Tennessee Teacher License

This page is designed to be a resource for educators interested in becoming licensed to teach in
Tennessee.  Additionally, t
his page provides information for current Tennessee teacher license holders
regarding advancing, renewing, and adding endorsements to their current license.

Interested in becoming a licensed teacher

  • Job-embedded: If you do not hold a teaching license, but have a Bachelor's degree and the desire to become a certified teacher and would like to explore a job-embedded teaching license you will need to do the following:
  1. Scan all transcripts and send an introductory email to any/all of the following certification officers, making them aware of the grade span/subject(s) you would like to teach in Hamilton County Schools.
  2. Ask what is required for you to be eligible for a job-embedded teacher license program.
  3. Once you are eligible, you could then apply for vacancies, and if offered a job, you would go back to the university partner and they would apply for a Practitioner 1st Issuance license--good for three (3) years to allow time to complete all coursework and assessment requirements.

Contacts:

Lee University

 Rachael Pitts

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga

 Michael Crosa
https://linktr.ee/utcteachercert

Lipscomb University

Caitlin Mullins

University of Tennessee-Martin

Jenny Hahn

  • Grow your Own: See the candidate eligibility requirements below.  Click here for more information.
    • Current Hamilton County Schools classified staff working with PreK-12 students
    • Interest in teaching Exceptional Education, Secondary Math, Secondary Science, Secondary ELA, or Elementary Grades
    • Commitment to complete coursework and attend cohort meetings, as determined by the program
    • Desire to teach in a Title-I setting
    • Commitment to teach in Hamilton County for three years
                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Renewal Information

  • Practitioner 1st Issuance

If you have passed the needed assessments and completed a teacher prep program, but lack the experience (minimum of 25 months experience), then you can apply to renew. If approved, you will be issued the Practitioner Teacher license which is good for another 3 years.  Practitioner Teacher licenses are renewable based on obtaining 30 Professional Development Points (PDPs).


If you’re ready to renew a Practitioner License, follow the instructions here:  
Renew a Practitioner 1st Issuance License


  • Professional

There are now TWO options:

  • Obtain 60 Professional Development Points (PDPs) during the validity period of the license (from the effective/renewal date through the expiration date).

OR

  • Have two years of qualifying teaching experience during the validity period of the license.

If you’re ready to renew a Professional License, follow the instructions here:  
Renewing Your Professional Teaching License


  • JROTC

The requirements to renew is an updated current training certificate (with expiration date) and a Recommendation completed by the Superintended Designee.


If you’re ready to renew a JROTC License, follow the instructions here:  
Renewing Your JROTC Teaching License


Advancement Information

If you hold a Practitioner license and want to advance, there are four requirements to advance:

  • Complete an Educator Preparation Program (EPP) 
  • Have at least 25 months of experience (can be in Tennessee or another state).  Must either be showing in the experience section of the Licensure tab or uploaded on an Experience Verification form in the Attachment section.
  • Have passing scores on all required assessments with the scores showing in the Preparation tab of your TNCompass Educator Profile.
  • 30 Professional Development Points (PDPs)

If you’re ready to advance, follow the instructions here:  
Advance to Professional


* Information about adding PDPs and required assessments can be found on the FAQs page.

Add an endorsement

If you are a Tennessee certified teacher and want to add an endorsement to your current license, you will need to review Tennessee’s Endorsement Flexibility Guide. Based on your current endorsement(s), this document will show which endorsements can be added by test only.


                                                                                                                                                                            

If you're ready to add an endorsement
, follow the instructions here:
Add Endorsement

                                                                                                                                                                                               

Reactivate an Expired License

There are several pathways you can use to reactivate an expired Tennessee teaching license assuming you have completed an educator preparation program (EPP). 

*If you have an expired Practitioner Teacher - 1st Issuance and have not completed an EPP, you will be unable to reactivate the license until you have completed a program.*

If you hold an expired Practitioner 1st Issuance (with EPP status of Completed), Practitioner Teacher, Professional, or Professional - 6 Year, you must meet one of the below requirements to reactivate the expired license:
  1. Hold a current out of state Professional level teaching license,
  2. Hold current National Board certification,
  3. Have current Praxis content assessment scores for each endorsement you wish to reactivate showing in your TNCompass account, OR
  4. If the expired license was a Professional level license, there was new legislation passed July of 2023 that allows educators to reactivate with EITHER two (2) years of experience OR sixty (60) PDPs.
*Beginning August 1, 2023, the Literacy Success Act took effect and if your license holds an Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Special Education, or ESL endorsement, you must also complete one of the pathways - there is more information about this in the link below.

If you meet one of the above qualifications, click here for instructions for reactivating your license.