To become a math teacher in Louisiana, you need a bachelor’s degree, a BESE-approved educator preparation program with a yearlong residency, and passing Praxis scores: Mathematics (5165) for grades 6-12 or Middle School Mathematics (5164) for grades 4-8, plus a Principles of Learning and Teaching test. Career changers can take an alternate route instead.
Louisiana certifies math teachers in two bands, Mathematics 4-8 and Mathematics 6-12, and the band you choose decides which Praxis tests you take. The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) issues the certificate under rules the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) sets in Bulletin 746 and Bulletin 996. Here’s how to become a math teacher in Louisiana in five steps, as of October 2026.
- Complete a BESE-Approved Math Educator Preparation Program
- Pass the Praxis Exams Louisiana Requires for Math
- Complete Your Louisiana Yearlong Residency
- Apply for Your Louisiana Level 1 Teaching Certificate
- Advance and Renew Your Louisiana Teaching Certificate
Step 1. Complete a BESE-Approved Math Educator Preparation Program
You need at least a bachelor’s degree and a BESE-approved educator preparation program, the same two building blocks behind the requirements to become a math teacher in every state. Which program fits depends on whether you’re still in college or already hold a degree in another field.
The LDOE keeps the current list of approved teacher preparation programs in Louisiana. Check that a program is on it before you enroll.
Undergraduate Programs
If you’re still in college, you’ll earn your degree and your certification together. Louisiana universities typically offer math teacher preparation as one of these:
- B.S. in Mathematics with a concentration or minor in secondary education (grades 6-12)
- B.S. in Secondary Education with a math concentration (grades 6-12)
- B.S. in Middle School Education with a math focus (grades 4-8)
- A five-year bachelor’s plus Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) in secondary education
Every undergraduate program ends in the yearlong residency covered in Step 3.
Alternate Routes If You Already Have a Degree
If you hold a bachelor’s degree in math, engineering, finance or another field, you can enter one of three alternate programs. If you complete your residency as the teacher of record, meaning you run your own classroom, you’ll hold a Practitioner License (PL) while you finish. You must pass the content exam for your area before the license is issued, and your program provider requests it from the LDOE for you.
| Alternate Program | License Issued | Maximum Time on License | Coursework Each Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practitioner Teacher Program | Practitioner License 1 (PL1) | 3 years | At least 6 semester hours |
| Certification-Only Program | Practitioner License 2 (PL2) | 3 years | At least 9 semester hours |
| Master’s Degree Alternate Program | Practitioner License 3 (PL3) | 4 years | At least 9 semester hours |
A Practitioner License is issued for one year and renewed each year you stay enrolled, under Bulletin 746, Section 515. The yearly coursework can be met in equivalent contact hours, and it applies only while required coursework remains in your program. You teach only the grade band and subject listed on the license. Pick the master’s route if you want the graduate degree you’ll need later for a Level 3 certificate.
Literacy Coursework
Every Louisiana preparation program now includes reading and literacy coursework. For programs completed on or after September 1, 2024, Mathematics 6-12 requires 3 credit hours (or 45 contact hours) and Mathematics 4-8 requires 6 credit hours (or 90 contact hours), under Bulletin 996. Your program builds these hours in, so you won’t take them separately.
Step 2. Pass the Praxis Exams Louisiana Requires for Math
On the standard route to Mathematics 4-8 or Mathematics 6-12, you pass two Praxis tests: a math content test and a Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) test for your grade band. Alternate-route candidates take the same tests. Teachers certified in another state may qualify for an exclusion instead (see Step 4). Louisiana’s passing scores are set in Bulletin 746, Section 303 (checked October 2026).
| Certification Area | Content Test and Score | PLT Test and Score |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics 6-12 | Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5165), 159 | PLT: Grades 7-12 (5624), 157 |
| Mathematics 4-8 | Middle School Mathematics (5164), 157 | PLT: Grades 5-9 (5623), 160 |
You don’t need Praxis Core. Louisiana dropped the basic-skills tests from certification and program admission in 2022, and Bulletin 746 no longer lists them. If you already teach, you can add Algebra I (5162, score 157) or Geometry (5163, score 148) as a content add-on.
Most programs want your content test passed before the residency starts. If you test in Louisiana and your Praxis profile address is in Louisiana, ETS sends your scores to the LDOE automatically. Otherwise, pick the Louisiana Department of Education (code 7330) as a score recipient when you register, and pick it again for any additional score reports. Give ETS your Social Security number, too: without it, ETS’s Louisiana page says your scores won’t reach the LDOE’s database electronically and your certification will be delayed.
Step 3. Complete Your Louisiana Yearlong Residency
Louisiana replaced short student teaching with a full-year residency. Since July 2018, every teacher preparation program in the state has included a yearlong classroom residency alongside a trained mentor teacher, under the LDOE’s Believe and Prepare rules.
In an undergraduate program, you’ll hold a resident teacher certificate and spend two consecutive semesters in one school, usually called Residency I and Residency II. Your program assigns the school and the mentor.
