Appendix B: Pathways to First-Time Teaching Credentials Database User Guide

This guide explains the information included in New America’s Database of Pathways to First-Time Teaching Credentials, which covers all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.¹

The database outlines the attributes of all state pathways that allow individuals to become teachers of record in a public school for the first time. To be included, a pathway must provide an individual with responsibility for a classroom and/or roster of students for the duration of at least one school year (at least 0.5 full-time equivalent). For each pathway, the database includes details about required pre-service preparation (if any); any candidate knowledge, skills, experiences, or other characteristics; and any commitments or actions that must be made by prospective employing schools. The database categorizes each pathway based on its requirements, from “full” licenses and certifications to “emergency” permits.² With the exception of full-time, full-year substitute teaching permits, substitute teaching permits are not included.

The database does not include pathways for any currently or previously credentialed teachers (e.g., those used by teachers credentialed in one state to become licensed in another state, or by individuals prepared as teachers in other countries). It also does not include pathways to teach career and technical education (CTE) courses, highly specialized subjects (e.g., military science), or courses focused on developing a particular life skill (e.g., personal financial responsibility), as the requirements for each are typically highly specific to the individual field. However, it is possible that some pathways included here lead to credentials that can be used to teach CTE courses.

At times, state source materials only detailed credential types, not the various pathways to them. In these cases, we interpreted the eligible preparation types and other requirements to decipher the possible pathways to earning the credential.

We made some foundational assumptions in order to limit the length of entries and redundancy of phrases in the database:

• All pathways lead to teacher of record (TOR) positions, regardless of whether the accompanying credentials are called licenses, certifications, permits, or authorizations.
• For pathways that require completion of a degree- or non-degree-granting educator preparation program (EPP) to earn a credential, states require a formal recommendation for certification from the preparation entity.
• Postsecondary degrees or postsecondary teaching experience must be from a regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher education (IHE), unless otherwise specified.
• Pathways that do not require completion of a degree-granting EPP are only for approved in-state preparation providers, unless otherwise specified.
• An application to the state entity overseeing teacher licensure and certification is necessary to obtain an initial credential and to obtain any future credential in a candidate's career progression, unless otherwise specified.
• For pathways that are designed to meet a specific school need, individuals in it are excluded from teaching in any grade level, subject, and/or school type that is not explicitly specified as a pathway target.
• All licensure-area and endorsement-specific coursework requirements must be completed prior to EPP completion in order to be issued a credential in that area, unless otherwise specified.
• Some pathways may include specific subjects or fields that require a graduate degree, even if the minimum degree requirements for earning a credential via that pathway is a bachelor’s degree.
• Any reference to LEA (local education agency) offers of employment refers to employment as a teacher of record in the certification area sought, unless otherwise specified.
• The vast majority, if not all, states require some type of criminal and/or character background check that does not vary by pathway, so we have not spelled this out in the summary list of requirements for each specific pathway. We have included a column explaining whether a formal criminal background check is required, and by what entity.

ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

AP exam: Advanced Placement exam

ASVAB: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery

CEUs: Continuing education units

CTE: Career and Technical Education

EPP: Educator preparation program

ELA: English language arts

ESL: English as a second language

GPA: Grade point average

GRE: Graduate Record Examination

IHE: Institution of higher education

LEA: Local education agency

MACTE: Montessori Accreditation Council for Teacher Education

NASDTEC: National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education & Credentialing

PPAT: Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers

STEM: Science, technology, engineering and mathematics

STEAM: Science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics

TOR: Teacher of record

To enable easy comparison between states, the database uses standard terms for certain requirements with identical intent but different names across states (e.g., “subject exam” instead of “Praxis II” or “content pedagogy test”).

