Rev. 6/1/2024
Application Type AP
CERTIFICATION APPEALS PACKET INSTRUCTIONS
All applications should be emailed to [email protected]
by the deadline date
indicated on page 2. An appeal requires a processing fee and should be paid online prior to
submitting the appeal as the payment receipt is required indicating application type as “AP”.
General Appeal Information
❖ The certification appeal process is available to an individual who has applied for certification and
has been denied the requested certification due to the absence of certification requirements as
set forth in Bulletin 746
, Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel. The
appeal process provides the applicant an opportunity to have his/her records reviewed by the
Teacher Certification Appeals Council (TCAC).
❖ The TCAC reviews all appeals applications and submits a written report of its findings to the
State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). The decision of the council is a
final decision.
❖ Appeals will not be considered for individuals who:
a. lack NTE/Praxis requirements
for initial certification; or
b. lack a grade point average of 2.50 for initial certification; or
c. lack reading requirements per R.S. 17:7.1.A.(4)(a); or
d. lack 50 percent or more of courses required for certification; or
e. lack the degree required for certification; or
f. lack a degree from an institution accredited in accordance with 34 CFR 602
; or
g. have not met the standards of effectiveness for three years pursuant to Bulletin 130 and
R.S. 17:3902.
❖ Appeals relating to the issuance or renewal of certificates based on the standards of
effectiveness must follow the grievance procedure through the LEA as identified in Bulletin 130.
Appeal Timelines
❖ An appeal cannot be initiated until the applicant has been denied his/her certification request and received
a denial letter/official evaluation from the Certification Office, and must be received within 120 days from
the date that the certification request was denied.
❖ All completed appeals application packets must be submitted to CertificationAppea[email protected]v
prior to the
deadline date on following page in order to be considered at the next TCAC meeting. DO NOT submit an
appeal through the online portal.
❖ Applications received after a deadline will be denied and not considered unless resubmitted for the following
TCAC meeting. Certification staff will notify the applicant of the date on which his/her appeal will be heard
by TCAC. The applicant is not required to attend, but is invited in the event TCAC has clarifying questions
regarding the case.
❖ Contact Information: All questions regarding certification requirements or the certification process, can be
answered by contacting the Louisiana Department of Education through the Teacher Certification Portal
.
Rev. 6/1/2024
Application Type AP
ANNUAL MEETING SCHEDULE & SUBMISSION DEADLINES for 2023/2024
Submission Deadline Date
Appeals must be received via email to
CertificationAppeal@la.gov on or before
Appeals Council Meeting Date
September 21, 2023
October 26, 2023
February 15, 2024 March 14, 2024
May 16, 2024 June 13, 2024
August 1, 2024
August 29, 2024
October 10, 2024 November 7, 2024
Appeal Process
If an applicant is denied certification, an appeal may be considered. One must apply and officially be denied within
120 days of submitting an appeal. Many certification applications must be submitted by the Louisiana employing
school system, therefore the feedback/declination would have been returned to the person/system who submitted the
certification application. Declination letters may be downloaded from www.teachlouisiana.net
by clicking on the
“Status of a Certification Application” on the homepage and entering the name on the application. Once the feedback
letter is located, click on the envelope icon to download the declination letter on letterhead which is a required
component of the appeals packet. If an official evaluation accompanied the declination letter, it can be downloaded
from the online portal by the submitting person/system.
The applicant completes, scans, and submits a Teacher Certification Appeals Application Packet and supporting
documentation, as a single PDF, to the Certification Office via email to [email protected]
along with the
$25.00 certification processing fee receipt.
Please use the included “Certification Appeals Checklist” before sending your completed appeals packet. If you
omit any items from the list, please make a note in your cover letter as to the reason the item(s) were omitted. The
cover letter must be included, clearly stating what the Council is requested to consider, making sure the request
does not violate state law as noted on page 1.
The Certification Office will conduct a prescreening of all appeal applications submitted. Persons submitting
incomplete applications will be notified as to the specific informational components missing from the packet.
Applicants with complete appeals packets will be notified that their appeal will be placed on the TCAC agenda.
Applications that are complete and meet all appeal requirements will be reviewed by TCAC on the designated meeting
date. The applicant has the option to attend the TCAC meeting to address any questions that the council may have
concerning the appeal, but is not required to attend. An invitation will be emailed to each appellant with the meeting
location, time, and other details soon before the scheduled meeting. The appeal will be based upon a records review
only, not on a testimony.
TCAC will review the appeal application packet of a person seeking Louisiana certification. A decision of TCAC
shall be a final decision. The Certification Office will notify the appellant of the final decision and execute anything
granted.
