• Be formally admitted to or have completed a state-approved educator preparation program
• Be recommended by the state-approved educator preparation program
• Submit qualifying scores on required assessments
Out-of-state candidates applying for a practitioner license must meet the following criteria :
• Hold a bachelor ’ s degree from a regionally accredited college or university
• Submit qualifying scores on required assessments related to content and pedagogical knowledge ( assessments of basic skills and knowledge are not required for out-of-state candidates ).
The next stage of the teacher licensure system is the professional license , which is valid for six years . In order to advance from a practitioner license to the professional license , teachers must meet the following criteria :
• Three years of experience
• The recommendation of the Director of Schools or documentation of 30 professional development points
Examples of professional development points include in-service training , conference attendance , college / university coursework , and teacher evaluation scores . In order to renew the professional license , after six years , teachers must have documentation of 60 professional development points .
Licensure Assessments
According to state law and board policy , teacher candidates must submit passing scores on required tests that measure pedagogical and content knowledge . Every initial license applicant is required to take one of the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching ( PLT ) exams or complete an appropriate performance assessment , such as edTPA . 43 Applicants must also submit passing scores on the content subject tests for all endorsements to be listed on the licenses . Initial licensure applicants who are entering the field through a job-embedded pathway may have content knowledge verified based on having a major in the field . In 2016 , the SBE increased passing cut scores for several content tests so that these passing scores would be aligned to national cut scores . Prior to 2016 , cut scores for several Praxis content assessments were below the nationally recommended cut scores .”
Praxis assessments
All teacher candidates are required to take and pass one of four PLT assessments : Early Childhood , K-6 , 5-9 , and 7-12 . 44 Applicants for licensure must also submit passing scores on the content specialty area tests for each area of endorsement sought . There are currently 67 Praxis subject assessments aligned to Tennessee endorsement areas . Passing scores for the Praxis PLT and the subject assessments are approved by the SBE . In July 2016 , the SBE voted to raise cut scores on several Praxis subject assessments including World and US History , art , and physical education , as part of a three-year program from the SBE to raise cut scores .
The SBE and the TDOE are also currently considering replacing the Praxis subject assessments with content assessments that are more closely aligned to Tennessee Academic Standards . 45 According to the department , these custom assessments would also allow
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