Licensure Loopholes: Louisiana

Analysis of Louisiana's policies

Louisiana allows teachers who have not met licensure requirements to teach for up to three years on a Temporary Authority to Teach (TAT) certificate. Eligible candidates include teachers who have failed a Praxis exam required for licensure and potential alternative certification candidates who fail either a basic skills or a content test. Individuals with a bachelor's degree who are hired late can also teach with a one-year temporary authorization. This authorization may be renewed twice, provided the teacher meets certain guidelines, which, depending on the applicant's category, include taking the Praxis exam at least twice a year and/or completing six credit hours toward certification. 

The state also offers a one-year Temporary Employment Permit (TEP), which allows individuals who have not passed required state tests to teach if their aggregate score on all of their exams is equal to or higher than the total required on all the tests. This permit may be renewed for up to three years if the candidate demonstrates that the test was retaken during the past year. 

Citation

Types of Teaching Authorizations and Certification https://www.teachlouisiana.net/pdf/licensurestructure.pdf

Recommendations for Louisiana

Ensure that all teachers pass required subject-matter licensing tests before they enter the classroom.
All students are entitled to teachers who know the subject matter they are teaching. Permitting individuals who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach neglects the needs of students, instead extending personal consideration to adults who may not be able to meet minimal state standards. Louisiana should ensure that all teachers have passed their licensing tests—an important minimum benchmark for entering the profession—prior to entering the classroom. As described in several other goals, the state's cut scores on at least some tests are already set at a point that makes assurance of content knowledge questionable; granting a conditional license to individuals unable to meet these low bars puts adult interest before student need.

Limit exceptions to one year.
There might be limited and exceptional circumstances under which conditional or emergency licenses need to be granted. In these instances, it is reasonable for a state to give teachers up to one year to pass required licensure tests. However, Louisiana's current policy puts students at risk by allowing teachers who have not passed required subject-matter tests to teach for up to three years on either a TAT or TEP certificate.

State response to our analysis

Louisiana recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis.