Teacher License Reciprocity
Does the state have different requirements based on candidate experience or effectiveness?
June 2020
Thirty-seven states and the District of Columbia have different requirements for experienced and inexperienced teachers, limiting licensure barriers for candidates meeting established experience requirements. Thirteen states and the District of Columbia require candidates with classroom experience to provide evidence of effectiveness in past performance, oftentimes limiting barriers for candidates who can demonstrate success. View the full 50-State Comparison: Teacher License Reciprocity here.
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STATE
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Does the state have different requirements in place
for experienced and inexperienced out-of-state teachers? |
Source
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Does the state require out-of-state teachers with
experience provide evidence of effectiveness? |
Source
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| Idaho | No. Out-of-state applicants who hold a current, valid certificate in another state, and applicants who hold an institutional recommendation from an approved certification program completed in the past two years are eligible to receive a three-year, nonrenewable Interim Certificate upon clearance of the background investigation check. Once all deficiencies noted on the interim certificate are completed, the applicant may apply for a renewable, five-year Standard Instructional Certificate. | Idaho Admin. Code r. 08.02.02.016 Source |
No. | |
| Iowa | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with less than three years of teaching experience may be eligible to receive an Initial License. Out-of-state candidates with three or more years of teaching experience on a valid license are eligible to receive a Standard License unless they have some coursework requirement deficiencies. Out-of-state candidates with five years teaching experience and a master's degree or with ten years of teaching experience will not be subject to additional subject coursework deficiency requirements. | Iowa Admin. Code r. 282-13.5(272) Iowa Admin. Code r. 282-13.6(272) Iowa Admin. Code r. 282-13.7(272) |
No. | |
| North Dakota | Yes. Some candidates may be eligible to submit evidence of contracted teaching experience in place of pedagogical assessment requirements. Applicants who have been licensed for more than 18 months may be eligible for a 5-year other state educator license, as opposed to a 2-year other state educator license or out-of-state reciprocal license. | N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-02-04 N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-06-01 N.D. Admin. Code 67.1-02-06-03 |
No. | |
| Ohio | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with three or more years of experience under a standard out-of-state teaching credential may be eligible to receive a Professional Educator license. Candidates with less than three years of experience may be eligible to receive a Resident Educator license or a one-year Out of State Educator license. | Source | No. | |
| Oklahoma | No. | Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 70, § 6-190 | No. | |
| Oregon | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with five years of half-time or more teaching experience in the specific subject matter while properly licensed and endorsed in the content area requested may receive a waiver to the subject matter testing requirements if they can prove evidence of academic preparation satisfactory to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission. | Or. Admin. R. 584-220-0015 | No. | |
| Rhode Island | No. | No. | ||
| Kansas | Yes. To receive an Initial License, out-of-state candidates must verify at least one year of teaching experience or eight semester hours of credit within the last six years. To receive a Professional License candidates must also verify at least three years of teaching experience within the past six years under a standard license or at least five years of teaching experience under a standard license. Candidates with at least three years of teaching experience within the past six years or five years of teaching experience total are exempted from assessment requirements and are eligible for a Professional License. | Kan. Admin. Regs. 91-1-204 | No. | |
| Kentucky | Yes. Out-of-state applicants who hold a valid certificate and who have completed two years of full-time teaching in the subject area and grade level on their certificate are exempt from testing requirements. Candidates without this experience are required to pass the Kentucky PRAXIS testing requirements. | Source 1 Source 2 |
No. | |
| Maine | No. Although out-of-state candidates who 1) completed an approved preparation program for the endorsement or certificate sought with a formal recommendation for certification, and 2) have three years of successful teaching experience in the past five years under a valid comparable certificate in a state participating in the NASDTEC interstate agreement, are eligible to receive a Professional Teacher Certificate, candidates meeting these requirements may still be required to take additional coursework or assessments. Candidates meeting experience requirements can teach under a Conditional License while working to complete outstanding requirements. Candidates not meeting experience requirements may also be required to take additional coursework or assessments, but can also teach under a Conditional License. | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A, § 13012-A Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 20-A, § 13013 LD 1569 (2017) Source |
No. | |
| Massachusetts | No. Except that candidates with at least three years of employment under a valid out-of-state license or certificate may be eligible for a Temporary License while he/she works to meet requirements for full licensure. | 603 Mass. Code Regs. 7.05 603 Mass. Code Regs. 7.04 |
