The Louisiana Department of Education held a meeting on August 1, 2025, to discuss the launch of the Louisiana Educator Certification (LEC) portal, a significant development in the state's educator certification process. The meeting was led by Rachel, the director of the certification office, alongside her deputy, Lana Hutchinson, who has been overseeing the project for over a year.

The primary focus of the meeting was to inform attendees about the new features integrated into the Louisiana Educator Portal, which officially launched on July 28, 2025. This portal aims to streamline the certification process for educators, providing a centralized platform for applications and evaluations. Rachel emphasized the importance of transitioning from the previous system, Teach LA Live, to the new portal, noting that applications submitted through Teach LA Live will no longer be accepted after August 11, 2025. Any applications not completed by this deadline will be returned unprocessed.

Hutchinson elaborated on the transition period, stating that educators and HR personnel should submit any pending PDF applications before the cutoff date. After August 11, all certification applications must be submitted through the Louisiana Educator Portal. She also highlighted the necessity for users to ensure their email settings allow communications from the portal to avoid missing important notifications.

The meeting included a detailed explanation of access requirements for both educators and school system personnel. Educators already using the portal for evaluations will find the certification features readily available upon their next login. New hires or out-of-state educators will need to create a MyLA account to access the certification features.

Additionally, the meeting addressed potential issues with permission requests due to a recent rollover in the eScholar system, which may affect access for some users. Attendees were encouraged to check with their local data administrators if they encountered difficulties.

Overall, the meeting provided essential information about the new certification portal, emphasizing the importance of timely application submissions and the need for proper access setup to ensure a smooth transition for all educators involved.