What follows is a summary of the types of Tennessee Teaching Licenses. License descriptions and classifications are expected to change slightly in Fall 2007. For the latest information on licensing, visit Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing website.

I.       Alternative Teacher Licenses

a.      Type A

b.      Type C

c.      Type E

II.    Apprentice Teacher Licenses

III. Professional Teacher Licenses

IV. Out-of-State Teacher Licenses

V.    Interim Type B Teacher Licenses

VI. Interim Type D Teacher License

VII.          Occupational Education Licenses

VIII.       Apprentice Special Group License/Professional School

School Guidance Counselor (Grades Pre-K-12)

School Psychologist (Grades PreK-12)

School Social Worker (Grades PreK-12)

I. Alternative License:

An Alternative License is not a full teaching license. It is issued at the request of the superintendent/director of schools of a Tennessee school district to an individual who is employed while still completing specific licensure requirements. The license is issued for one school year at a time and always expires on August 31 following the academic school year for which it is issued.

a. Alternative License Type A

The Alternative License Type A is issued to an individual who holds a Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education with an academic major in the endorsement area sought. A superintendent/director of schools in Tennessee must sign a statement of intent to employ the applicant and must provide a mentor for the applicant during the first two years of teaching.

If the applicant's transcripts do not reflect an academic major in the area of endorsement sought, he/she must be admitted to an approved teacher preparation program and obtain a written statement signed by the Certification Officer at the college/university verifying that the applicant has satisfied all coursework in the subject area component of the approved program.

Then Alternative License Type A is available in all initial licensure endorsement areas. All persons seeking an Alternative License Type A in the areas of early childhood education, elementary education, and middle grades education must be admitted to an approved teacher preparation program and must have made adequate academic progress as prescribed by the college/university prior to the issuance of the Alternative License Type A. An individual may not be issued an Alternative License Type A more than three times. This includes initial issuance plus a limit of two renewals.

To renew this license, one must be officially admitted to an approved teacher preparation program. His/her areas of deficiency must be identified on a program of studies signed by the Certification Officer at the college/university, and the applicant must earn six semester/nine quarter hours of credit in these areas of deficiency each year for renewal. Once an applicant has met all the deficiencies as outlined by the college/university, that institution can recommend the individual for a full Tennessee teacher license.

b. Alternative License Type C:

The Alternative License Type C may be issued to an individual who holds at least a Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education in the teaching field or related field. The applicant must be accepted into an approved Alternative C licensure program at one of the participating Tennessee higher education institutions. The applicant must also complete an intensive summer program at the university prior to becoming employed on an Alternative License Type C.

The Alternative C licensure program requires very close coordination between the university and the employing Tennessee school district. Once employed, the candidate must be assigned a mentor by the employing school district. The mentor shall provide support to the candidate during the first year of teaching and participate with the candidate in a university seminar at the end of the year. The Alternative License Type C is available in all endorsement areas for which the college/university offers approved programs.

c. The Alternative License Type E:

The alternative License Type E was developed to offer an alternative route to teacher licensure for individuals choosing to enter the teaching profession as a second career. An individual with at least a Bachelor's Degree from a regionally accredited college/university may be employed on an Alternative License Type E for up to three years while completing 24 semester hours of professional education coursework to advance to a full Tennessee license. An applicant is eligible for the Alternative License Type E if it can be documented that he or she has met the required knowledge and skills in the specific endorsement area.

Certain areas such as School Administrator, School Counselor, School Psychologist, Library Information Specialist, and Speech/Language Pathologist may not be issued an Alternate License type E without an acceptable Master's degree. The Alternative License Type E may be issued for all initial licensure endorsement areas except for Elementary Education and Middle Grades Education. NOTE: Applicants already holding a full academic Tennessee license are not eligible for the Alternative License Type E License, as it is designed to assist with initial licensure, not with additional endorsements.

An Alternative Type License Type E is issued for the duration of one school year at a time and always expires on the August 31 following the academic school year of its issuance. An individual may not be issued an Alternative License Type E more than three times. This includes initial issuance plus two renewals.

