Louisiana launches new educator portal, retires TeachLA Live; users report login and workflow problems
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Summary
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) is moving certification work to the Louisiana Educator Portal (LEP) with LEC integration and retiring TeachLA Live; officials described processing gains but advised users on account setup, Social Security validation, and common submission errors.
The Louisiana Department of Education on its certification and credentialing monthly call announced the Louisiana Educator Portal (LEP) now includes Louisiana Educator Clearance (LEC) features and that TeachLA Live will be retired at the end of the month.
The change “has allowed us to control for a lot of the common reasons when we would return an application without processing,” Rachel Norman, director of certification, said, noting the new workflow links applications directly into the state’s certification management system and produces formal feedback letters through teachlouisiana.net.
The move aims to streamline submissions and reduce manual handling, LDOE officials said. “Everything is as soon as it's been submitted through LEC, it's been tied to the management system, and so we will be processing every application submitted through LEC based on the documentation that was provided,” said Lana Hutchinson, deputy director of certification.
Why it matters: LDOE said the integrated system reduces common omissions—missing IDs, Social Security typos and incomplete professional conduct forms—that previously caused returns. The department also warned that once an application is checked out and submitted in LEC it is locked and cannot be edited or canceled easily.
What users should know: LDOE staff listed several frequent user errors and fixes. Applicants who do not see the “Start New Certification Application” button usually need to validate their Social Security number; that validation is handled by staff (it generally takes a day or two for manual review). Authorized HR and preparation-provider users must request and maintain HR permissions in EdLink Security and must appear on authorized-signature documentation or their permissions will be removed. Paula Bell, who oversees background credentialing, highlighted a fingerprinting service code (27N5HU) that applicants must use so criminal background checks transmit to LDOE.
Officials provided specific portal guidance: incomplete applications are deleted automatically after 45 days; applicants must click the shopping-cart “check out” button to complete fingerprint-related packets even though there is no fee; and accounts must not be duplicated (creating a second MyLA account causes backend conflicts that require manual merges).
TeachLA Live retirement and data access: LDOE said it processed and closed all PDF applications and will retire TeachLA Live by month-end. The TeachLA Live site will remain available through the end of the month for history and previously submitted responses, but LDOE cautioned that reconnecting that history to LEP users after retirement may not be immediately possible. The office said it will retain access to archived data and can pull records for inquiries submitted through the teacher certification help center.
Support channels: Login and account creation problems that involve EdLink/ESCHOLAR records or staff IDs should be sent to systemsupport@la.gov; certification- and application-content questions should go through the teacher certification help center or to educatorclearance@la.gov for background-clearance issues.
Officials scheduled additional training and recorded sessions on teachlouisiana.net for authorized HR and preparation-provider accounts and urged systems to check the portal’s user guides and the LEC application list to crosswalk PDF-era application types to the new system.
Ending: LDOE said it will continue to prioritize applications submitted near policy deadlines and recommended users verify application history in TeachLA Live before the retirement date.
