Testing and assessment treatment
Requirement
The current FAQ states that professional out-of-state license holders do not submit assessments for the Tennessee Professional license, though specified endorsements can still require Tennessee literacy evidence.
Which out-of-state path this covers
Tennessee can issue an equivalent six-year Professional license to a teacher with a full, valid and continuously renewable professional out-of-state license; initial-level credentials use a separate three-year Practitioner pathway.
What can change this answer
The source credential's level is decisive: an equivalent active professional license can support the Professional route without new licensure assessments, while an initial-level license requires completed preparation, provider verification and the Practitioner pathway.
Documents you may need
TNCompass requires the official bachelor's-degree transcript, active out-of-state license and any required literacy evidence; the Practitioner branch also uses out-of-state educator-preparation verification.
Where the testing answer can change
- •An expired out-of-state license cannot be used for the reciprocity transaction
- •The professional route requires a full, valid, continuously renewable license equivalent to Tennessee's Professional level
- •An initial-level license does not qualify if the educator preparation program has not been completed
- •Literacy training or assessment applies to specified elementary, early-childhood, special-education, ESL and reading-specialist endorsements
Register and send scores only for the exact exam code named by the state agency.
Official sources
Check again by 2026-11-01