement areas require the Teaching Reading: Elementary assessment. This assessment does not need to be taken multiple times for each endorsement area.

460 Modified K-12 has now been split into 144 Interventionist K-8 and 145 Interventionist K-12. These assessments are listed in the Special Education section on the ETS website.

In some cases, the grade span reflected on the ETS website may be slightly different from what is reflected on an expired license. Educators with a retired 7-12 endorsement can take the corresponding 6-12 assessment and will receive the 6-12 endorsement upon reactivation. Educators with an Elementary K-6 endorsement should take the corresponding Elementary Education K-5 assessments in order to qualify for reactivation.

Note regarding mathematics endorsements: Individuals seeking an endorsement in mathematics 6-10 must submit qualifying scores on the appropriate National Evaluation Series (NES) Mathematics assessment. Individuals seeking an endorsement in mathematics 6-8 or mathematics 6–12 may submit qualifying scores on either the appropriate Praxis Series Mathematics assessment or the appropriate NES Mathematics assessment. Information regarding the NES Mathematics assessments is available here: https://www.nestest.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tennessee.html.

An educator who holds a valid Tennessee educator license may add additional endorsements to their license through the pathways listed below.

Adding endorsements with an active out-of-state license

Educators who hold an active out-of-state license that is equivalent to Tennessee’s Professional - 6 Year license may add endorsements by uploading a copy of their out-of-state license and submitting an Add Endorsement transaction in TNCompass. Educators who hold an active initial-level out-of-state license may add endorsements to their TN license by passing the appropriate specialty area content assessments (see the Assessment Only section below for additional information about assessment requirements).

Adding endorsements through assessment only

Depending on the endorsements currently held by the educator, some endorsements may be added by assessment only. Information regarding which endorsements can be added in this manner can be found in the Educator Licensure Operating Procedures (see the Licensure Guidance Documents section available here).

Tennessee Praxis requirements for different endorsement areas are listed here: https://www.ets.org/praxis/tn/test-takers/plan-your- test/licensure-requirements.html. Please note that only the content and literacy (if applicable) assessments are required to add an endorsement by assessment only. Praxis Core assessments and pedagogical assessments like the edTPA or Principles of Learning and Teaching assessment are not required to add endorsements through this pathway. Some older assessments may be accepted based on the phase-in guidance available here: Candidate Assessment (tn.gov).

For details related to sending official Praxis score reports, please visit https://www.ets.org/praxis/scores/send. Be certain to specify Tennessee's code (8190) and provide your full social security number when registering for assessments or requesting scores be sent. If the SSN is not provided, your scores will not appear in TNCompass and you will need to contact ETS to request that they be resent, which may involve an additional fee. Score reports must be sent directly from the testing agency and will not be accepted from any other party.

Once scores are posted to the Preparation tab of your educator profile, please navigate to the Transaction tab and submit an Add Endorsement transaction.

*Note: Candidates pursuing licensure in Mathematics 6-10 or 6-12 have the option of taking the NES 105 or 304 respectively rather than the Praxis assessments. Information about these assessments can be found at https://www.nestest.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tennessee.html.

Adding endorsements that cannot be added by assessment only

If the additional endorsement sought is not listed as an assessment- only option, educators may add the endorsement by completing an approved additional endorsement program and passing the required assessment(s). A list of TN State Board-approved educator preparation providers is available here. Educators who complete an in-state program must contact the educator preparation provider for assistance with submitting the Add Endorsement transaction in TNCompass.

Educators who complete an additional endorsement program in another state must request that the EPP complete an Application for Additional Endorsement form (see Licensure Forms). Once the form is completed, it should be uploaded to TNCompass as an attachment on the Licensure tab of the educator profile. Once assessments and the verification form are visible in TNCompass, navigate to the Transaction tab and complete the Add Endorsement transaction. The transaction is fully submitted when the transaction status says "Pending OELP Review."