• “Alternative,” as used by New America’s Education Policy program in the database, refers to any pathway that does not require completion of a preparation program that results in an earned degree (although it is used by states to label an array of “non-traditional” pathways and credentials with varying attributes).
• "Approved" refers to approval by the state entity responsible for teacher credentialing and/or teacher preparation.
• “Certification-only” refers to teacher preparation programs that lead to a teaching credential, but not a degree.
• “Core subjects” refers to English language arts, math, science, and social science.
• "Educator preparation program (EPP)" refers to any bachelor's or master's degree-granting preparation teacher preparation program as well as any “certification-only” post-baccalaureate program sponsored by an IHE, LEA, or other entity, in or out of state, unless otherwise specified.
• “Endorsement” refers to the specific subject area(s) in which a teacher is certified to teach (e.g., secondary math, early childhood special education, etc.).
• "General skills test" refers to the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators, unless otherwise specified.
• “GPA” refers to the cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale at the undergraduate level, unless otherwise specified.
• "Employment" refers to a full-time teaching position in the area of certification (or intended certification) in a public school in the state, unless otherwise specified.
• “Endorsement” refers to a type of teacher certification that enables an individual to teach in a specific subject area.
• “NASDTEC Interstate Agreement” refers to a set of agreements that make it possible for an educator who completed an approved EPP in one state to earn a certificate or license in another state, provided the states are members of NASDTEC and have signed the Agreement.
• "Pedagogy performance assessment" refers to either the edTPA or the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT), unless otherwise specified.
• "Reading instruction test" refers to either the Foundations of Reading or Teaching Reading assessment, unless otherwise specified.
• "Relevant subject area" refers to the specific field or subject certification or endorsement area requested.
• "Schools" refers to PreK–12 public schools, unless otherwise specified.
• "Subject exam" refers to Praxis® II or Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge test, unless otherwise specified.
• “Teaching credential” refers to a state-approved (and typically state-commissioned) license, certification, permit, or authorization that qualifies an individual to work as a full-time teacher in a public PreK–12 school for at least a full school year.
• "Teaching knowledge test" refers to the Praxis teaching and knowledge test, unless otherwise specified.
• "Traditional" refers to any degree-granting educator preparation program.³