Step 1 :
Apply & Receive Declination for Certification
Submission of an Appeal Application Packet
Step 2 :
Step 3 :
Review of Appeal Application Packet
Results of Appeal by TCAC & Notification of Decision
Step 4 :
Rev. 6/1/2024
Application Type AP
Certification Appeals Checklist
Applicant’s Name: __________________________________SSN: __________________________
Check each item enclosed and submit an explanation of why any items were omitted within your cover letter.
Include this Certification Appeal Checklist Form and the following
items:
Applicant
verification of
submitted
materials
For Certification office
use only
DATE RECEIVED:
1.
Cover Letter explaining the reason for the appeal, to include specific
information on experience, skills, and knowledge that can be
substituted for certification policy deficiencies
2.
Louisiana Department of Education (LDE) Denial of Certification
Request (letter from Certification Office which can be obtained from
https://www.teachlouisiana.net/teachers.aspx?Pa
geID=4003 )
3.
Evaluation Form that accompanied LDE Denial Letter of Certification
(
if applicable; this is the checklist provided via online portal to the
person/school system who submitted the certification
request if adding
an endorsement or certificate)
4.
Completed Application for Certification Appeal Form (next page)
5.
Completed Experience Verification Form (
if applicable to appeal
, and
only valid if signed by employing school system)
6.
Transcripts (
if applicable to appeal)
7.
Copy of Louisiana Teaching Certificate and/or Out
-of-State certificate.
LA certificates are printable at
https://www.teachlouisiana.net/
Teachers.aspx?PageID=416.
8.
Letter of support from employing Superintendent (
optional)
9.
Two letters of recommendation from supervisors or other individuals
familiar with your professional capabilities in the area for which a
waiver is requested.
10.
Most recent personnel evaluation from your personnel file or latest
evaluation report printed from the
Compass Information System.
11.
Copy of Online Payment Confirmation email or screenshot showing
$25.00 appeals application fee was made using the online payment
portal. Payment is non
-refundable and does not guarantee certification
but is used for review of submitted documents. Access th
e payment
portal through the educator’s account on
TeachLA Live! portal where
payment is made to LDOE.
Rev. 6/1/2024
Application Type AP
Handwritten documents will not be accepted for certification processing.
1. Date of your certification denial letter: _______________________
2. Complete college/university degree information:
Degree(s) Earned
Institution(s)
Date Degree(s) Earned
3. Check which area below best describes the category of your certification appeal:
Renewal or Freezing Certificate Add-On Certification
Initial Teaching or Ed Leader Certification Ancillary Certification
Other (Please specify_________________________________________________)
4. What specifically are you asking the Council to consider (detailed elaboration can be included in the cover letter)?
5. List your current or last place of employment (at the time of this appeal): ____________________________
I have been denied certification and have included documented evidence why an exception to Bulletin 746
policy should be considered in my case. I agree that my electronic signature as entered below is the legal
equivalent of my manual signature on this application.
______________________________________________ ________________________
Signature of Applicant Date
Social Security Number ______________________ Email Address: __________________________________
(no dashes, no spaces)
Legal Name of Applicant: ___________________________________________ Date of Birth: ___________________
Check here if requesting name change; will be updated to match the SS Card.
Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
(Street) (City) (State) (Zip Code)
Phone: (____) ________________ LA Certificate #: ____________ Payment Confirmation # __________________
(Provide email confirmation or screenshot of payment with documents)
Revised 6/1/2024
IN-STATE EXPERIENCE VERIFICATION FORM
This document is to be completed by a Louisiana employing school system –or– BESE-approved contracted company as official verification of the applicant’s experience.
Handwritten documents are not accepted for certification processing.
EMPLOYEE’S
LEGAL NAME:
DATE OF BIRTH
(MM/DD/YYYY)
:
SSN
(No Dashes):
LA School
System
(Out of State
Experience must be
verified on form
linked here)
NAME OF SCHOOL
Type of
School
Dates of Service
MM/YYYY-MM/YYYY
(e.g. 08/2018-06/2020
–or-
08/2019 – current)
Grade
Level(s)
Subject Taught or
Service Provided
Employee’s Role/Job Title
(e.g. Teacher, Substitute, Principal,
District Leader, etc.)
If role is unique, include a job description.
Method of Evaluation
● Compass/LEADS
● Local Evaluation
● Employer Evaluation
● Cannot Be Evaluated –
include a job description
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I agree & verify the information contained in this document. My electronic signature, as entered below, is the legal equivalent of my manual signature on this application.
SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT:
SIGNATURE & TITLE OF
EMPLOYING AUTHORITY:
DATE
VERIFIED:
NAME
OF
DISTRICT/COMPANY OF
EMPLOYING
AUTHORITY:
EMPLOYER’S E-MAIL:
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