LDOE announces certification changes for JROTC, educational leader pathway and paraeducator assessment
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Summary
The Louisiana Department of Education told educators the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) will recognize branch-issued JROTC certifications, AltPath 2 applicants must complete a required LDOE PLP course beginning March 1, and BESE adopted a two-part Para Pathways assessment to replace the expiring ParaPro exam.
On the Department of Education’s monthly certification call, Miss Norman of the LDOE laid out several policy changes that affect educator certification and preparation providers across Louisiana.
Miss Norman said BESE has repealed eligibility requirements that had required the department to issue separate initial or renewal certification for JROTC instructors, noting that instructors who hold valid branch-of-service certification or who are recommended by their U.S. armed forces branch will be recognized by state policy once the change is folded into Bulletin 746, expected around May. “BES E actually repealed the eligibility requirements for JROTC instructors who hold that valid certification and or being recommended by their US Armed Forces branches,” Miss Norman said during the call.
Miss Norman also announced a new requirement for the alternate-pathway 2 (AltPath 2/240 clock-hour) route to educational leader certification. Effective March 1, any educator submitting that pathway must complete a specified course on the LDOE professional learning platform (PLP) and include a certificate of completion with the portfolio. “Any educator submitting that pathway or that portfolio to our office will be required to complete a course in the LDOE’s professional learning platform, the PLP, and receive a certificate of completion,” Miss Norman said. She added that if an applicant is denied for missing or insufficient hours, the department recommends re-reviewing the policy, completing the PLP refresher, and waiting at least 30 days before reapplying.
On ancillary certificates and pipeline eligibility, Miss Norman said BESE expanded the pipeline to allow most ancillary teaching certificates (with the exception of the early childhood certificate) to qualify for the alternate pathway; corresponding self-evaluations were updated to reflect the change and the five-year teaching experience requirement.
Regarding paraeducator assessment, Miss Norman said Educational Testing Service (ETS) is retiring the ParaPro exam; BESE adopted a new two-part Para Pathways assessment (separate reading/writing and mathematics sections). She provided test codes and the board-approved passing scores: 332 for the reading/writing code and 334 for the mathematics code, and said the existing ParaPro will expire in August. “So ETS is in the process of expiring this exam. It will expire in August,” Miss Norman said, and described the new two-part format and score thresholds.
Why it matters: the changes affect how hiring authorities, HR personnel and preparation providers verify eligibility, how alternate-pathway candidates prepare portfolios, and which assessments paraeducators must take. The LDOE is requiring a documented PLP course completion for AltPath 2 submissions beginning March 1 and will enforce a 30-day resubmission window for denied applicants as described on the call.
The department directed questions about specific applications or routing to the teacher certification help portal or to educatorclearance@la.gov for background and professional conduct issues. Bulletin implementation dates, assessment timelines and course codes were announced on the call; stakeholders should consult the LDOE links shared in the webinar for the exact course code and the updated self-evaluation materials.
The department said it will publish the formal Bulletin 746 changes and other supporting documents in the usual LDOE channels ahead of the effective dates; BESE’s adoption and the PLP requirement are the most immediate actionable items for candidates and employers.