On an alternate route, how you complete the residency depends on the program, under Bulletin 996, Section 745. A practitioner teacher program requires it as the teacher of record, on a Practitioner License. A certification-only or master’s program lets you choose: teach as the teacher of record on a Practitioner License, or complete the year in a certified teacher’s classroom. As a first-year teacher of record, you’ll get at least five hours a week of mentoring, such as co-teaching, observations or planning time.
Step 4. Apply for Your Louisiana Level 1 Teaching Certificate
When you finish your program, your preparation provider recommends you for initial certification. You file the application yourself in the Louisiana Educator Certification system, part of the Louisiana Educator Portal, where you also pay the processing fee online.
Plan for a fingerprint background check. Since January 1, 2025, the LDOE has needed a fingerprint-based check, run through the Louisiana State Police under its certification service code, before it will issue, renew or advance a certificate. A background check done for a school job can’t be shared with the LDOE, so it doesn’t count. Once you clear, a “Clear Credential” goes on your certification record, and the check typically doesn’t need repeating for later renewals.
If You’re Certified in Another State
If you completed a preparation program in another state and hold or qualify for a standard certificate there, you may get a Louisiana out-of-state (OS) certificate. It’s valid for three years, isn’t renewable, and lets you teach while you pass Louisiana’s Praxis tests or qualify for an exclusion, as ETS’s Louisiana page explains.
You can skip the OS certificate if you’ve already passed Louisiana’s Praxis tests for your area: you go straight to a Level 1, 2 or 3 depending on your verified experience. Three or more years of successful teaching outside Louisiana counts in place of the exams, and can qualify you for a Level 2 or Level 3. If you’re still choosing between states, compare these steps with how to become a math teacher in Arkansas.
Step 5. Advance and Renew Your Louisiana Teaching Certificate
Your first certificate is a Level 1, valid for three years. Your school system can extend it one year at a time, two times at most, so treat Level 2 as the goal for the end of year three.
Here’s what each step up requires:
- Level 2: three years of effective evaluations and three years of teaching in an approved setting. Valid for five years.
- Level 3: a graduate degree from an accredited institution, three years of effective evaluations and five years of teaching. Valid for five years.
To renew a Level 2 or Level 3, you need effective evaluations for at least three of the five years the certificate was valid, according to the LDOE’s renewal guidance (checked October 2026). There’s no continuing-hours requirement in that guidance. Renewals and upgrades go through the Louisiana Educator Portal, and your employing school system must verify and sign the request. If you leave Louisiana classrooms for a while, ask the LDOE about non-practicing status so your certificate doesn’t run out while you can’t earn evaluations.
Your level and degree also feed into pay, and each school system sets its own salary schedule. See our Louisiana math teacher salary guide before you compare districts.
The Math Standards You’ll Teach in Louisiana
Louisiana teaches math to the Louisiana Student Standards for Mathematics. The state reviewed them in 2025, and the LDOE now posts the 2025 standards alongside the 2016 version on its Louisiana Math page. Check there for which set applies to your school year, plus crosswalks, sample unit plans and grade-level guides. Students in grades 3 through high school take the LEAP math tests.
For conferences and workshops, the Louisiana Association of Teachers of Mathematics (LATM) holds an annual joint conference with the state’s science teachers association. For one Louisiana example of national recognition, read how a Monroe math educator was honored with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to pass Praxis Core to teach math in Louisiana?
No. Louisiana stopped requiring the Praxis Core Academic Skills tests in 2022. On the standard route, you need the math content test for your grade band and the matching Principles of Learning and Teaching test.
Can I teach math in Louisiana without an education degree?
Yes. If you hold a bachelor’s degree, you can enroll in a practitioner teacher, certification-only or master’s alternate program. Once you pass the math content test, you can complete your residency as the teacher of record on a Practitioner License. Certification-only and master’s programs also let you do the residency in another teacher’s classroom.
What score do I need on Praxis 5165 in Louisiana?
Louisiana’s passing score for Mathematics: Content Knowledge (5165) is 159, as of October 2026. For grades 4-8, Middle School Mathematics (5164) requires 157.
How long is a Louisiana Level 1 certificate valid?
Three years, with up to two one-year extensions at your school system’s request. After three years of effective evaluations and teaching, you can move up to a five-year Level 2.
I’m certified in another state. Do I have to retake the Praxis?
Not always. If you’ve taught successfully for three or more years outside Louisiana, that experience can stand in for the exams. Otherwise, you can teach on a three-year out-of-state certificate while you pass Louisiana’s Praxis tests.
- Two grade bands: Mathematics 6-12 takes Praxis 5165 (score 159) and PLT 5624 (157). Mathematics 4-8 takes Praxis 5164 (157) and PLT 5623 (160).
- No Praxis Core: Louisiana dropped the basic-skills test requirement in 2022.
- Yearlong residency: every program includes a full year with a mentor teacher, and practitioner teacher candidates complete it as the teacher of record.
- Career changers: a bachelor’s degree, an alternate program and a passed content test can put you in your own classroom on a Practitioner License (PL1, PL2 or PL3).
- Renewal: Level 2 and Level 3 certificates renew every five years on three years of effective evaluations.
If you’re weighing an alternate route, the biggest difference between programs is how they fit around a full-time teaching job. The schools listed here include online and evening options for people already working in Louisiana classrooms.