Education Licensure Information for Louisiana

You could complete an initial teacher licensure program from ACE and apply it to Louisiana’s out-of-state licensure requirements to obtain your Elementary (1-5), Middle School (4-8) and Secondary (6-12) licensure in Louisiana.

ACE accepts applicable content exams for our secondary licensure program admission requirements. Applicability is determined by ACE upon review.

Please note that the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) will determine which Louisiana certification area(s) to award you based on your concentration area and coursework. For those interested in our M.A. in Secondary Teaching or Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Secondary Education programs, we strongly recommend contacting the LDOE Teacher Certification Help Center directly to confirm exactly which band(s) will be issued for ACE’s programs.

You must satisfy additional requirements, including:

• Submitting official transcripts showing degree conferral
• Completing specific exam requirements based on license sought
• Completing student teaching or an internship in a certification area (previous experience may be credited in lieu of student teaching if it meets ACE’s educator preparation program requirements)
• Being eligible to hold a standard professional-level out-of-state teaching certificate

Upon conferral of your ACE program, provide the Teacher Preparation and Certification Status form to [email protected] for completion.

For the most current information about becoming a teacher in Louisiana, please check the Louisiana Department of Education website.

Teaching Special Education in Louisiana 

You could complete ACE’s Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Special Education to earn a P-12 Exceptional Needs: Mild Intervention out-of-state license.

The LDOE would then evaluate that license and map it to one or more of its three special education bands. For Louisiana’s integrated/merged Special Education Mild/Moderate structure, the grade band a candidate qualifies for depends on the concentration area of the preparation program and the core content Praxis exam passed:

• Mild/Moderate Grades 1–5 requires passing Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects (7001)
• Mild/Moderate Grades 4–8 requires passing one of the Middle School core content exams (Math 5164, Science 5442, Social Studies 5089 or English/Language Arts 5047)
• Mild/Moderate Grades 6–12 requires passing a secondary-level core content exam

We strongly recommend contacting the LDOE directly to confirm which specific band(s) will be awarded based on your transcript and exams. 

You could complete ACE’s M.Ed. in Educational Leadership or Certificate in Principal Preparation (if you already possess a master’s degree) and apply it to Louisiana’s out-of-state licensure requirements to obtain your Educational Leader Level 1 (EDL1) certificate in Louisiana.

You must satisfy additional requirements, including: 

• Holding or being eligible to hold a Louisiana Type B or Level 2 teaching certificate and three years of teaching experience OR holding an Ancillary Teaching certificate and at least five years of successful teaching experience
• Submitting official transcripts showing degree completion
• A passing score on the Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA)

Upon conferral of your ACE program, request a letter from [email protected] for verification that the program is aligned with the National Policy Board for Educational Administration’s Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL).

For the most current information on becoming a principal in Louisiana, please check the Louisiana Department of Education website.

The following ACE programs can be applied to Louisiana’s requirements to add an English as a Second Language endorsement to your Louisiana license: 

• M.Ed. in Teaching English Learners
• Certificate in Teaching English Learners

You must also hold a valid OS, Type A, B, C, or Level 1, 2, 3 Louisiana teaching certificate.

For the most current information on this endorsement in Louisiana, please check the Louisiana Department of Education website.