Hiring Policy
The state should close loopholes that allow teachers who have not met licensure requirements to continue teaching. This goal was reorganized in 2021.
Michigan and New Jersey fully ensure that all teachers will have met licensure requirements prior to entering the classroom by not offering provisional or emergency licenses. South Carolina does not allow emergency certifications in core subject areas.
No deferral : AL, DC, IL, MI, NE, NJ, NY, OH, SC, SD, UT
Up to 1 year: AK, GA, ID, KS, NH, TX
Up to 2 years:
3 years or more (or unspecified): AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NM, NV, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
Footnotes
AZ: Passage of a content test is one option for candidates in Arizona to demonstrate content knowledge for initial licensure.
CA: Passage of a content test is one option for candidates in California to demonstrate subject matter competence for initial licensure.
CO: Passage of a content test is one option for secondary candidates in Colorado to demonstrate content knowledge for initial licensure.
FL: Florida's temporary certificate is nonrenewable but may be extended for an additional two years for specific "extenuating circumstances."
HI: Passage of a content test is one option for candidates in Hawaii to demonstrate content knowledge for initial licensure.
NV:
OK: Oklahoma's emergency certificate is not issued to those teaching preK-5 unless they have passed the applicable subject-area assessment.
SD: Content licensing tests are optional for middle and secondary candidates in South Dakota.
TX: Emergency Permits can be extended without passing licensing tests if districts receive hardship approval.
WI: Passage of a content test is one option for candidates to demonstrate content knowledge for initial licensure.
WY: Wyoming requires that only elementary education and social studies composite teachers pass a subject-matter test before obtaining an initial license.
Yes. State maintains no emergency or provisional licenses.: MI, NJ, SC, SD
Partially. State maintains nonrenewable emergency or provisional licenses.: AK, CA, DC, GA, ID, IL, KS, NC, NE, NH, NY, VA
No. State maintains renewable emergency or provisional licenses.: AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, UT, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY
Footnotes
AL: Passage of content tests is required for first issuance.
DC: The District of Columbia's initial license functions as a de facto provisional license.
FL: Florida's temporary certificate is nonrenewable but may be extended for an additional two years for specific "extenuating circumstances."
IA: There is one emergency extension available for the Conditional Class B licenses "if coursework progress has been made."
NE: Content tests are required for first issuance.
NY: Passage of a content test is required for issuance.
OH: Ohio's supplemental and interim licenses are renewable, but requires passage of content test for first issuance.
UT: Passage of a content test is required for first issuance.
VT: Provisional license is non-renewable but can be extended if there are extenuating circumstances preventing the individual from completing the approved plan for obtaining an initial license.
WY: Only candidates teaching under an exception authorization while completing licensure requirements may apply for a second and third authorization with "proof of substantial progress toward full licensure."
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.