COST NASDTEC Interstate Agreement 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which body is responsible for formally adopting the compact into state law?
- The state legislature (Correct answer)
- The state board of education
- NASDTEC's national council
- The U.S. Department of Education
Correct answer: The state legislature
Each participating state must pass enabling legislation through its legislature to join the Interstate Agreement.
Question 2: A teacher holds a valid license in a member state but has a pending criminal investigation. How does the Interstate Agreement typically address this scenario?
- The receiving state may deny or defer licensure pending resolution (Correct answer)
- The license must be accepted immediately with no conditions
- NASDTEC investigates on behalf of the receiving state
- The teacher is automatically granted a provisional license
Correct answer: The receiving state may deny or defer licensure pending resolution
Member states retain authority to delay or deny licensure if there is an ongoing criminal or disciplinary investigation.
Question 3: Which of the following best describes the 'substantial equivalency' standard used in the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement?
- An out-of-state program meets comparable content and rigor requirements (Correct answer)
- The applicant has exactly the same credit hours as required in-state
- The applicant passed the identical tests used by the receiving state
- The applicant completed training in the same academic year
Correct answer: An out-of-state program meets comparable content and rigor requirements
Substantial equivalency means the preparation program is comparable in content and rigor, not necessarily identical, to the receiving state's requirements.
Question 4: A teacher certified in one compact member state moves to another member state but holds a license in a subject area the new state does not offer. What is the most likely outcome?
- The receiving state may issue the closest equivalent license area available (Correct answer)
- The teacher is automatically licensed in the closest subject field
- The teacher must complete a full new preparation program
- NASDTEC assigns a national license category
Correct answer: The receiving state may issue the closest equivalent license area available
When an exact subject-area match does not exist, the receiving state typically issues the nearest equivalent license, subject to state-specific rules.
Question 5: How does the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement handle a teacher who voluntarily surrendered a license in one state while under investigation?
- The surrender is treated the same as a revocation for interstate reporting purposes (Correct answer)
- The surrender is not reportable and the teacher may apply freely in other states
- Only the home state may disclose a voluntary surrender
- NASDTEC seals the record after five years
Correct answer: The surrender is treated the same as a revocation for interstate reporting purposes
Voluntary surrender under investigation is considered equivalent to a disciplinary action and must be reported through interstate clearinghouse mechanisms.
Question 6: Which NASDTEC tool do member states primarily use to check whether an applicant has had a license revoked or suspended in another state?
- NASDTEC Educator Information Clearinghouse (EIC) (Correct answer)
- Federal Teacher Registry (FTR)
- State Board Licensure Exchange (SBLE)
- NCLB Interstate Teacher Database
Correct answer: NASDTEC Educator Information Clearinghouse (EIC)
The NASDTEC Educator Information Clearinghouse (EIC) is the primary database used by member states to share disciplinary and licensure status information.
Question 7: Under the Interstate Agreement, once a receiving state verifies a valid out-of-state license, what is the maximum provisional license period most commonly allowed before a full license is required?
- One to three years depending on the state (Correct answer)
- Six months only
- Five years uniformly across all member states
- There is no time limit; the provisional license is permanent until denied
Correct answer: One to three years depending on the state
Most member states grant provisional or reciprocal licenses for one to three years to allow teachers time to meet any remaining state-specific requirements.
COST NASDTEC Interstate Agreement 2
Under the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which body is responsible for formally adopting the compact into state law?