All educators assigned as public school teachers in Utah are required to be licensed and qualified for their teaching assignment, as defined by the Utah State Legislature's Title 53E-6-201: State Board Licensure. This requirement is no different for a Statewide Online Education Program (SOEP) Local Education Agency (LEA) provider or Certified Online Provider. The specific requirements for a teacher’s assignment are outlined below in the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Administrative Rules R277-309: Appropriate Licensing and Assignment of Teacher.
Each course assignment requires particular license areas of concentration and the appropriate content endorsement. The required content endorsements and license areas of concentration are detailed in Comprehensive Administration of Credentials for Teachers in Utah Schools (CACTUS).
The USBE monitors all educators with assignments to teach in Utah. If a school district, charter, or SOEP provider (LEA or certified online provider) is found to assign educators who are not licensed and qualified for their teaching assignment, the USBE will withhold funding for those unqualified educators. If it is determined that the violation is intentionally out of compliance, corrective action is taken.
The Alternate Pathway to Professional Educator License (APPEL) program is an alternative teacher preparation program where an individual may demonstrate all competencies and be recommended for a professional educator license. Any Utah LEA or private accredited school may adopt the model program and be approved to provide the APPEL program. Reference the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Administrative Rules R277-303-5: Educator Preparation Programs - Superintendent Responsibilities.
2021-2022 Percentages by Full-time Equivalency (FTE) and Qualifications
2022-2023 Assignment Requirements
School Year (SY) 2022-2023 Core Code Changes
Utah State Board of Education CACTUS Course Codes and Approval
New School Request Form
Google Docs
An LEA-Specific educator license, including areas of concentration and endorsements, is issued by the state board at the request of an LEA’s governing body (example: local school board) that is valid for an employee to fill a position in the LEA if other licensing routes for the applicant are untenable or unreasonable. The LEA governing board agrees to provide the documentation and support outlined in the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Administrative Rules R277-301-7. LEA-specific Educator License Requirements.
Reminder that LEA-Specific Licenses cannot be issued for University Recommended licenses. Please inform your educator they will not be granted an LEA-Specific license and simply need to contact their university to complete the university recommended license.
Unlike the past two years, do not submit/e-mail previously-required documents, (spreadsheet and letter of assurances to Superintendent) to USBE. For School Year (SY) 2022-2023, please keep these for your records in case we reach out to your LEA for a USBE monitoring request.
The following are no longer available for LEA-Specific: Audiologist, Deaf Education, Driver's Education, Preschool Special Education, School Psychologist, School Social Worker (SSW), Special Education (K-12), Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), and Speech Language Therapist (SLT).
Eminence Designation Guidelines
If an educator who was an IGT (on a J-1 visa), but will now be on an H1-B visa:
2022-2023 Private School Core Codes
Instructions for CACTUS Assignments
New School Request Form
Google Docs
Private School Yearly Verification
Google Docs