Licensure Reciprocity: Tennessee

Analysis of Tennessee's policies

Teachers with valid out-of-state certificates comparable to Tennessee's professional license are eligible for the state's practitioner license. Although these candidates are eventually required to submit qualifying scores on required content assessments the state regrettably allows a waiver by granting the practitioner license and allowing the submission of these scores prior to renewing or advancing this initial license. 

Transcripts are also required for all out-of-state teachers; however, it is not clear whether the state analyzes transcripts to determine whether a teacher was prepared through a traditional or alternate route or whether additional coursework will be required.

Tennessee is also a participant in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which outlines which other states' certificates will be accepted by the receiving state. This agreement is not a collection of two-way reciprocal acceptances, nor is it a guarantee that all certificates will be accepted by the receiving state, and is therefore not included in this analysis.

Tennessee requires that all teachers employed at its virtual school be "qualified to teach in this state under existing law."

Citation

State Board Policy 5.502 http://www.tn.gov/education/lic/policy.shtml Rules of the State Board of Education 0520-02-03-.06 HB 1030 (2011)

Recommendations for Tennessee

To uphold standards, require that teachers coming from other states meet testing requirements. 

Tennessee takes considerable risk by granting a waiver for its licensing tests until the out-of-state teacher applies to renew or advance the initial license. The state should not waive any of its teacher tests unless an applicant can provide evidence of a passing score under its own standards prior to entering the classroom. The negative impact on student learning stemming from a teacher's inadequate subject-matter knowledge is not mitigated by the teacher's having experience or an out-of-state license.

Accord the same license to out-of-state alternate route teachers as would be accorded to traditionally prepared teachers. 

Regardless of whether a teacher was prepared through a traditional or alternate route, all certified out-of-state teachers should receive equal treatment. Tennessee should consider discontinuing its requirement for the submission of transcripts. Transcript analysis is likely to result in additional coursework requirements, even for traditionally prepared teachers; alternate route teachers, on the other hand, may have to virtually begin anew, repeating some, most or all of a teacher preparation program in Tennessee.

Require evidence of effective teaching when determining eligibility for full certification. 

Rather than rely on transcripts to assess credentials, Tennessee should instead require that evidence of teacher effectiveness be considered for all out-of-state candidates. Such evidence is especially important for candidates who come from states that make student growth at least a significant factor of a teacher evaluation (see Goal 3-B). 

Ensure that requirements for out-of-state online teachers are not burdensome. 

Tennessee should balance the interests of its students in having qualified online instructors with making certain that these requirements do not create unnecessary obstacles for out-of-state teachers. 

State response to our analysis

Tennessee was helpful in providing NCTQ with facts that enhanced this analysis. The state added that its licensure restructuring policy assigns the same credential to out-of-state teachers as it does to teachers who were prepared in-state, and it ties professional advancement of all teachers to level of effectiveness as determined by the statewide evaluation system. In addition, out-of-state applicants for licensure in Tennessee must submit qualifying scores on required content assessments.

Tennessee also noted that it is reluctant to accept effectiveness data when considering out-of-state applicants due to the absence of instruments and methodologies to uniformly assess the quality of effectiveness data from one state relative to another. As the state moves toward tying licensure advancement and renewal to effectiveness, based on its statewide evaluation system, there will be multiple "checkpoints" where an educator's performance will be considered for licensure advancement and renewal purposes. 

Last word

Although Tennessee requires the submission of passing scores on content tests, the state allows out-of-state teachers to hold off meeting the state's testing standard until he or she renews or advances the practitioner license. The state should strengthen its policy by requiring passing scores prior to entering the classroom. 

The state's point that it is reluctant to use effectiveness data as the basis for license reciprocity given the inconsistent requirements across states is quite valid. Tennessee could do what Delaware has done and limit the evidence of effectiveness it will accept as the basis for license reciprocity to evaluation results from states with rigorous requirements similar to its own.