Short answer
How do Louisiana teachers renew a certificate and move up the salary schedule?
Louisiana Level 2 and Level 3 teaching certificates are valid for five years and renew for five more at the request of your Louisiana employer, provided you earned effective evaluations for at least three years of the most recent five-year validity period. There is no course or clock-hour requirement. Pay comes from each school system's salary schedule, which state law bases on effectiveness, demand and experience.
Source: Louisiana Department of Education, How do I renew my Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 teaching certificate? Checked .
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How do you renew a Louisiana teaching certificate?
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) issues certificates through the Louisiana Educator Portal (LEP). Its renewal guidance describes three standard levels:
- Level 1. Valid for three years, then extendable one year at a time at the request of a Louisiana employing authority, up to two one-year extensions. LDOE lists no other renewal requirement.
- Level 2 and Level 3. Valid for five years and renewable for five-year periods at the request of the employing authority. The educator "must have earned effective evaluations in an approved setting for at least three (3) years during the most recent five (5) year validity period."
Renewal requests go through the Renewal or Higher Level Teaching Certificate application in LEP, and the employing school system must verify and sign them. The application is routed to the school system you select for employment verification and signature.
Moving up a level works the same way. LDOE's advancement guidance says a Level 2 requires three years of effectiveness on approved evaluations and three years of teaching in an approved setting. A Level 3 requires the same three years of effectiveness, five years of teaching experience, and a graduate degree from an institution accredited in accordance with 34 CFR 602. Both levels are valid for five years.
If you leave Louisiana classrooms, LDOE's guidance for teachers not currently teaching explains non-practicing status. Because most certificates need Louisiana employment and evaluation to renew, a teacher who is not serving can place a certificate in non-practicing status, which keeps it valid but "frozen." The remaining validity is restored when you return and your new employer verifies the change.
Courses do not renew a Louisiana certificate, but they can change your pay. If you are taking coursework, the reasons are usually a higher degree lane on your district schedule or the graduate degree a Level 3 requires. See renewal versus salary credit for how the two goals differ.
The license renewal hub compares Louisiana's evaluation-based model with the hour- and credit-based rules in other states.
How are Louisiana teacher salary schedules set?
Louisiana has no single statewide teacher schedule. State law requires the governing authority of each public school system to "establish salary schedules" for teachers and other employees, and to publish them by June 30 each year for the school year that begins then (La. R.S. 17:418).
The same statute controls how those schedules are built. Schedules for teachers and other certified staff must be based on three criteria, with no one criterion accounting for more than half of the formula:
- Effectiveness, as measured by the state performance evaluation program.
- Demand, including area of certification, school need, geographic area and subject area, which "may include advanced degree levels."
- Experience.
The statute adds that a teacher rated "ineffective" may not receive a higher salary the following year, and that a teacher's annual salary generally may not be reduced below the prior year's. In the schedules below, degrees appear as columns and experience as steps, and effectiveness shows up as the condition for a step or as a separate rating-based payment. For reading those grids, see how to read a salary schedule; for whether a graduate degree or added hours pay back, see a master's versus credits.
What do Jefferson and East Baton Rouge pay for?
Jefferson Parish Schools
The Fiscal Year 2026-2027 salary schedules pay teachers on a 183-day year, with columns for certified teachers holding a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and "Master's +30 and higher," alongside columns for non-certified and associate's-degree teachers. Steps run from 00 to 25L.
- Steps: "A teacher whose evaluation score is ineffective will not receive a STEP."
- Agreement: the collective bargaining agreement with the Jefferson Federation of Teachers runs through June 30, 2028 and pays teachers on the Board-approved schedule, updated whenever the Board approves a new one.
- Master's +30: the posted schedules and agreement do not define which hours count toward this column, so check with Human Resources before enrolling.
East Baton Rouge Parish School System
The 2026-2027 Salary Schedule Manual, effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, places teachers on "four degree lanes and 35 experience steps": Bachelor, Master, Specialist and PhD. Pay "is determined by earned degree and verified years of teaching experience," over a 182-day year.
- Placement: the lane is based on the candidate's "highest earned degree," so the schedule has no lane for hours short of a degree.
- Steps: effective July 1 for employees who worked at least half the work days in the prior year; advancement ends at 35 years.
- Funding: step increases and "advance degree movement" are subject to the availability of funds.
- Effectiveness: a separate stipend is paid by evaluation rating, from Proficient through Exemplary.
Before you enroll
- Know why you are taking the course. Louisiana renewal needs effective evaluations, not hours, so a course is for a degree lane, a Level 3 or your own growth.
- Check that the degree will count. A Level 3 requires a graduate degree from an institution accredited in accordance with 34 CFR 602.
- Read your district's lanes. East Baton Rouge pays by highest earned degree; Jefferson adds a Master's +30 column whose rules come from HR.
- Ask HR how and when a degree change is processed. In East Baton Rouge, degree movement is subject to available funds.
- Keep your evaluations on track. An ineffective rating stops a step in Jefferson and, under state law, a raise the next year. See will my district accept it?
The provider directory groups semester-credit providers by need, and the comparison table shows their costs and formats side by side.
Louisiana questions teachers ask
Do Louisiana teachers need continuing education hours to renew?
Not for Level 2 or Level 3 certificates under LDOE's current guidance. Renewal requires effective evaluations in an approved setting for at least three years of the most recent five-year validity period, requested by your Louisiana employer.
How long is a Louisiana teaching certificate valid?
A Level 1 is valid for three years and can be extended one year at a time, twice. Level 2 and Level 3 certificates are valid for five years and renew in five-year periods.
What do I need for a Louisiana Level 3 certificate?
A graduate degree from an institution accredited in accordance with 34 CFR 602, three years of effectiveness on approved evaluations, and five years of teaching experience in an approved setting.
Who sets teacher pay in Louisiana?
Each school system's governing authority, under La. R.S. 17:418. Schedules must be published by June 30 and must be based on effectiveness, demand and experience, with no one criterion over half of the formula.
What happens to my certificate if I stop teaching in Louisiana?
You can request non-practicing status through LEP, with verification from your current or former Louisiana school system. The certificate stays valid but frozen, and the remaining validity returns when you resume teaching.
Sources
- How do I renew my Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 teaching certificate?, Louisiana Department of Education. Checked
- How do I advance from a Level 1 to a Level 2 or Level 3?, Louisiana Department of Education. Checked
- I am not currently teaching in Louisiana. How do I renew/advance my teaching certificate?, Louisiana Department of Education. Checked
- La. R.S. 17:418, Salaries; teachers and other school employees, Louisiana State Legislature. Checked
- Fiscal Year 2026-2027 salary schedules, Jefferson Parish Schools, listed on the district's payroll page. Checked
- Agreement between the Jefferson Federation of Teachers and the Jefferson Parish School Board, as amended September 3, 2025. Checked
- Salary Schedule Manual, Fiscal Year 2026-2027, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, listed on the district's human resources page. Checked
Reviewed November 11, 2026 by TeacherPayGuide editors.Report an error