No. | |
| Minnesota | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with at least two years of teaching experience in a similar licensure area are not required to meet field-specific teaching methods or student teaching requirements in order to be eligible for a Tier 3 License. | Minn. Stat. Ann. § 122A.183 | No. | |
| South Dakota | Yes. Candidates who have completed an alternative certification program in another state must provide verification of three years of experience within the last five years to be eligible for reciprocity. Candidates who do not meet experience requirements must meet all of the South Dakota certification requirements. | Source | No. | |
| Tennessee | No. | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0520-02-03-.03 Source |
No. | |
| Texas | Yes. An out of state candidate with at least one year of experience may be eligible for test exemptions if they meet the other requirements. Candidates with less than one year of experience may be issued a one-year certificate or be required to complete required Texas certification exam. | Source | No. | |
| Utah | Yes. Out-of-state applicants with one year of successful teaching experience do not have to take content or pedagogical exams. | Utah Admin. Code r. R277-301-6 | No. | |
| Vermont | No. | No. | ||
| Virginia | Yes. Applicants who hold an out-of-state license and have completed a minimum of three years of full-time successful teaching experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school are exempted from the professional teacher’s assessment requirements. Applicants with less than three years of full-time, successful teaching experience in a public or accredited nonpublic school must complete all licensure assessments prescribed by the Board of Education. | 8 Va. Admin. Code 20-23-100 | No. | |
| Washington | Yes. Applicants who hold a certificate comparable to the Residency Certificate and who have practiced at the P-12 level for at least three years are not required to have completed their state’s approved teacher preparation program. Applicants without this experience must meet their state’s preparation program requirements. | Wash. Admin. Code 181-79A-257 Source |
No. | |
| West Virginia | Yes. Applicants with permanent out-of-state licenses and the ability to verify five years of experience in the endorsement area(s) are eligible to receive a Permanent Professional Teaching Certificate and are exempt from the Beginning Educator Internship/Induction. | W. Va. Code R. 126-136-16 W. Va. Code R. 126-136-10 W. Va. Code R. 126-136-9 |
No. | |
| Wisconsin | Yes. Under the License Based on Reciprocity Pathway, out-of-state candidates who have at least one year of teaching experience and hold a valid license in good standing from their sending state are eligible for a Tier II license. | Wis. Stat. Ann. § 118.193 Source Wis. Admin. Code PI § 34.038 |
No. | |
| Mississippi | No. | No. | ||
| Missouri | No. However, candidates meeting experience and education level requirements may be eligible to receive a higher level certificate than candidates without this experience. | Source | No. | |
| Nebraska | Yes. Candidates must document recent college credits or employment experience within the past five years to receive an Initial, Standard or Professional License. To receive a Standard or Professional License, candidates must also document two years as a contractual teacher. Candidates not meeting experience requirements may be eligible to receive a Provisional license. | 92 Neb. Admin. Code Chap. 21, § 005 Source |
No. | |
| Nevada | No. | No. | ||
| Wyoming | Yes, but not for all candidates. Applicants prepared through alternative routes that did not contain all the requisite components of a state-approved traditional route program must have a valid, current and historical teaching license and verify three years of full-time teaching experience within the past six years, while holding full licensure or certification for each endorsement area being sought in order to obtain licensure. Candidates not meeting these requirements may be eligible to teach under an “Exception Authorization” or in certain cases, under a "Professional Industry Career Permit." | Wyo. Admin. Code 019.0001.2 § 6 Source 1 Source 2 |
No. | |
| Maryland | Yes. Out-of-state candidates who have an active professional certificate from another state and three years of satisfactory full-time teaching experience within the past seven years in the subject area on their certificates are exempted from assessment requirements. Candidates who have an active or expired professional certificate from another state and two years of satisfactory full-time teaching experience are also exempted from assessment requirements but must show evidence of completing an approved educator preparation program. Candidates who graduated from an out-of-state preparation program and who hold an active, professional certificate can be exempted from additional assessment requirements if they met the issuing state’s qualifying test scores to receive certification. Candidates who graduated from an out-of-state preparation program but who do not meet experience requirements or hold an out-of-state certificate must pass basic skills, content and pedagogy assessments. | Md. Code Regs. 13A.12.01.04 Md. Code Regs. 13A.12.01.05 Source |
Yes. Candidates meeting experience requirements must present documentation of satisfactory teaching experience (as indicated by previous employers on the Verification of Experience form). Candidates who can show evidence of two or three years of satisfactory full-time teaching experience are, subject to meeting other requirements, exempted from assessment requirements. | Source |
| Hawaii | Yes. Candidates must provide verification of at least three out of the last five years of "satisfactory" full-time teaching experience in order to receive a Standard License. Candidates without this experience are eligible to receive a Provisional (three year, non-renewable) Teaching License, subject to meeting other requirements. It is not clear how "satisfactory" teaching experience is defined. | Haw. Code R. 8-54-9.2 Source |
