Bulletin 746 Louisiana Teacher Certification Rules
Bulletin 746 Is the Regulatory Source of Truth
Every teaching certificate, endorsement, and credential action in Louisiana traces back to BESE Bulletin 746 — "Louisiana Standards for State Certification of School Personnel." If a blog post, forum reply, or even a university admissions page contradicts what Bulletin 746 says, the bulletin wins. It's the legal authority that LDOE enforces when processing your application.
Bulletin 996, its companion document, covers the standards for approved teacher and educational leader preparation programs. Together, these two bulletins define who can teach, what they need to qualify, and which programs can train them.
Why This Matters for Applicants
Bulletin 746 gets revised regularly. BESE holds rulemaking sessions where sections are added, modified, or removed in response to new state legislation. Information published online — including on otherwise reliable sites — can be outdated within months of a policy change.
Two examples from 2025-2026 that catch applicants off guard:
The Provisional Admission framework (effective October 20, 2026): BESE previously discontinued the legacy Pre-Practitioner License. Effective October 20, 2026, the new Provisional Admission rule will let approved programs conditionally admit candidates who haven't passed Praxis content exams yet — but limit them to 12 credit hours of coursework focused on exam preparation and classroom readiness. It will be valid for one year with a single one-year renewal. If you're reading older guidance that says the PPL was eliminated with no replacement, check whether it predates the effective date.
Praxis exam phase-outs (August 31, 2026): Three exam codes are retiring — Middle School Social Studies (5089), Pre-Kindergarten Education (5531), and Education of the Young Children (5024) — replaced by codes 5589, 5533, and 5534 respectively. After August 31, 2026, register for the replacement code shown above.
Key 2025-2026 Policy Changes
Act 392: GPA Flexibility
Teacher preparation programs can now conditionally admit candidates below the standard 2.20 GPA threshold. The condition: earn a minimum 3.00 GPA across the first 12 credit hours of program coursework. This directly addresses the teacher shortage by opening the door for career-changers whose undergraduate GPA doesn't reflect their current capability.
Science of Reading Mandate (Act 448)
All teachers seeking initial K-3 certification must pass an evidence-based reading pedagogy assessment. The state recommends the 7002 Reading Language Arts subtest because it's cheaper ($85 versus ~$220 for separate content and pedagogy exams) and carries a stepping passing score: 138 through December 2026, rising to 147 in 2027 and 153 in 2029.
Programs must also include mandatory literacy coursework — 9 semester hours for Birth-K through Elementary and Special Education, 6 hours for Middle Grades, 3 hours for Secondary. Secondary non-core teachers (PE, music, art) are exempt from the literacy requirement after a BESE revision.
Dyslexia Coursework (Act 607)
All preparation programs must include 3 credit hours (or 45 contact hours) on dyslexia identification, scientific background, and accommodations. This can be integrated into the standard literacy hours or offered separately.
Foundational Numeracy (Bulletin 996)
Beginning 2025-2026, programs in Birth-to-Five, Pre-K, Elementary, and Mathematics certification areas must incorporate foundational numeracy instruction. By September 1, 2028, all initial certification candidates in these areas must show completion of LDOE-approved numeracy training.
Computer Science Pedagogy
By June 30, 2026, all approved preparation programs must integrate computational thinking and computer science competencies into their course catalogs. The state certification office begins verifying this coursework on September 1, 2030.
Crisis Intervention (Act 479)
Teacher preparation programs must incorporate crisis intervention and behavioral management training for students with disabilities. This takes effect at the program level in 2027-2028. Individual applicants seeking initial certification on or after September 1, 2031, must document completion of this coursework.
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How to Track Bulletin Changes
The BESE Rulemaking Docket is the official source for tracking active revisions. Each revision goes through a public notice-and-comment period before adoption. Key resources:
- BESE Policy webpage — active rulemaking proposals and comparison documents showing exact language changes
- LDOE Preparation Provider Monthly Webinars — monthly webinars where LDOE staff explain new policies, testing updates, and implementation timelines
- LDOE Weekly Newsletters — email updates on certification processing changes, portal updates, and policy reminders
The practical implication: if you're applying for certification, check these sources within the month you plan to submit. Rules that were accurate six months ago may not be accurate today.
The Louisiana Teacher Certification Guide cross-references every certification requirement against the current Bulletin 746 language, including the 2026 exam transitions, GPA flexibility rules, and coursework mandates — so you're working from the regulation itself, not from a blog post that hasn't caught up.
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