NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee State Board of Education is moving ahead with changes to the state’s teacher licensing system, aiming to make it easier for districts to fill classrooms and keep educators in them longer.
“Tennessee loses too many talented educators within the first five years because of low pay and lack of respect and limited support,” Tennessee Education Association President Tanya Coats said.
A report by the National Education Association recently ranked Tennessee No. 38 in the country for average teacher pay. While state officials said that the overall teacher shortage has improved, vacancies remain high.
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At a public rulemaking hearing on Thursday, officials reviewed proposed updates stemming from Public Chapter 328, a law passed earlier this year that reshapes how teachers are licensed, renewed and assigned to classrooms.
The changes are expected to pass final approval during the board’s Nov. 21 meeting.
A new “Limited Occupational License” would allow career and technical professionals to teach in their field without a traditional educational degree. The goal, board officials said, is to expand the pipeline of instructors for hard-to-staff subjects while maintaining oversight through local mentorship and training.
“The Tennessee Education Association understands the need for flexibility, especially for hard-to-fill subjects, but at the same time, we’re watching closely to ensure that this license doesn’t become a shortcut that undermines preparation or support that we need in the classroom,” Coats added.
The proposed rules also extend the duration of standard teaching licenses, stretching practitioner licenses from three years to four and the professional licenses from six years to 11. Officials said the move would reduce paperwork, ease renewal backlogs, and provide more stability for teachers and districts.
“Opening doors to new talent is a good thing as long as we also open doors to the right supports like mentoring, training and professional developments,” Coats said.
The updates would also clarify the use of clinical practice permits, which are temporary credentials that allow student teachers to lead classrooms while completing their preparation programs.
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The Tennessee State Board of Education said in a statement to News 2:
The Educator Licensure Rule changes stem primarily from Public Chapter 328, which made significant changes to multiple statutes related to educator licensure. The State Board is expected to promulgate rules to support these changes. Given that the changes were already made to state law and passed on first reading during our August 2025 quarterly meeting, there is no reason to believe that any of the changes would not be approved on final reading by the State Board at the November 2025 quarterly meeting.
While we cannot speak for the intent of the General Assembly, these changes add consistency to our licensure structure (by introducing the Limited Occupational License), and increase flexibility in the system where there were previously restrictions in state law (e.g., allowing teachers employed on a waiver to teach a course with an end-of-course assessment and allowing physical education courses to be taught by a teacher on an emergency credential).
We recognize that licensure is one lever to positively impact the challenges districts face related to hard-to-staff subjects and courses. We also recognize that teacher shortages are highly regional across the state, with specific areas facing more significant challenges than others. In partnership with the Department of Education and the Educator Licensure Review Committee, we continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our licensure system, ensuring that we have appropriate safeguards in place to increase the likelihood that teachers will be adequately prepared for the classroom and to allow flexibility. We also continue to champion policy levers, such as Differentiated Compensation Plans, which districts can utilize to fill hard-to-staff subjects and courses.
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