How to Become a Teacher in Kentucky

Kentucky certification requirements, step by step

Each requirement below is stated as Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) — Office of Educator Licensure and Effectiveness publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Complete an EPSB-approved educator preparation program

   Finish an Education Professional Standards Board–approved educator preparation program. Completers are eligible to apply for a Kentucky professional certificate through the Kentucky Educator Credentialing System (KECS).

   Source: goteachky.com

2. 2

   Pass Praxis assessments for each certification area and the PLT

   Pass the appropriate assessments for each area of certification being sought and the Principles of Learning and Teaching test for the desired grade range. Tests taken in Kentucky are reported to EPSB; out-of-state testers should send scores to EPSB code 7283 and include a Social Security number when registering.

   Source: goteachky.com

3. 3

   Create a KECS account and start the CA-1 application

   Register in the Kentucky Educator Credentialing System and follow the application wizard for Initial Kentucky Certification (CA-1). Provide official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework sent directly from the institution’s transcript provider to KDELicensure@education.ky.gov, or mailed on official paper to KDE Certification.

   Source: goteachky.com

4. 4

   Verify program completion and complete Character and Fitness

   The preparing college, university, or institution must verify educator preparation program completion. Every applicant completes the Character and Fitness review in KECS before paying.

   Source: goteachky.com

5. 5

   Pay the regular certificate fee and submit

   Pay certification fees only through the KECS online payment service. The Certification FAQ lists $85 for regular certificate issuance, reissuance, or renewal. Other forms of payment are returned. Processing typically takes about two weeks if the application is complete.

   Source: goteachky.com

KECS is the only payment and application channel that matters. Go Teach KY’s initial-certification and FAQ pages repeat that certification fees must be paid through the KECS online payment service and that any other form of payment is returned. Official transcripts are equally rigid: electronic files must come directly from the institution’s third-party provider to KDELicensure@education.ky.gov; applicant-forwarded PDFs are not official. That combination makes “submitted in KECS” and “transcripts received from the vendor” two separate completeness checks.

Kentucky’s rank structure sits beside the five-year certificate term. 16 KAR 2:010 ties early renewals to graduate credit toward a fifth-year program (fifteen semester hours on the first five-year renewal in the regulation text) before later cycles use the 16 KAR 4:060 experience-or-six-hours rule published on the Go Teach KY renewal page. Candidates comparing Kentucky to states with simple clock-hour renewals should budget for Rank II / fifth-year planning, not only for the $85 CA-2 fee.

Testing is area-and-grade specific. Initial in-state completers must pass assessments for each certification area and the PLT for the desired grade range. Out-of-state testers designate EPSB code 7283. Kentucky’s out-of-state FAQ is explicit that out-of-state tests do not replace required Kentucky Praxis tests unless they share the same Praxis test code, and that the state will not recognize a teaching credential earned in another state only by passing an assessment.

Out-of-state practice is documented on Go Teach KY rather than as automatic same-certificate transfer. Compact-eligible licenses from listed participating states use a separate review-and-application path. Everyone else uses CA-1 plus either two years of verified full-time experience or the full Kentucky Praxis set. The same page states that reciprocity does not mean Kentucky will automatically grant the same certification held elsewhere, because each state has its own requirements and cases are evaluated individually.

Required exams and fees

Kentucky uses ETS Praxis specialty-area tests and Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (as of September 2026).

Moving a license to Kentucky

Kentucky’s official out-of-state page describes two tracks. Compact-eligible certificates from participating Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact states may use a dedicated KECS compact application after an eligibility review requested at kdelicensure@education.ky.gov. Non-compact applicants apply via CA-1 with an Out-of-State EPP Program Completion form and either two years of verified full-time classroom experience at the appropriate grade levels or passing Praxis II specialty tests for each area plus the PLT. Kentucky does not recognize credentials gained in another state only by passing an assessment. National Board Certification plus a valid out-of-state license can qualify under KRS 161.123. Cases are evaluated individually.

Official Kentucky reciprocity guidance