No. | Source |
| District of Columbia | Yes. Candidates must, among other requirements, present documentation of at least two years of an "effective or equivalent performance rating" to qualify for a standard license. Candidates who do not meet this requirement may qualify for an initial license. | Source 1 Source 2 |
Yes. Candidates must, among other requirements, present documentation of at least two years of an "effective or equivalent performance rating" to qualify for a standard license. Performance rating systems must be approved by the relevant state department of education, include at least three tiers of performance, and include a summative rating and/or a student growth score. Candidates who do not meet this requirement may qualify for an initial license. | Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 |
| Illinois | Yes. Out-of-state candidates who can provide proof of one year of successful full-time teaching experience are not required to take the EdTPA to receive a Professional Educator License. | Source 1 Source 2 |
No. Except that requirements for the EdTPA are waived for candidates who have at least one year of teaching experience and have achieved a “proficient” or higher (or equivalent) rating on his or her most recent performance evaluation. | Source |
| New Jersey | Yes. Out-of-state candidates who hold the equivalent of a valid standard certificate issued by another state and demonstrate at least two effective years of teaching within three consecutive years of the last four calendar years may be eligible to receive a Standard Certificate. Candidates that do not meet the teaching experience criteria may receive a Certificate of Eligibility (CE) or a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS). | Source | Yes. To obtain a standard certificate, out-of-state candidates must either hold a valid certificate issued by another state and demonstrate at least two years of teaching within three consecutive years of the last four calendar years as documented on the Record of Professional Experience form or hold a National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certificate. The Record of Professional Experience form includes teacher evaluation information. | Source 1 Source 2 |
| Louisiana | Yes. Candidates with a valid out-of-state teaching certificate and at least three years of "successful" teaching experience as verified by satisfactory annual evaluation results do not have to meet additional testing requirements after teaching on an Out-of-State Certificate for one year. Candidates must meet all other requirements for a Louisiana certificate, have a school district’s 1) recommendation for employment and 2) request that the teacher be granted a valid Louisiana certificate in order to receive a Professional Certificate. | Source | Yes. Candidates with a valid out-of-state teaching certificate and at least three years of “successful” teaching experience, as verified by satisfactory annual evaluation results, do not have to meet additional testing requirements after teaching on an Out-of-State Certificate for one year. Candidates must provide evidence of "successful" experience from either the out-of-state employing authority or the out-of-state credentialing agency. Candidates must meet all other requirements for a Louisiana certificate, have a school district’s 1) recommendation for employment and 2) request that the teacher be granted a valid Louisiana certificate, in order to receive a Professional Certificate. | Source |
| Pennsylvania | Yes. National Board Certified teachers will be granted the highest level certificate possible. Administrative code says that candidates who have taught for three of the past seven years may apply for comparable licensure and are also only required to take the approved Pennsylvania content area test; however, the policy is not currently in use. The policy in use allows out-of-state candidates with two or more years of “satisfactory” experience to apply for comparable licensure and be exempt from all testing requirements other than the approved Pennsylvania content test. Previous employers must verify experience as satisfactory for it to count toward certification. Applicants not meeting experience requirements must meet additional requirements which could include: completing additional assessments, taking additional coursework, maintaining a 3.0 GPA, and providing proof of student teaching/practicum or one year experience on a standard out-of-state license. | 22 Pa. Code § 49.65 Source |
Yes. For teachers with two or more years of out-of-state experience, employers must verify experience that was evaluated and deemed satisfactory in order for the experience to count toward certification. | 22 Pa. Code § 49.171 Source |
| Alabama | Yes. Out-of-state candidates who can verify three years of full-time professional educational work experience within the ten years prior in the certification area being sought may be exempted from assessment requirements. | Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.20 Source |
No. | Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-2-.20 |
| Alaska | Yes. To qualify for a professional certificate, out-of-state teachers must have had at least two years of certified employment with a public school district. Inexperienced teachers who do not have a valid license in their sending state must satisfy all the requirements set out in statutes and regulations for new teachers prepared in Alaska. | Alaska Admin. Code tit. 4, § 12.305 | No. | Alaska Stat. Ann. § 14.20.015 |
| Arizona | No. | No. Except that teachers must be in good standing with the sending state. | Ariz. Rev. Stat Ann. § 15-203 | |
