The Education Professional Standards Board, in full collaboration and cooperation with its education partners, promotes high levels of student achievement by establishing and enforcing rigorous professional standards for preparation, certification, and responsible and ethical behavior of all professional educators in Kentucky.
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The Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB) is charged with establishing standards of performance both for preparation programs and practitioners; accrediting educator preparation providers and approving educator preparation programs at colleges, universities, local school districts, and private contractors; selecting assessments for teachers and administrators; overseeing internship programs for new teachers and new principals; administering Kentucky's National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification; and issuing, renewing, suspending, and revoking Kentucky certificates for professional school personnel.
The EPSB holds regular meetings at 9:00 AM on the 2nd Monday of October, December, February, and April, and on the 3rd Monday of June and August at the EPSB offices unless otherwise announced.
This division is responsible for educator program approval, teacher candidate assessments and internship.
This division oversees all educator certification and renewals.
This division investigates and prosecutes all cases of educator misconduct.
The vision of the EPSB is that "every public school teacher and administrator in Kentucky is an accomplished professional committed to helping all children become productive members of a global society."
As of May 2nd, 2022, all educators applying for initial certification, renewal or rank change will now complete the process through the new KECS system. The KECS system removes old processes of completing and uploading paper forms allowing a more streamlined experience for applicants, Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and school districts.
EPSB legal and ethics processes have also transitioned to KECS as well. While it may look a little different, superintendents will complete a similar process when filing complaints for legal matters. The new system allows for EPSB legal staff to track and handle educator cases brought to the EPSB.
Certificate Retrieval and Verification
Please note that the EPSB is no longer printing and mailing educator certificates. Educators can retrieve a copy of their certificate for applications that were approved after March 16, 2018, by logging into their EPSB account and clicking on My Application Status to download their certificate from a PDF file. For a copy of a certificate approved before March 16, 2018, a CA-2 will need to be submitted. Only the individual educator can access the certificate, as he or she must log into the personal EPSB account.
School districts should verify the educator’s credential information listed on the printed copy certificate in Kentucky Educator Certification Inquiry (KECI) on the EPSB website.
The Education Professional Standards Board is responsible for ensuring that preparation programs for Kentucky educators meet established standards of quality. It facilitates the accreditation process, reviews programs and continuous assessment materials, and provides technical assistance for program improvement. This division maintains the array of assessments required for teacher and administrator certification.
The Education Professional Standards Board is responsible for issuing and renewing certificates for all Kentucky teachers and administrators. Staff works closely with local school districts in the hiring process to ensure a properly credentialed educator in every professional position in Kentucky schools. Staff also works with Kentucky colleges and universities, out-of-state institutions, and national evaluation agencies. EPSB processes approximately 40,000 certification transactions annually.
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Click the provider below to see additional information for approved programs.
