Out-of-State Educators

Thank you for your interest in becoming a licensed Tennessee Educator. This page provides information about the different types of educator licenses available in Tennessee and the various pathways for obtaining them using out-of-state credentials. Regardless of which pathway is utilized, the application process will require a registered TNCompass account. Step-by-step instructions for submitting an out-of-state educator transaction can be found in the Licensure Guidance Documents section available here.

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. To be issued a practitioner license using a valid out-of-state initial-level license, an applicant must:

• hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
• hold an initial level license in a state other than Tennessee,
• submit a recommendation, using the Out-of-State Educator Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed a preparation program (all out-of-state providers must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04); and
• ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution toEducator.Licensure@tn.govthrough an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic TranscriptsOperating Procedures.
• meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

Educators who apply for the practitioner license based on possession of an active initial level out-of-state license are not required to submit assessments as part of the initial application process. However, such educators must either pass the required content assessment(s) as defined in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105 or submit evidence of possession of an active professional level out-of-state license in order to qualify for renewal or advancement.”

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. To be issued a practitioner license using a recommendation from an out-of-state educator preparation provider (EPP), the applicant must:

• hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
• submit a recommendation, using the Out-of-State Educator Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed a preparation program (all out-of-state providers must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04);
• submit qualifying scores on all required assessments (as indicated inProfessional Assessments forTennessee Educators Policy 5.105); and
• ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education
• meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment, if applicable

to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.

Beginning July 1, 2021, educators holding a full, valid, and continuously renewable professional-level license in a state other than Tennessee will be issued a Tennessee Professional 6-Year license (professional teacher license, professional occupational teacher license, or professional school services personnel license), provided the professional license from another state is equivalent to Tennessee’s Professional license. The Professional 6-Year license is a full, professional-level license. To be issued a Professional 6-Year license, an applicant must:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
• Hold a professional level license, equivalent to Tennessee’s professional-level license, in a state other than Tennessee; and
• ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education. The transcript must be submitted by the institution to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.

All licensure transactions must be submitted in www.TNCompass.org.

The practitioner license is an initial license, valid for three years. Educators currently enrolled in an educator preparation program that has a formal partnership agreement with a Tennessee school district on file with the office of educator licensure and preparation may be issued a license through this pathway. To be issued a practitioner license through the out-of-state job-embedded partnership pathway, the applicant must:

• hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university;
• ensure that the program they are enrolled in has a formal partnership agreementwith the Tennessee school district in which he/she will be teaching on file with the department;
• submit a recommendation, using the Out-of-State Educator Preparation Verification form, from the out-of-state EPP where the educator completed a preparation program (all out-of-state providers must meet conditions stipulated in State Board Rule 0520-02-04);
• verify content knowledge by submitting qualifying scores on all required content assessments (as indicated inProfessional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy 5.105). Passing scores on the required pedagogical assessment ( out—of-state applicants may submit qualifying score on the ETS Principles of Learning and Teaching or SCALE/Pearson edTPA) must be submitted prior to renewing or advancing the practitioner license and
• ensure that the department has official transcripts of all credits earned through an institution of higher education.

The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher learning to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.

The ILL-P is a six-year renewable administrator license. To qualify for this license type, out-of-state candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Hold an advanced degree from a regionally accredited college or university (see transcript information below)
  
• Have at least three (3) years of qualifying pre-K-12 education working experience, one of which must be serving as a school principal, assistant principal, or instructional supervisor, documented on the experience verification form;
  
• Submit evidence of an active professional level administrator license from a state other than Tennessee;
• Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment; and
• Ensure that the Department has official transcripts of all degrees earned through a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.
  

The ILL is a three-year renewable administrator license. To qualify for this license type, out-of-state candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Hold an advanced degree from a regionally accredited college or university (see transcript information below)
  
• Have at least three (3) years of qualifying pre-K-12 education working experience documented on the experience verification form;
  
• Submit evidence of an active administrator license from a state other than Tennessee or provide verification of completion of an instructional leader program as evidenced by a completed recommendation form (see the Instructional Leader recommendation form in the Licensure Forms section here);
  
• Submit qualifying scores on the required assessment as defined in Professional Assessments for Tennessee Educators Policy (5.102)
• Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment; and
• Ensure that the Department has official transcripts of all degrees earned through a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.

The ILL-A is a three-year nonrenewable administrator license. To qualify for this license type, out-of-state candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Have at least three (3) years of qualifying pre-K-12 education working experience documented on the experience verification form;
  
• Submit evidence of an active administrator license from a state other than Tennessee or provide verification of completion of an instructional leader program as evidenced by a completed recommendation form (see the Instructional Leader recommendation form in the Licensure Forms section here);
• Meet TN Literacy Success Act requirements as evidenced by completion of a qualifying training or assessment; and
• Ensure that the Department has official transcripts of all degrees earned through a regionally accredited institution of higher learning. The transcript must be submitted by the institution of higher education to Educator.Licensure@tn.gov through an approved clearinghouse, or mailed to 710 James Robertson Parkway, 9th Floor, Nashville, TN 37243. For more information, review the Academic Transcripts Operating Procedures.