How to Become a Teacher in Tennessee
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Tennessee Teacher Certification Exams
Prospective teachers in Tennessee can use the Praxis exam(s) to receive their teacher certification. Below is a list of Praxis exams 240 can help you pass in Tennessee:
EPP Admission Exams
- Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Early Childhood (5621)
- Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades K–6 (5622)
- Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 5–9 (5623)
- Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 7–12 (5624)
- Praxis Core Academic Skills (5752)
Special Education Exams
- Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354)
- Praxis Special Education: Severe to Profound Applications (5547)
- Praxis Special Education: Foundation Knowledge (5355)
K-12 Exams
Elementary Education Exams
Early Childhood Exams
- Praxis Early Childhood Education (5025)
- Praxis Education of Young Children (5024)
- Praxis Teaching Reading: Elementary (5205)
Middle School Education Exams
- Praxis Middle School English Language Arts (5047)
- Praxis Middle School Science (5442)
- Praxis Middle School Mathematics (5164)
- Praxis Middle School Social Studies (5089)
Secondary Education (6-12) Exams
Tennessee Teacher Certification Requirements
To become a teacher in Tennessee, you must complete the follow steps:
Get Your Degree
- All prospective teachers in Tennessee must hold a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year school. The major doesn’t matter.
- All prospective educators must also complete a state-approved educator preparation program.
Student Teaching Experience
- Tennessee does not list a minimum number of hours of student teaching experience as a requirement for licensure; however, all of the state’s approved educator preparation programs include student teaching experiences.
- Student teaching generally consists of supervised fieldwork in a classroom under the supervision of a licensed teacher
Pass Required Exams
- To become a teacher in Tennessee, candidates must pass two Praxis exams
- These include a general Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test and a content area test.
Apply for Certification
- To finish the application process, candidates must submit Praxis and/or edTPA scores and official transcripts from their bachelor’s program and educator preparation program to the Tennessee Department of Education.
- Prospective teachers must also complete a state and federal background check and submit fingerprints.
Apply for Teaching Jobs
- Once you have your teacher certification you can now start applying for jobs.
- You can use job boards and search engines like Google to find open teacher positions in your area.
How Do I Maintain Teaching Certification in Tennessee?
Teachers who hold an initial practitioner license must renew after three years. After teaching for three years with a practitioner license, educators can apply for a professional license, which they must renew every six years.
How to Register For the Exams?
You can follow the following steps to register for your teacher certification exams:
- Identify Your Exams: Determine the specific teacher certification exams you need to take. If you are a part of a certification program you should talk to your program advisor to determine which exams you need to take.
- Create an Account: Visit the official testing service website and create an account.
- Select Exam and Date: Login, choose your exam, and select a convenient test date and location.
- Complete Registration: Follow instructions, provide necessary information, and pay exam fees online.
How To Study for Your Tennessee Teacher Certification Exam(s)
To become a certified teacher you must pass your required exam(s). Luckily, we offer a wide variety of study guides to help you pass your exams and get closer to getting that teacher certificate. Our study guides offer practice questions, video lessons, quizzes and full length practice tests to ensure you are ready come test day! Our curriculum team studies all of the standards and competencies for the exams and cross-references them with the current and previous questions released by the official testing company. We then work with content and teaching experts to distill down what test-takers need to know. No matter where you are in the study guide, you can always see how the concept you are learning is aligned to the test standards.
Best Education Schools in Tennessee
- Vanderbilt University (Peabody)
- University of Tennessee–Knoxville
- University of Memphis
- Tennessee Technological University
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Lipscomb University
- Carson-Newman University
- East Tennessee State University
- Union University
- Freed-Hardeman University
Tennessee Teacher Salary Information
The average Public School Teacher salary in Tennessee is $53,659 as of March 26, 2024, but the range typically falls between $44,799 and $65,459.
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