Expanding Opportunity, Sustaining Quality: Lessons From One State’s Teacher Licensure Reforms

July 25, 2025

By Heather Mattson

Teacher shortages remain a persistent challenge nationwide, prompting state education agencies (SEAs) to expand access to the profession while maintaining high standards for teacher quality. In response, the Nevada Department of Education partnered with WestEd from 2022 to 2025 to conduct a comprehensive review of its teacher licensure policies and identify opportunities for improvement.

Drawing on national research, policy analysis, and deep expertise in educator workforce systems, WestEd supported Nevada in identifying evidence-based strategies to facilitate a statewide workgroup of interest holders to shape practical solutions.

The resulting policy updates enhanced the state’s licensure system by adding new routes into teaching and increasing flexibility within existing pathways—broadening access without compromising expectations for teacher quality. Rather than relying on short-term fixes that risk long-term consequences, Nevada pursued sustainable changes through four key strategies aligned with the state’s commitment to a strong and effective educator workforce.

Offering Flexible Approaches for Demonstrating Foundational Skills

Most teacher licensure systems require candidates to demonstrate basic academic proficiency in areas such as reading, writing, and mathematics. In Nevada, this requirement is met through the Praxis Core assessment. However, studies have found only limited connections between scores on these assessments and later teaching effectiveness. To provide additional ways for candidates to demonstrate competency, Nevada now accepts a broader set of measures: qualifying SAT or ACT scores, approved coursework with a minimum 3.0 GPA, and GRE scores for those who hold advanced degrees.

Nevada also adopted a policy to adjust the passing score for the Praxis Core assessment by one standard error of measurement (SEM)—a statistically valid approach that maintains test integrity while allowing a greater number of qualified teacher candidates to demonstrate foundational skills.

In Nevada, between March and July 2023, the SEM adjustment enabled the state to fully certify 71 teachers who had been nearing the end of their provisional licensure period. These educators demonstrated readiness under the revised threshold and were retained in classrooms without compromising expectations for quality. Nevada isn’t alone in this approach. This strategy has also been implemented in other states, including California, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri. Other states have pursued similar innovations. North Carolina and North Dakota use composite scoring for foundational skills assessments, allowing candidates to balance lower scores on one subtest with higher scores on others as long as the overall combined score meets the required threshold and minimum scores are met on each subtest.

Colorado, Maine, and Montana accept portfolios of teacher candidates’ work in lieu of standardized tests. In California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and West Virginia, candidates can meet foundational skills requirements through qualifying coursework and GPA thresholds. Together, these strategies reflect a growing national movement toward considering multiple measures of foundational skills that increase fairness without sacrificing rigor.

Expanding Options to Demonstrate Teaching Competency

In addition to demonstrating foundational skills, most states—including Nevada—require candidates to pass subject-specific content and pedagogy assessments as a condition of licensure. Nevada uses the Praxis II suite of assessments to meet this requirement. However, candidates who narrowly miss passing scores—that is, those who score within one SEM below the passing threshold—often face delays or barriers to full certification.

As a more responsive approach for supporting candidates just below the passing threshold, Nevada now offers the Praxis Bridge—a modular, competency-based program that enables targeted demonstration of proficiency without requiring a full exam retake. Originally piloted in Connecticut, Kansas, and West Virginia, the Praxis Bridge supports candidates in addressing specific areas of need while maintaining high expectations for subject-matter knowledge.

Nevada is also exploring additional flexibilities for educator preparation programs (EPPs) to attest to a candidate’s content and pedagogical readiness based on coursework and performance. Recent legislation establishes provisions that allow coursework to substitute for Praxis Core requirements and authorize pilot programs to waive the Praxis II PLT exam. These legislative actions reflect the state’s continued efforts to offer competency-based alternatives while maintaining accountability and rigor. States including California, Oregon, and Washington have implemented similar attestation models, which reduce reliance on high-stakes testing while preserving the quality and consistency of candidate evaluation.

Additionally, Nevada is expanding access through increased licensure portability. Beginning July 1, 2026, the state will allow districts and charter schools to provisionally hire teachers licensed in other states for up to 1 year provided they’ve applied for Nevada licensure and passed background checks. Additional regulations broaden reciprocal licensure eligibility to include educators with alternative-route credentials and those participating in the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact. These updates aim to smooth transitions for out-of-state educators without compromising vetting or standards.

Nevada is also taking steps to strengthen the educator pipeline through new licensure options. A recently enacted provision establishes a registered apprentice license for candidates enrolled in approved apprenticeship programs. This 3-year, nonrenewable license allows participants to substitute teach and complete clinical field experiences during their preservice years and then complete a year of in-service teaching—enabling districts to hire them immediately after graduation. This approach provides a structured, work-based pathway into the profession while supporting workforce needs in real time.

Operationalizing Licensure Policy at the State Level

For SEAs, sustaining improvements in licensure policy requires not only thoughtful policy development but also practical, scalable implementation strategies. Expanding licensure pathways can introduce new administrative demands for SEAs, from reviewing alternative measures to adjusting internal workflows and training staff. Nevada proactively addressed these challenges by involving SEA and EPP staff early in the policy design process. This collaboration helped ensure that the policies they developed were not only sound but also feasible to implement at scale.

Other states are taking similar steps to streamline administration. North Carolina and North Dakota have automated the calculation of composite scores to reduce staff workload. The Praxis Bridge program is administered by the testing company, minimizing SEA burden while providing a consistent experience for candidates. These kinds of process-oriented solutions strengthen SEAs’ capacity to sustain expanded options for licensure and implement policy changes effectively over time, ultimately helping to ensure a more coherent and reliable licensure experience for candidates.

Aligning Access, Quality, and Sustainability

Nevada’s experience demonstrates how states can thoughtfully revise licensure policies to expand access to the teaching profession while preserving high standards. Through its partnership with WestEd, Nevada was able to draw on national research, state policy examples, and the insights of interest holders to shape well-informed, context-sensitive solutions that can be effectively implemented.

These reforms reflect a broader shift toward flexible, responsive, and sustainable strategies that support a strong educator workforce. By investing in evidence-based policies that are tailored to local needs and are scalable over time, states can ensure that every student has access to a qualified, well-prepared teacher. Nevada’s example shows how states can translate policy goals into practical reforms—expanding licensure options and maintaining high standards for educator preparation.

To learn more about partnering with WestEd to address teacher shortages in your state, contact Dana Grayson, director of WestEd’s Teacher Workforce team.