TN Literacy Success Act – Applies to educators adding an Elementary, Early Childhood, ESL, SPED, or other impacted endorsement area

 

On August 1st, 2023, the TN Literacy Success Act (TLSA) introduced new requirements for educators pursuing licensure in endorsement areas aligned with early literacy. To add an endorsement impacted by TLSA, candidates must either complete the Department’s Early

Reading or Secondary Literacy training or pass the Tennessee Early Literacy assessment. A list of current endorsement areas impacted by TLSA is available here.

More information regarding TLSA requirements can be found on the TLSA landing page. Candidates with inquiries regarding the training or assessment should contact earlyreading.training@tn.gov or secondaryliteracy.training@tn.gov for assistance.

Adding Occupational Endorsements with an Academic License

Educators who have completed an educator preparation program and hold academic licenses that cover a middle or secondary grade may acquire an occupational license without additional coursework. In order to qualify for the occupational license, the educator must hold an active industry certification for the desired occupational endorsement area, if applicable. To apply, educators should upload their industry certification to TNCompass and submit an Out-of-State Educator transaction with a submission note clarifying they are applying for occupational licensure.

There are endorsements which may only be obtained by meeting state minimum requirements. Some of these endorsements are only available as an additional endorsement to an existing teacher license; others require prerequisites such as certain degrees and experience

Educator Licensure Policy 5.502k requires that educators complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in literature of the Bible from a regionally accredited institution of higher education (IHE) to be eligible for the Bible endorsement. Coursework in theology, doctrine, ethics, dogma, and other courses of a doctrinal nature cannot be used to fulfill this requirement.

For a course to be used to fulfill this endorsement, applicants must provide the following:

  • the course description for each course to be counted toward the minimum 12 semester hours in literature of the Bible, and
  • a statement of not more than 100 words that clearly supports why the course aligns with the Bible teacher endorsement requirement.

The application, course description, and supporting statements must be submitted in TNCompass. Official transcripts must be submitted by the institution of higher learning to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.

The applicant must have a valid teaching license and hold a secondary endorsement (grades 6-12 or K-12) and complete a minimum of 10 semester hours of driver and traffic safety education including the following areas:

  • basic driver and traffic safety education,
  • advanced driver and traffic safety,
  • general safety, and
  • first aid and emergency medical services.

The applicant must hold a master’s degree with a graduate major in educational administration and supervision or a minimum of 20 graduate semester hours in administration, supervision, and related courses. The applicant must hold valid license endorsed in principal, supervisor of instruction, or administration/supervision. The applicant must have five years acceptable experience in teaching and/or administration. The following courses must be completed:

  • school organization and administration,
  • supervision,
  • curriculum development,
  • school finance,
  • school plant and transportation, and
  • school and community relations.

The applicant must hold a valid educator license. The applicant must complete eight (8) semester hours in areas such as:

  • counseling and guidance,
  • community and school relations,
  • special education,
  • social case work, or
  • state and federal laws relating to school attendance.

Educators who hold current, valid, and active Professional Occupational Licenses can add additional Occupational Endorsements by meeting the following requirements:

  • Have completed an educator preparation program; and
  • Hold an active Department-approved industry certification, if applicable. If an endorsement area does not require an industry certification, then the educator must have either 5 years of qualifying experience in the last 10 years or 3 years of qualifying experience in the last 5.

Educators who hold current, valid, and active Occupational Licenses can add Academic Licenses by meeting the following requirements:

  • Have completed an educator preparation program;
  • Pass the required Praxis specialty area content assessments for the desired academic endorsement (see the State Board’s Professional Assessments Policy for assessment requirements); and
  • Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

Occupational teachers applying for academic licensure through this pathway should submit an Out-of-State Educator transaction in TNCompass with a submission note clarifying they are applying for occupational licensure.

Degrees from regionally accredited institutions of postsecondary education may be added to an educator’s profile in TNCompass.