| Arkansas | Yes. Out-of-state teachers must demonstrate at least three years of teaching experience to be eligible for an Arkansas license. Additionally, teachers with three years of teaching experience and a valid license are exempt from additional testing requirements. | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-402 Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-403 |
No. Except that out-of-state teachers must be in good standing with their state during the most recent three years of the applicant’s teaching experience in order to receive a license. | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-403 |
| California | Yes. Out-of-states candidates must hold a professional-level credential to qualify for California teaching certification based on out-of-state certification. In order to receive a standard teaching credential, candidates must, among other requirements, provide verification of two or more years of teaching experience. Candidates with fewer than two years of teaching experience must complete a beginning induction program and meet other requirements to receive a standard teaching credential. | Cal.Educ.Code § 44274.2 Source |
Yes. In order to receive a standard teaching credential, candidates must, among other requirements, provide verification of two or more years of “successful” teaching experience, which includes two satisfactory performance evaluations. | Cal.Educ.Code § 44274.2 Source |
| Delaware | Yes. Out-of-state applicants with less than four years of licensed teaching experience are eligible for an Initial License. Educators with over four years of experience are eligible for a Continuing License. | Code Del. Regs. 14 1510 Code Del. Regs. 14 1511 Source |
Yes. Out-of-state applicants wishing to obtain a continuing license must document at least two "satisfactory evaluations" that are determined to be the equivalent of the satisfactory summative evaluations required of a Delaware educator. | Code Del. Regs. 14 1511 |
| Colorado | Yes. Applicants with a valid out-of-state license and at least three years of recent teaching experience in a content area that correlates with a Colorado endorsement area are eligible to receive a Professional License without having to take additional assessments or complete an induction program. Applicants who do not meet these criteria may receive an Initial or Interim license and may be required to complete additional assessments or an induction program. | Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-60.5-201 1 Colo. Code Regs. § 301-37:2.00 Source |
Yes. According to state statute, out-of-state teachers are eligible for a professional license if they hold a valid, comparable license and have at least three years of "continuous, successful, evaluated experience as a licensed teacher.” It is not clear what evidence of effectiveness is used. | Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 22-60.5-201 |
| Connecticut | Yes. Out-of-state applicants who have taught under an appropriate certificate issued by another state for two or more years can be exempt from completing the beginning educator program if they document effectiveness as a teacher. Out-of-state teachers with sufficient teaching experience may also be exempt from licensure assessments. | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 10-145b Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 10-145f Source |
Yes. Out-of-state applicants who have taught for two or more years may be exempt from completing the beginning educator program if they can demonstrate effectiveness as a teacher. Two or more years of successful teaching experience may also be recognized to issue a 2nd tier certificate in Connecticut’s 3-tier system. Out-of-state applicants may be exempted from state assessment requirements if they can document three years of successful appropriate experience in the state in the past ten years. | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 10-145b Source |
| Florida | No. | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1012.56 Source |
No. | Fla. Stat. Ann. § 1012.56 Source |
| Georgia | Yes. Candidates with fewer than three years of experience may qualify for an Induction Certificate. Candidates with comparable professional certificates who have at least three years of out-of-state teaching experience, and subject to fulfilling the Georgia Special Requirements, are eligible for a Professional Certificate. Candidates with at least five years of educator experience in their certificate field may be exempt from the Georgia Special Requirements except the standards of conduct. | Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 505-2-.04 through 505-2-.05 and 505-2-.24 through 505-2-.25 Source 1 Source 2 |
Yes. Candidates with comparable professional certificates who have at least three years of out-of-state teaching experience are eligible for a Professional Certificate. Each acceptable year of out-of-state experience must have been rated “satisfactory” or equivalent on an annual evaluation documented 1) on an experience verification form, 2) on official performance evaluations, or 3) in a letter from an administrator who supervised the educator during the years reported. | GA ADC 505-2-.05 GA ADC 505-2-.25 Source |
| Indiana | Yes. Years of full-time teaching experience earned in another state determine the license obtained in Indiana. Out-of-state candidates with less than three years of full-time teaching experience are eligible for an Initial Practitioner license, and candidates with more than three years of full-time teaching experience are eligible for a Practitioner license. To be eligible, candidates must have a valid teaching license in the same content area(s) for which the individual is applying and have passed a content licensure test to obtain the out-of-state license. | Ind. Code Ann. § 20-28-5-18 Source |
No. | Ind. Code Ann. § 20-28-5-18 |