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

II. Apprentice Teacher License:

The Apprentice Teacher License is a full Tennessee teacher license issued to an educator who has completed an approved teacher preparation program. It is valid for five years and is renewable. The holder of an Apprentice License has five years in which to teach three years in a Tennessee public or state-accredited non-public school. Once the Apprentice License is used for three years in an approved Tennessee school (public school or non-public school that has adopted the state evaluation model), it is no longer valid. At the end of the three years of teaching, the school system must submit evidence of a positive local evaluation for the license holder to advance to the Professional License (Teacher).

If the Apprentice License is not used for three years in an approved Tennessee school, it remains valid for the duration of the five-year validity period. It may be renewed every five years if it is not used for employment in an approved Tennessee school by meeting renewal requirements

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

III. Professional License:

The Professional License is a full teacher license issued to the holder of an Apprentice Teacher License or Out-of-State Teacher License who has accrued a minimum of three years of acceptable experience in an approved Tennessee school and has received a positive local evaluation from an approved Tennessee school (a public or non-public school that has adopted the state evaluation model).

The three years of acceptable teaching experience can be a combination of in-state/out-of-state experience, but the last year must be completed in an approved Tennessee school to participate in the local evaluation process to be eligible to advance to the Professional License.

The Professional License is valid for ten years and is renewable by meeting renewal requirements.

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

IV. Out-of-State Teacher License

Earning a Tennessee Teacher License by Attending a College/University outside Tennessee Hurricane Relief -Special Instructions:

If you completed teacher licensure requirements in another state, you must submit an out-of-state teacher license application packet in order to apply for a Tennessee teacher license.

Download an application for an Out-of-State Teacher License or call (615) 532-4885 to request the form be mailed to you. The application form also includes a list of regulations and guidelines regarding issuance of the license.

Please follow the steps as outlined on the application form:

1.      Complete Part I regarding personal information.

2.      Part II refers to the Praxis Series Exams (formerly known as the National Teachers Exams or NTE).  If you were fully certified/licensed in another state before July 1, 1984 you MAY be exempt from the Praxis exams requirement for your initial license provided a comparable teaching endorsement area is offered in Tennessee.

Please attach a copy of your out-of-state license showing the issue date. If you are unable to locate a copy of your license showing the issue date prior to July 1, 1984, you may download a verification form to send to the state department of education in that state.

If you hold a current VALID license from another state, please enclose a copy. You MAY be exempt from testing.

If you do not meet the exemption criterion, you may be required to take tests for Tennessee. Acceptable score reports must be submitted directly from the college/university (Designated Institution Score Report) or directly from Education Testing Services (ETS).

Testing requirements are subject to change. (Testing exam changes take effect on September 1st each year) Please call the Tennessee Office of Teacher Licensing

 (615) 532-4885 prior to signing up for any of the Praxis exams.

To request an official copy of Praxis score(s) reports contact:

The Praxis Series
Educational Testing Service
P.O. Box 6051
Princeton, New Jersey 08541-6051

(609) 771-7395

3.      Part III indicates whether you have one or more years of teaching experience in another state. If you do have experience, you must document it on an experience verification form. THIS FORM MUST BE SIGNED BY AN OFFICIAL FROM THE CENTRAL OFFICE OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM(S) WHERE YOU TAUGHT. The form(s) should be returned to you and attached to your application.

4.      Part IV requests official copies of college/university transcripts and a recommendation from the college or university with an approved teacher preparation program. All applicants must provide official transcripts from all institutions attended. Please ask your college/university to send a transcript to you for inclusion with your application. Unsolicited transcripts received by this office are returned. The Certification Officer or the Dean of Education at the institution where you completed your teacher preparation program should complete Part IV. The authorized official should return the completed form to you, along with the required transcripts.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have taught 3 years out of the last 7 years in a K-12 school outside of Tennessee, you may be eligible for a Tennessee License based upon our agreement with a reciprocal state. The Certification Officer would not be required to complete Part IV in that case.

Note: Please attach all required documentation listed above and submit in a single packet to the Tennessee Office of Teacher Licensing.  Contact information is located in the reference section in the back of the handbook. All incomplete packets will be returned to the applicant with instructions as to which items are missing. This will result in delaying the issuance of your Tennessee teaching license.