• Pathway and Teaching Credential Earned (columns B and C): Provide the name and type of the overarching pathways to first-time teaching credentials (column B) and the credentials issued at the successful completion of all pathway requirements (column C). Many states have several pathways leading to the same credential type. While we tried to include the name of the credential almost exactly as it appears on state websites and/or in policy documents, we took some liberties to rename the pathways for clarity of comparison between states, while attempting to keep them recognizable to the states themselves.
• School Recruitment Need (column D): Captures whether a pathway is designed to fill positions in specific grade levels, subject areas, and/or school types. We elected not to include broad recruitment objectives that are articulated in the policy or associated documents but not specified further. In particular, we excluded:
  • Objectives to address teacher shortages generally UNLESS the pathway is designed to respond to a specific LEA’s urgent documented hiring need (e.g., emergency permits).
  • Objectives to recruit for “high-need” schools generally UNLESS it was clear how the pathway would specifically target these schools. An example of an exception is states that have a pathway into teaching that is only available to individuals teaching in Title I (low-income) schools.
• Candidate Profile (column E): Captures whether a pathway is designed to recruit candidates with specific attributes, such as deep subject area expertise, cultural/linguistic background, and past non-credentialed teaching experience. This column excludes vague candidate profiles, such as “career switchers” (without further specificity) or candidates who fail to meet all requirements of the standard initial credential. Note that “Subject Knowledge” (denoted in the database by a “K” in this column) must be demonstrated by having more than an undergraduate major or coursework in the field (e.g., having an advanced degree, having coursework plus professional experience, etc.).
• Excluded Certification Areas (column F): Captures which certification areas the state excludes from being obtained via the pathway, if any. Although not explicitly detailed in this column—for pathways that specify targeted grades, subjects, and/or school types in column D—any certification areas not specified in column D are implicitly excluded, although not explicitly detailed in this column.
• LEA Employment Offer (column G): Tracks whether a pathway requires candidates to receive an employment offer from a LEA in order to obtain the credential.
• Entity Requesting Credential (column H): Tracks whether a teacher candidate can submit an application for a teaching credential to the state directly (the standard approach), or whether the state requires the LEA and/or the EPP to request the credential (typically to fill a vacant position with a less-than-fully-qualified candidate).
• Conditions and/or Actions Required for LEA Credential Requests (column I): Specifies the circumstances that must exist and/or actions an LEA must take to initiate specific pathways and the associated credentials (typically demonstrating that it is unable to fill the position with a fully qualified candidate).
• General Requirements (column J): Summarizes a pathway’s requirements for obtaining a teaching credential for the first time. For the many “alternative” pathways that allow a candidate to work as the teacher of record while earning a “full” initial or standard professional teaching credential, only the requirements for earning the first credential that allows the candidate to work as a teacher of record are included here. Any requirements for further credential progression are included in column AL.
• Minimum Degree (column K): Specifies the minimum degree requirement for each pathway (e.g., requirements for “bachelor’s degree or higher” are included as “bachelor’s”).
• Minimum GPA Requirement (columns L, M, and N): Indicates whether the state requires a minimum GPA for entry (or for a degree-granting program, for exit) for the pathway, and if so, what the minimum GPA requirement is, and a characterization of whether it is high, medium, low, or very low. If a degree-granting pathway has a minimum GPA requirement for entry and exit, this column reflects the exit requirement (which is typically higher than for entry).
• General Skills Test (column O): Indicates whether the state requires a test of general knowledge and skill for pathway entry or exit, as well as whether the test needs to be passed or just taken for formative purposes. Includes teaching-specific basic skills tests such as Praxis Core, as well as more general tests, such as the ACT or SAT.
• Degree-Granting EPP (column P): Indicates whether a pathway requires enrollment in or completion of an educator preparation program that culminates in a degree in education (bachelor’s or higher).
• Non-Degree Granting EPP (column Q): Indicates whether a pathway requires enrollment in or completion of an educator preparation program that does not culminate in a degree or makes completion of a degree optional.
• Education Fundamentals Coursework (column R): Indicates whether a pathway specifies education fundamentals coursework (e.g., classroom management, student discipline) as a requirement for the first-time teaching credential. While recognizing that every EPP is unique, for this database we assumed that every “traditional” bachelor’s degree-granting EPP pathway would include some such coursework. Pathway requirements such as “training” or “institutes” are only included here if they outline specific coursework or “modules” as part of them.
• Knowledge of Teaching Exam (column S): Indicates whether a pathway requires the passage of a pedagogy test, and if so, names the required test (e.g. Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching).
• Subject Area Coursework (column T): Indicates whether or not a pathway requires: (a) a bachelor’s degree major or minor in the subject area; (b) an advanced degree in the subject area; or (c) subject-specific coursework not associated with a degree program. Many states lay out in policy exactly which subject-specific education courses teacher candidates are required to take for each specific endorsement area. We did not attempt to review this information in detail, and instead made an assumption that every “traditional” bachelor’s degree-granting EPP pathway would include some such coursework.
