LDOE presents new educator-certification portal and alignment to new leader and computer-science rules

Arthur Jofreon (listed in meeting materials as Deputy Assistant Superintendent for Educator Talent and Workforce Development) told BESE that a package of certification and administrative updates approved in October became final rule Feb. 20 and that the department has aligned leader competencies, created new pathways and adjusted out-of-state administrator rules to match recent legislation and federal rules.

"It became final rule on February 20," Jofreon said, and then walked members through changes including moving educational leader competencies from Bulletin 125 into a new Bulletin 146 alignment, a new alternate principal pathway (a five‑year nonrenewable certificate with advancement opportunities), updated out-of-state principal and superintendent provisions tied to experience and required Praxis examinations, and new computer science and STEM add-on routes for K–5 and 6–12 that include semester-hour, exam, or approved micro-credential options.

Why it matters: BESE members and preparation providers will see new alignment between certification rules and evaluation rubrics; the new elementary computer-science/STEM add‑on includes a future micro-credential the department expects to make available in fall 2025–2026. Jofreon said some micro-credentials are not yet available but policy is forward-looking to accommodate them.

Portal demonstration and HR workflow preview Lana Hutchinson, lead specialist, previewed the new Louisiana Educator Certification Portal, describing features aimed at HR and preparation-provider workflows: authorized HR users will be able to view location-linked educator certification lists and expiration warnings; HR users can send an application-start request to an educator; applicants fill the applicant portion, HR completes verification sections, and some fields lock after signature. Hutchinson showed that the system will check for a criminal-background check/clear credential (CBC) before presenting applications and will display a fingerprinting instruction page if no current CBC is on file.

The portal will allow: requested-action routing, import of previously reported employment records, an experience-verification interface where applicants may prefill details for HR review (the presenter sought HR input on whether applicants should be allowed to contribute), and a checkout/payment flow. Hutchinson said mentor attestations will likely remain PDF-based for the initial rollout. The department plans a small pilot with a mix of large and small systems and single schools; staff asked for volunteers for piloting and feedback.

Audience questions focused on applicant/HR workflow preferences and criminal-background checks. Hutchinson said the portal will only show applications to users who meet prerequisites such as a current CBC; if the CBC is missing the applicant will see fingerprinting instructions and code to complete the background check before proceeding.

Ending: The department asked for volunteers to pilot the portal and said it will publish help pages and run training webinars; it also offered to provide current counts of educators certified to teach computer science on request.