To add a degree, an educator must ensure that the Department has official transcripts on file. The transcript must be submitted by the institution to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an electronic clearinghouse (preferred), or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. Please allow additional time for mailed transcripts to be imported into TNCompass.

Once the transcripts have been received and added to the TNCompass profile, the educator can submit an Add Degree transaction in TNCompass. Please check the Preparation tab of the educator profile to verify that the degree has not already been added prior to submitting the transaction.

Pursuant to T.C.A. § 49-6-6006 and State Board Policy, anyone listed as the teacher of record for a course above Algebra I or Integrated Math I must carry a secondary mathematics endorsement. Any teacher interested in teaching Algebra I or Integrated Math I at any grade level who does not currently hold a secondary mathematics endorsement must meet the State Board-approved employment standard. This chiefly affects middle school teachers who are teaching Algebra I or Integrated Math I and special education teachers who are serving as the teacher of record. In October 2014, the State Board of Education approved on final reading two additional options for educators to meet the requirements for eligibility; these changes took place in the spring 2015. 

In order to teach Algebra I or Integrated Math I without a secondary mathematics endorsement, educators must pass the Middle School Mathematics Praxis (5164) or the NES Mathematics (Middle Grades and Early Secondary) (105) test  and must meet one of the following:

•  Attend a state-approved training - OR -

• Take and pass a supplemental test approved by the department. The department has approved the following supplemental tests.

1. College Board CLEP test: College Algebra (Passing Score 60),
2. College Board CLEP test: College Mathematics (Passing score 60), or
3. Algebra 1 Praxis (5162) (Passing score 157)

After completing the above employment standard criteria, educators are responsible for emailing Scott.Eddins@tn.gov to request an Algebra I/Integrated I Employment Standard verification letter. Upon receipt, it is recommended that educators upload a copy of the verification letter to TNCompass, provide a copy to their school/district office, and keep a copy for personal records.  Please note, completing the employment standard criteria provides eligibility to teach Algebra I/Integrated I without a secondary mathematics endorsement and is not a change in licensure.

In addition, previously the state board ruled that teachers with a level 5 TVAAS score in Algebra I (one-year, two-year, or three-year) in the 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 school years do NOT need to take the training or pass the supplemental test. These educators must still pass the Middle School Mathematics Praxis (5164) to be eligible to teach Algebra I or Integrated Math I. The Tennessee Department of Education sent directors of schools a list of teachers whose TVAAS scores meet the employment standard in January 2015.

Look for more information to be communicated regarding upcoming training dates. Questions about the Employment Standard should be directed to Scott.Eddins@tn.gov, coordinator of mathematics content and resources.

The department shares licensure reminders and updates with educators via email. Educators are advised to maintain current primary and secondary email addresses in TNCompass to ensure access to licensure related communications.

To change a name:

  1. Log into TNCompass.
  2. Select “My Educator Profile” in the Application Quick Links section.
  3. Select “Transactions” and select “Name Change” to start a new transaction.
  4. Read related information, complete the name change form, and add appropriate attachments.
  5. Review for accuracy, read submission confirmation and submit.
  6. Select “Personal Affirmation” in the Submission Notes section. Complete the Name Change Transaction – Personal Affirmation.
  7. Confirm accuracy of submission and submit. Confirm personal affirmation and click submit again.

The following forms of legal documentation will be accepted for name changes:

  • U.S. issued driver’s license;
  • U.S. issued passport;
  • U.S. issued social security card; or
  • U.S. issued official court documents (e.g., marriage license, divorce decree, other official court document).

If an educator would like to change a middle name to a maiden name, it must appear that way on the legal documentation.

To change an address:

  1. Log into TNCompass.
  2. Select “Edit Account Information”.
  3. Edit the appropriate information.
  4. Confirm accuracy and click “Save” in the upper right corner.

To add/edit an email address:

  1. Log into TNCompass.
  2. Select “Edit Account Information”.
  3. Edit the appropriate information.
  4. Confirm accuracy and click “Save” in the upper right corner.