Tennessee State Board of Education Seeks to Develop an Educator Licensure Review Committe

Tennessee State Board of Education Seeks to Develop an Educator Licensure Review Committee

Statements of Interest due January 15, 2024

Tennessee recognizes the need to have a sufficient supply of excellent educators to meet the needs of the state. The State Board of Education’s, Master Plan 2022-2025, includes a specific strategic focus on “Teachers and Leaders” and states as follows: All schools are staffed with qualified and effective educators. 

The State Board of Education (State Board) staff, working with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), have started the process to identify recommendations that will ensure that the licensure system and policies meet Tennessee’s needs.

To ensure the licensure system is reviewed often, the State Board’s Executive Director seeks to develop an Educator Licensure Review Committee. The Committee will convene at least annually to examine state law, and State Board rules and policies to highlight areas of strength, while identifying challenges, and potential changes. Recommendations will be made to the Executive Director of the State Board for consideration. 

The Committee will represent all regions of the state and include educators, district and state education leaders, and legislators. Through this Committee, educator licensure requirements and related board rules and policies will be discussed alongside issues faced by educators and districts. Convening on a regular cadence to discuss key issues will ensure ongoing reflection with regard to this complex, yet critical, policy issue.

Work to Date                                                                                                                                                                                          Beginning in Spring 2023, staff from the State Board and TDOE began convening with the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) to create a draft vision and guiding principles for educator licensure and to identify key issues within the current system through surveying key stakeholders across the state. These topics will serve as a focus of initial discussions of the Committee. 

Some of the current issues include:

            - Continued use of the edTPA as a licensure requirement for candidates completing undergraduate and traditional             post-baccalaureate preparation programs; 

            - Evaluation of requirements for occupational licensure and accessibility of licensure pathways for prospective                  educators transitioning from industry; Improvement of communication of more recently developed pathways to             licensure; and

            - Identification of needs related to restructuring of current endorsements and creation of new endorsements. 

You can find a full overview of the Committee here.

If you are interested in being considered for this Committee, please send a statement of interest to Michael Deurlein, Deputy Executive Director of Policy and Research (Michael.J.Deurlein@tn.gov), no later than January 15, 2024.