| Michigan | Yes. Candidates who have three years of successful teaching experience matching their out-of-state certificate are eligible for a Professional License and are not required to meet additional assessment requirements if they: 1) have at least eighteen semester hours in a planned program completed since the issuance of his/her initial, standard teaching certificate, and 2) hold a valid certificate from another state in the subject area(s) and grade levels for which he/she is seeking Michigan certification. | Source | No. Except that candidates who have “taught successfully” for three years may be eligible to receive a Professional License. Successful teaching is determined by experience. | Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 380.1531 Mich. Admin. Code R 390.1103 Source |
| Montana | Yes. Candidates without experience may qualify for a Class 5 Provisional or Class 2 Standard license if they also meet other requirements. Candidates with experience may qualify for a Class 2 Standard license or Class 1 Professional license if they also meet other requirements. Out-of-state candidates from non-traditional educator preparation programs must verify five years of successful teaching experience with a recommendation from the out-of-state accredited P-12 school employer to be eligible for a Class 2 Standard license. | Mont. Admin. R. 10.57.410 Mont. Admin. R. 10.57.411 Mont. Admin. R. 10.57.424 |
Yes. Applicants who have completed a nontraditional educator preparation program in another state must show proof of five years of “successful” experience (defined as employment as a licensed teacher at any level within a state accredited P-12 school system, or in an educational institution for the equivalent of at least .5 FTE for a school year comparable to a 180 day school year) as documented by a recommendation from the out-of-state state accredited P-12 school employer in order to be eligible for a Standard - Class 2 License. | Mont. Admin. R. 10.57.410 Mont. Admin. R. 10.57.411 |
| North Carolina | No. However, out-of-state candidates with three or more years of teaching experience, who provide evidence of effectiveness and meet NC State Board of Education licensure assessment requirements or have National Board Certification may be eligible to receive a Continuing Professional License. | 16 N.C. Admin. Code 6C.0316 | Yes. Out-of-state candidates must provide evidence of effectiveness, when available, as measured by the evaluation system used in the candidate's state of current licensure at the time of application, including any growth measures included in that evaluation system. An individual who does not include evidence of effectiveness is only eligible for an Initial Professional License. | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 115C-270.25 16 N.C. Admin. Code 6C.0316 |
| New Hampshire | Yes. Completers of state-approved educator preparation programs do not need to have teaching experience in order to be eligible for New Hampshire certification. However, out-of-state candidates who became certified through an ‘alternative route’ must document at least three years of full-time regular teaching experience under that credential in the past seven years in order to be eligible to receive an equivalent New Hampshire certificate. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed §505.02 Source |
Yes. To obtain an Experienced Educator Certificate, candidates must have at least three years of full-time experience as an educator at the elementary or secondary levels of education, being deemed effective or above according to the local evaluation system for two consecutive years and successfully completing a renewal cycle. | N.H. Code Admin. R. Ed 504.02 Source |
| New Mexico | Yes. Out-of-state applicants with less than three years of experience may be eligible to receive a Level 1 License, applicants with three to five years of experience may be eligible to receive a Level 2 License, and applicants with at least six years of experience may be eligible to receive a Level 3 License. The requirements for each licensure level vary. | N.M. Admin. Code 6.60.4 | Yes. Out-of-state candidates must provide evidence of having “satisfactorily taught” in their issuing state for the amount of time specified for each licensure level. It is not clear how the state defines "satisfactorily taught." | N.M. Admin. Code 6.60.4 |
| New York | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with at least three years of effective certified public school teaching experience in the certification title sought within the last seven years who hold an equivalent and valid out-of-state license that was valid during the experience, and have at least a bachelor’s degree with a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher are not required to pass the certification exams. | N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 80-5.8 | Yes. Out-of-state candidates with at least three years of public school teaching experience in the certificate title sought within the last seven years, who hold an equivalent and valid out-of-state license that was valid during the experience, must provide evidence of effective or highly effective evaluation ratings in order to be exempted from certification exam requirements. | N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. tit. 8, § 80-5.8 |
| South Carolina | Yes. Applicants with less than twenty-seven months of successful teaching experience within the past seven years are eligible to receive an initial certificate, but must also submit evidence of passing the state’s pedagogy assessment prior to receiving a professional certificate. Applicants who meet the experience requirements may be eligible for immediate advancement. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 43-51 Source |
No. Although regulations require out-of-state candidates to demonstrate twenty-seven months of “successful” teaching experience in order to be eligible for a professional certificate, the experience verification form does not ask for past performance or evidence of effectiveness. | S.C. Code Ann. Regs. 43-51 Source 1 Source 2 |