How to Become a Principal in Louisiana

Louisiana principal requirements, step by step

Educational Leader Level 1 (EDL1), advancing to Level 2 (EDL2). Each requirement is stated as Louisiana Department of Education — Educator Certification publishes it, with the governing source cited.

1. 1

   Hold a Louisiana Type B or Level 2 teaching certificate and three years of teaching

   Hold or be eligible to hold a Louisiana Type B or Level 2 teaching certificate, or a comparable-level out-of-state certificate, plus three years of teaching experience. An Ancillary Teaching certificate holder needs at least five years of successful teaching experience instead.

   Source: teachlouisiana.net

2. 2

   Complete a competency-based graduate degree in educational leadership

   Complete a competency-based graduate degree program in educational leadership from an institution accredited under 34 CFR 602. If the transcript does not name the degree “Educational Leadership,” submit a dean’s letter verifying alignment with the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL).

   Source: teachlouisiana.net

3. 3

   Pass the Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA)

   The EDL1 pathway checklists require a passing score on the Praxis SLLA. The Louisiana Leadership Assessment Series is accepted only if it was completed before Bloomboard retired it.

   Source: teachlouisiana.net

4. 4

   Request EDL1 eligibility in the Louisiana Educator Portal

   Meeting the requirements produces an EDL1 letter of eligibility. The certificate itself is issued when a Louisiana school system requests it after verifying employment in an educational leader role. Your teaching certificate must be valid unless you are already employed as a leader and the system signs the request.

   Source: teachlouisiana.net

5. 5

   Advance to EDL2 after three effective years in leadership

   An EDL1 is valid for three years and can be extended one year at a time at the school system’s request, up to two extensions. Advancement to EDL2 requires at least three years employed in a leadership capacity and three years meeting the standards of effectiveness under Bulletin 746 §103.

   Source: teachlouisiana.net

Louisiana licenses school leaders through one credential family, Educational Leader (EDL), used for assistant principals, principals, parish or city supervisors of instruction, supervisors of child welfare and attendance, special education supervisors, and comparable school or district leader positions. Meeting the EDL1 requirements does not by itself produce a certificate. LDOE issues a letter of eligibility, and the EDL1 certificate is issued when an employing Louisiana school system verifies employment in an educational leader capacity and requests it. Candidates finishing a program before they have a leadership job should expect to hold eligibility, not a certificate.

The teaching prerequisite has two forms. The standard form is holding, or being eligible to hold, a Louisiana Type B or Level 2 teaching certificate (or a comparable-level out-of-state certificate, which needs additional documentation) with three years of teaching. The alternative form is an Ancillary Teaching certificate with at least five years of successful teaching. The graduate degree pathway then requires a competency-based graduate degree in educational leadership from an institution accredited under 34 CFR 602; a degree not titled “Educational Leadership” on the transcript needs a dean’s letter confirming alignment to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. Each EDL1 checklist cited here ends with a passing Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment score. The older Louisiana Leadership Assessment Series counts only if it was completed before Bloomboard retired it.

LDOE also publishes alternate pathways beside the degree route. Two of them carry the same teaching prerequisite and the SLLA. Alternate Pathway 1 is for candidates who already hold a graduate degree: an accredited institution screens their competencies and prescribes an individualized educational leadership program, then verifies completion by letter. Alternate Pathway 3 is a competency-based practitioner or residency program from a Louisiana-approved provider, entered through a screening of the candidate’s knowledge of instruction. EDL1 lasts three years, with up to two one-year extensions at a school system’s request, and advances to EDL2 after three years in a leadership role meeting the Bulletin 746 §103 effectiveness standards. Louisiana’s row in the cross-state principal comparison shows how the eligibility-then-employment sequence differs from other states.

Louisiana principal requirements at a glance

Required exams and fees

Louisiana uses the Praxis School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA). Fees and cut scores appear only when published by the cited source (checklists revised December 2025 per Bulletin 746; as of October 2026).

Institutions with educational leadership programs

The table lists educational leadership CIP codes and award levels from IPEDS. This extract reported no completion counts, so none are shown. An award conferred does not mean the program is approved to recommend candidates for Educational Leader Level 1 (EDL1), advancing to Level 2 (EDL2). Verify approval with Louisiana Department of Education — Educator Certification.

Moving an administrator credential to Louisiana

A comparable-level out-of-state teaching certificate with three years of teaching can satisfy the EDL1 teaching requirement, but LDOE requires additional documentation to verify comparability. Use the LDOE Teacher Certification Help Center before applying if you are not currently certified in Louisiana.

Official Louisiana reciprocity guidance