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             A. A person applying for initial certification as a teacher in a public school shall have passed satisfactorily an examination, which shall include pedagogical knowledge and knowledge in the applicant’s area of specialization, as a prerequisite to the granting of the certificate by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

            B. However, the following persons may be issued a provisional teaching permit or an authorization to teach without meeting the requirement of Subsection A of this Section:

            (1) Any person who is employed as a foreign language teacher in a Certified Foreign Language Immersion Program pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 17:273.2, who is not otherwise eligible to receive state authorization to teach through participation in the Foreign Associate Teacher Program, who has at least a baccalaureate degree, and who has satisfied all provisions of state law relative to background checks and criminal history review applicable to the employment of public school personnel.

            (2) Any teacher certified in another state who meets all other requirements for a Louisiana standard professional level teacher certificate granted to out-of-state graduates except for the satisfactory passage of the examination and who does not meet the requirements of Subsection C of this Section.

            (3) Any person who meets all other certification requirements except failure to successfully pass the original examination but who scored within ten percent of the score required for passage.

             C. In addition, any teacher who holds a valid out-of-state teaching certificate and has at least three years of successful teaching experience in another state as determined by the board shall not be required to take the examination or to submit any examination scores from any examination previously taken in another state as a prerequisite to the granting of certification in Louisiana. Upon application and verification of successful teaching experience in another state by the board, the teacher shall be granted a valid standard professional level teaching certificate, provided the teacher meets all other requirements for background checks and criminal history reviews as may be required by law and board policy.

            D. The examination shall be administered to each student in a teacher education program at a public college or university in Louisiana prior to graduation and shall be administered to other applicants at any time the examination is offered. The board shall prescribe other qualifications and requirements and shall consider other factors.

            E. The state superintendent of education shall administer the policy of the board regarding examinations. In administering the policy, the superintendent shall choose the appropriate testing instrument, shall conduct all necessary research to validate the applicability of the instrument to teacher education programs within the state of Louisiana, and shall conduct all necessary research to determine the level at which the examination is satisfactorily completed. During the conduct of the research and in the preparation of the testing instrument, the superintendent shall meet with and consider the suggestions of individual classroom teachers, representatives of teacher organizations, deans of education of the public colleges and universities of the state, and representatives of each of the governing boards for higher education.

            F. Any applicant seeking certification may apply for and take any required test or tests without limitation as to the frequency of applications or testing.

            G. The state superintendent of education shall annually submit a report to the state board and publish the report on its website relative to the examination administered pursuant to this Section. The report shall include but not be limited to the number of persons to whom the examination was administered; the educational background and teaching experience of the persons; the number of persons successfully completing the examination; the effectiveness of the examination; and any suggestions for improving the examination.

            H. Any examination selected by the state superintendent of education to be used pursuant to this Section and any criteria established to determine the level at which either the examination used or any examination selected to supercede it is satisfactorily completed shall be approved by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

            Acts 2023, No. 392, §1, eff. June 14, 2023.