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

V. Interim License Type B:

The Interim License Type B is issued at the request of a superintendent/director of a Tennessee school district to an applicant who meets all Tennessee licensure requirements except for completion of the required Praxis Series Exams. An Interim License Type B is issued for one school year at a time and always expires on the August 31 following the academic school year for which it is issued. An individual may not be issued an Interim License Type B more than two times. This includes initial issuance plus one renewal.

This is not the preferred method of licensing because under “No Child Left Behind” provisions, it does not meet the requirements for “highly qualified”. This license is mostly used for education majors who are completing a semester of student teaching.

Download Application for Interim License Type B or call (615) 532-4885 to request an application be mailed to you. The application form also includes a list of regulations and guidelines regarding issuance of the license.

VI. Interim License Type D:

The Interim License Type D is similar to a Type B with the exception that it is designed to compliment a “5^th year” education program.  For example, an education student at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville would hold this type of license while conducting a one-year internship, taking place after his fourth year in the school’s education program. 

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

VII. Occupational Education Licenses:

An Apprentice Occupational Education License may be issued to individuals who meet requirements in the areas: Health Science OR Trade and Industry

Click here for a complete listing of Occupational Education Endorsement Areas currently available in Tennessee.

The Health Science educator must document three years of full-time successful employment within the past five years in a state approved health care facility: (ex: hospital, nursing home, rehab center, dental or medical office, home health, day surgery center etc.). He/she must also have an associate or higher degree and hold current licensure or certification in an allied health occupation, or current licensure as a registered nurse in Tennessee.

The Trade and Industry educator must document a minimum of five years of appropriate and current work experience during the past eight years in the field for which application is made. He/she must also be a high school graduate or the equivalent as determined by the General Education Development (GED) test.  Additional field-related certifications may be required as well.

The Cosmetology educator must also hold current licensure to instruct in Tennessee as issued by the respective state licensing board in addition to the other requirements for Trade and Industry educators.

Download the application for the Apprentice Occupational Education License or call (615) 532-4885 to request the forms be mailed to you. The application form also includes a list of regulations and guidelines regarding issuance. Qualifications including experience and educational preparation shall be reviewed by the staff of the Office of Teacher Licensing. Once an application has been reviewed and approved, the Apprentice Occupational Education License will be issued.

Note: The Apprentice Occupational Education License is only valid for three years of teaching in a Tennessee public or state accredited private school.

Advancing to the Professional Occupational Education License, valid for a ten year period, requires an evaluation of the candidate's knowledge and skills by an approved university to determine what specific coursework will be required for advancement. This evaluation must be scheduled by the applicant as soon as the Apprentice Occupational Education License is received in order to complete the required coursework within the three year period that the license is valid.

Questions regarding this advancement process should be directed to the Occupational Education License Consultant in the Office of Teacher Licensing at (615) 532-4885.

* As previously mentioned, this licensing classification is subject to change by Tennessee’s Office of Teacher Licensing. The most current information will be available on their website.

VIII. Apprentice Special Group License/Professional School Service Personnel License

Certain endorsement areas for educators in Tennessee are issued on a separate license called an Apprentice Special Group License. These areas are:

• School Guidance Counselor (Grades Pre-K-12)
• School Psychologist (Grades PreK-12)
• School Social Worker (Grades PreK-12)

An individual who qualifies for initial licensure with one of these endorsement areas is issued an Apprentice Special Group License which is valid for five years.

After completing a minimum of three years of experience on the Apprentice Special Group license in that endorsement area (with at least the last year completed in a an approved Tennessee public or non-public school that has adopted the state evaluation model), the individual is eligible to advance to the Professional School Service Personnel License. The Professional School Service Personnel License is issued for a ten year period and may be renewed by meeting the same requirements as the Professional License (Teacher) renewal.

If the Apprentice Special Group License is not used in an approved Tennessee public or non-public school, it remains valid for the duration of the five-year validity period and may be renewed by meeting the same renewal requirements as the Apprentice Teacher License renewal.

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