How to Obtain a Teacher Certificate in Tennessee
Each state has varying requirements for obtaining a teaching certificate and Tennessee is no different. However, Tennessee's Department of Education provides clear information for those seeking to teach within the state. Receiving a certificate to teach is possible as long as you meet the requirements outlined by state law and provide proper documentation of your qualifications.
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Instructions
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Graduate from a college or university with a degree in Education for any grades from kindergarten to grade 12. This can be from a school in Tennessee that has an approved education program, a school from another state, or even an education program outside the country if other requirements are met.
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Pass the Praxis Series exams that are required by the State of Tennessee. Test content varies per field of study; for example, students planning to teach English will take different tests than those teaching Math or French. You may obtain more information from the ETS website, where tests can be applied for online, as well.
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Obtain a recommendation for licensure from the Dean of Education, as well as the Certification Office, of whichever university or college from which you graduated. A copy of this recommendation will need to be submitted to the Tennessee Department of Education with your application for a teaching certificate.
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Submit an application for an Out-of-State Teacher License if your degree in education comes from a college or university outside of Tennessee. It must be signed and mailed to the office of the Department of Education, along with an official transcript from all schools attended that provided classes toward the degree. Also submit a copy of current teaching credentials that show validity dates.
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Obtain an evaluation of your degree if your university or college is outside of the United States. The evaluation will need to explain the degree equivalency or training that you received outside the U.S., as well as an interpretation of all credit hours earned in relation to semester hours within the U.S. educational institutions. Tennessee's state website provides a list of companies allowed to do this type of evaluation.
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Tips & Warnings
Teachers with prior experience outside of Tennessee are also required to submit an "Experience Verification Form" that is signed by an administrator in the school system where the experience was obtained. This form can be downloaded at the Tennessee state website.
Teachers with experience outside of Tennessee, who have less than three years of experience in the past seven years, have additional requirements; the school providing the degree must complete the section on the application titled, "Teacher Education Outside the State of Tennessee."
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