Out-of-State Educators

The department is excited about your interest in becoming a licensed Tennessee educator! There are three pathways by which an out-of-state educator may obtain Tennessee educator license. Each pathway requires a registered TNCompass account. The Out-of-State Applicant Checklist provides step-by-step instructions.

Practitioner License—with Out-of-State Initial Level License

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. To be issued a practitioner license using a valid out-of-state initial-level license, an applicant must:

· hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· hold an initial level license in a state other than Tennessee,

· submit a recommendation, using the Out-of-State Educator Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed a preparation program (all out-of-state providers must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04); and

· ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution 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.

Educators who meet the criteria will not be required to submit qualifying scores on required content and pedagogical assessments, as indicated in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105, at the point of application, but must do so to renew or advance the license.

Practitioner License—with Out-of-State Educator Preparation Program Completion and Recommendation

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. To be issued a practitioner license using a recommendation from an out-of-state educator preparation provider (EPP), the applicant must:

· hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· submit qualifying scores on all required assessments (as indicated in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105); and

· ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education

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.

Professional License - with Out-of-State Professional Level License

Beginning July 1, 2021, educators holding a full, valid, and continuously renewable professional-level license in a state other than Tennessee will be issued a Tennessee Professional 6-Year license (professional teacher license, professional occupational teacher license, or professional school services personnel license), provided the professional license from another state is equivalent to Tennessee’s Professional license. The Professional 6-Year license is a full, professional-level license. To be issued a Professional 6-Year license, an applicant must:

· Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· Hold a professional level license, equivalent to Tennessee’s professional-level license, in a state other than Tennessee; and

All licensure transactions must be submitted in www.TNCompass.org.

Practitioner License— Enrolled in an Educator Preparation Program with Job-Embedded Clinical Practice through Out- of-State Partnership

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. Educators currently enrolled in an educator preparation program that has a formal partnership agreement with a Tennessee school district on file with the office of educator licensure and preparation may be issued a license through this pathway. To be issued a practitioner license through the out-of-state job-embedded partnership pathway, the applicant must:

· hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· ensure that the program they are enrolled in has a formal partnership agreement with the Tennessee school district in which he/she will be teaching on file with the department;

· verify content knowledge by submitting qualifying scores on all required content assessments (as indicated in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105). Passing scores on the required pedagogical assessment ( out—of-state applicants may submit qualifying score on the ETS Principles of Learning and Teaching or SCALE/Pearson edTPA) must be submitted prior to renewing or advancing the practitioner license and

· ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript 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.

Instructional Leadership License (ILL)—with Out-of-State Principal Experience

The ILL is an administrator license, valid for three years, and may be renewed. To be issued the ILL using a valid comparable administrator license from a state other than Tennessee and experience as a Principal, the applicant must:

· Hold an advanced degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· Have at least three (3) years qualifying pre-K-12 education working experience, one of which must be serving as a school principal, submitted on the experience verification form;

· Have completed an instructional leader preparation program approved by a state other than Tennessee as demonstrated by:

o a full, valid, and continuously renewable license, comparable to the Tennessee Instructional Leader License; or

o a recommendation, submitted on the Out-of-State Instructional Leader Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed an instructional leader preparation program (all out-of-state instructional leader preparation programs must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04); and

· Ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution 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.

Instructional Leader License (ILL) — Without Out-of-State Principal Experience

The ILL is valid for three years and may be renewed. To be issued the ILL using a recommendation from an out-of-state EPP, the applicant must:

· Hold an advanced degree from a regionally accredited college or university;

· Have at least three (3) years qualifying pre-K-12 education working experience, submitted on the experience verification form;

· Submit qualifying scores that are no more than five years old on required assessment(s) as defined in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.102)*,

· Have completed an instructional leader preparation program approved by a state other than Tennessee as demonstrated by:

o a full, valid, and continuously renewable license, comparable to the Tennessee Instructional Leader License; or

o a recommendation, using the Out-of-State Instructional Leader Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed an instructional leader preparation program (all out-of-state instructional leader preparation programs must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04); and

· Ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education. 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.

*Out-of-state applicants who are unable to submit passing scores on the SLLA but have met all other requirements may be issued the Instructional Leadership License – Aspiring (ILL–A). The ILL-A allows educators to be hired as an assistant principal. Once qualifying scores are submitted, the educator may apply for the ILL.