Hiring Policy
Emergency License(s) Availability:
Alabama allows new teachers who do not hold a valid Alabama certificate to teach on an Emergency Certificate. These certificates are issued at the request of the employing superintendent or headmaster to candidates who hold at least a bachelor's degree when no certified teachers are available.
Candidates for the Emergency Certificate must pass the applicable Praxis content tests.
Alabama also offers an Interim Employment Certificate (IEC). This certificate is also issued at the request of the employing superintendent and the candidate must be unconditionally admitted to any of the following state-approved educator preparation programs: Alternative Class A in a teaching field; Class A in special education, reading specialist, English for speakers of other languages; or AA in special education. Candidates for this certificate must pass the applicable Praxis content tests.
Emergency License Validity Period: Alabama's Emergency Certificate is valid for two consecutive years and "can be reissued once for an additional two consecutive scholastic years."
The IEC is valid for one year but can be renewed twice for a total of three years. In order to renew the certificate, candidates must meet coursework requirements.
COVID-19 State Policy: Alabama extended the educator certification requirements to October 1, 2020. COVID-19 policies do not
affect the state's grade in Provisional and Emergency Licensure.
Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers: Because licensure requirements for out-of-state
teachers are scored in
Requirements for Out-of-State Teachers, only the state's policies regarding emergency/provisional
license(s) are considered as part of this goal.
Due to Alabama's strong policies in this policy area, no recommendations are provided.
Alabama recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.
6B: Provisional and Emergency Licensure
Teachers who have not passed content licensing tests place students at risk. While states may need a regulatory basis for filling classroom positions with a few people who do not hold full teaching credentials, many of the regulations permitting this put the instructional needs of children at risk, often year after year.[1] For example, schools can make liberal use of provisional certificates or waivers provided by the state if they fill classroom positions with instructors who have completed a teacher preparation program but have not passed their state licensing tests. These allowances are permitted for up to three years in some states. The unfortunate consequence is that students' needs are neglected in an effort to extend personal consideration to adults who cannot meet minimum state standards.[2]
While some flexibility may be necessary because licensing tests are not always administered with the needed frequency, making provisional certificates and waivers available year after year could signal that the state does not put much value on its licensing standards or what they represent. States accordingly need to ensure that all persons given full charge of children's learning are required to pass the relevant licensing tests in their first year of teaching, ideally before they enter the classroom. Licensing tests are an important minimum benchmark in the profession, and states that allow teachers to postpone passing these tests are abandoning one of the basic responsibilities of licensure.