• Subject Area Exam (column U): Indicates whether or not a pathway requires a candidate to pass a subject exam in the credential content area, and/or whether an alternative score is accepted under all or certain conditions. It also names the subject test (e.g., Praxis II).
• National or Statewide Performance-Based Pedagogy Assessment (column V): Indicates whether or not a pathway requires passing a performance assessment (e.g., edTPA), including those embedded as an exit requirement in degree-granting EPPs.
• Minimum Length of Pre-service Clinical Teaching Experience (column W): Categorizes the number of weeks of supervised pre-service student teaching (not including field experiences) that states require before granting the credential. Note that some states do not set a minimum and instead leave it to the discretion of the EPPs. Category breaks are based on raw internal data shared by the National Center for Teacher Quality (NCTQ) on the distribution of teacher preparation programs’ pre-service clinical experiences.⁴ As state clinical experience requirements employ different units of measurement (e.g., semester hours, semesters, or days), we consulted several sources to define these metrics, and ultimately convert states’ clinical teaching requirements into weeks:
• 1 week = 33.2 hours
• 1 semester = 14–17 weeks
• 1 semester hour = 45 hours
• Pre-service Mentor Qualifications (column X): Captures any qualifications required of clinical experience mentors (e.g., length of teaching experience, training, performance evaluation ratings).
• Professional Work Experience (column Y): Captures whether a pathway requires professional work experience in the credential endorsement area, in postsecondary or K–12 teaching, or in other areas, and the length of the required experience, when specified.
• Work-Based Artifacts or Demonstrations (column Z): Indicates any requirements to submit artifacts of work experience (such as publications or video footage), or to demonstrate skills (such as teaching a model lesson). It does not include resumes, recommendation letters, or writing samples.
• Formal Background Check (column AA): Indicates whether state law requires a formal FBI background check (indicated as “Y/S”), a formal LEA-led background check (“Y/L”), or just an informal, self-reported criminal history (“N”). Within each state, we assumed that if a background check is required for one pathway, it is required for all pathways.
• Other (column AB): Lists any requirements not captured in other columns. This often includes specific trainings (e.g., in recognizing/reporting child abuse) and reading instruction tests.
• Exceptions to Requirements (column AC): Indicates when there is:
  • An option to pursue a less-preferred secondary option when failing to meet a specific requirement (e.g., if you do not pass the subject test, you can, as an exception, complete a certain amount of coursework in the content area).
  • The ability to request a waiver for meeting a specific requirement.
  • A requirement that the state explicitly says is or is not needed for certain grades or subject areas that differs from the general requirement.
  • A circumstance where an additional requirement applies (e.g., if a degree was awarded more than five years ago, then additional subject coursework must be completed).
• Pathway Type (column AD): After analyzing trends across the state pathways, we categorized them into five types:
• Full: Requires completing a degree-granting EPP without exceptions or deficiencies OR passing the state’s teaching knowledge test, passing a pedagogy performance assessment, or having prior K–12 teaching experience.
• Last Mile: Requires completing an EPP with the exception of one temporary deficiency (typically failure to pass an exam or complete a course required for licensure).
• Targeted: Does not require completion of a degree-granting EPP, pedagogy testing, or prior teaching experience, but does require a specific candidate recruitment profile (e.g., native language speaker, advanced degree holder, etc.).
• Interim: Does not require completion of a degree-granting EPP, pedagogy testing, prior teaching experience, or a specific candidate recruitment profile but (1) is teacher initiated and (2) requires enrollment in an EPP.
• Emergency: Does not require completion of a degree-granting EPP, pedagogy testing, prior teaching experience, or a specific candidate recruitment profile and is either (1) teacher initiated but does not require enrollment in an EPP or (2) LEA initiated.
• Initial vs. Terminal “Full” First-Time Credential (column AE):
• Initial: A specific credential for novice teachers who have completed all requirements of an EPP; generally cannot be renewed indefinitely, and provides a first step on the path to a terminal professional license.
• Terminal: Progress to a more advanced credential is unnecessary and the credential can be renewed indefinitely, as long as certain requirements are met; typically reserved for more experienced teachers and may have a longer time frame between renewals (e.g., 5–10 years).
• First-Time Credential Validity Period (column AF): Captures the length of time the first-time credential is valid before it must be renewed, advanced to another credential, or expires.
• Ability to Continue Credential Validity Period (column AG): Indicates whether the first-time credential can be extended and/or renewed.
• How Long Credential Can be Continued (column AH): Indicates how many times and at what interval a credential can be renewed or extended.
• Requirements for Continuing Credential Validity (column AI): Describes any requirements for continuing to teach on the first-time credential.
• Total Time Can Teach Under First-Time Credential (column AJ): Provides the sum of the initial validity period and any additional credential validity periods.
• Next Credential Level (column AK): Indicates what type of credential teachers are expected to progress to after the first-time credential, if any. In some states, credentials classified as “full initial” may progress to another full initial license while, in others, progression can depend on how long an individual held the first-time credential before meeting specific requirements.
• Requirements to Progress to Next Credential Level (column AL): Indicates requirements that first-time credential holders in the pathway must meet in order to advance to the next credential level (e.g., years of teaching experience, professional development, performance evaluation ratings, testing, etc.). For terminal credentials, includes steps to voluntarily progress to a higher credential level, if this option is available.