COST State-by-State Certification Map 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interstate compact allows teachers to more easily transfer their license to member states without completing additional coursework?
- NASDTEC Interstate Agreement (Correct answer)
- Teacher Mobility Compact
- INTASC Reciprocity Accord
- Federal Teacher Transfer Act
Correct answer: NASDTEC Interstate Agreement
The NASDTEC Interstate Agreement facilitates license portability across participating states by honoring comparable out-of-state credentials.
Question 2: A teacher certified in Florida wants to transfer to Georgia. Which characteristic of Georgia's process is most likely to apply?
- Georgia participates in a regional reciprocity agreement with Florida (Correct answer)
- Georgia requires a separate state-specific pedagogy exam for all out-of-state applicants
- Georgia automatically grants full licensure with no additional requirements
- Georgia does not accept out-of-state applications from Florida teachers
Correct answer: Georgia participates in a regional reciprocity agreement with Florida
Southern states including Georgia and Florida often participate in regional agreements that streamline the reciprocity process for neighboring states.
Question 3: Which factor most commonly causes a state to deny reciprocity even when the applicant holds a valid license in another state?
- Differences in subject-area endorsement scope between the two states (Correct answer)
- The applicant's age at the time of initial certification
- The number of years since the applicant graduated from college
- The applicant's undergraduate GPA
Correct answer: Differences in subject-area endorsement scope between the two states
States may deny reciprocity when the original endorsement area doesn't precisely match the receiving state's subject or grade-band categories.
Question 4: California is known among out-of-state teachers primarily because:
- It requires applicants to pass its own subject-matter competency exams in most cases (Correct answer)
- It automatically grants full reciprocity to all NASDTEC-member state licenses
- It waives all testing requirements for teachers with more than five years of experience
- It only accepts out-of-state licenses from states in the Western region
Correct answer: It requires applicants to pass its own subject-matter competency exams in most cases
California generally requires out-of-state applicants to demonstrate subject-matter competency through California-approved exams, making it one of the more demanding states for reciprocity.
Question 5: Texas issues a 'Visiting Teacher Permit' to out-of-state certified teachers primarily to:
- Allow employment while the full reciprocity application is being processed (Correct answer)
- Permanently waive the Texas teacher certification exam requirement
- Replace the standard Texas teaching certificate
- Grant authorization to teach only in private schools
Correct answer: Allow employment while the full reciprocity application is being processed
Texas's Visiting Teacher Permit is a temporary credential that lets districts hire out-of-state teachers while they complete full Texas certification requirements.
Question 6: New York requires out-of-state applicants to hold a Transitional B certificate prior to receiving a professional certificate. This transitional certificate requires the teacher to:
- Complete a registered teacher preparation program while employed (Correct answer)
- Pass a New York-specific liberal arts and sciences examination first
- Obtain a letter of recommendation from the previous state's department of education
- Hold a minimum of ten years of teaching experience
Correct answer: Complete a registered teacher preparation program while employed
New York's Transitional B pathway allows candidates to teach while completing a state-approved teacher preparation program, combining employment and training.
Question 7: Which of the following states is part of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) region and shares reciprocity arrangements with neighboring states?
- Colorado (Correct answer)
- Ohio
- Maine
- Louisiana
Correct answer: Colorado
Colorado is a WICHE member state, and Western states often coordinate reciprocity policies through regional compacts and NASDTEC membership.
COST State-by-State Certification Map 2
Which interstate compact allows teachers to more easily transfer their license to member states without completing additional coursework?