State Reciprocity: Educational Administrator (School Principal)

Last reviewed February 2024

Whitworth University's Educational Administrator program is designed to prepare students for school principal certification in the State of Washington. To help prospective students determine whether Whitworth's programs meet educational requirements in other states, the following information on state reciprocity for the Educational Administrator program is provided for the states of Oregon, Idaho, California, Hawaii and Colorado. If a state is not listed here, then Whitworth has not made a determination whether our educational administrator program can meet educational requirements in that state. If you would like more information for a state other than those listed, please contact Goldy Brown (gbrown@whitworth.edu) for assistance in making that determination.

Source: ecs.force.com/mbdata/MBQuest2RTANW?rep=SLC1807

Oregon (Does Not Meet Educational Requirements - See Additional Course Requirement)

School Administrator Reciprocity to Oregon

Out-of-state applicants are held to the same requirements as in-state candidates. However, applicants holding a valid, comparable certificate issued by another state may be issued a non-renewable Reciprocal Administrator License while completing coursework and assessment requirements.

In-state requirements:

To qualify for a Preliminary Administrator License, a candidate must:

Hold a bachelor's and master's degree or higher in the arts and sciences or an advanced degree in the professions from a regionally-accredited institution
Complete, as part of the master's degree or separately, an initial graduate program in school administration at an approved institution
Complete a course on Oregon School Law and Finance or demonstrate equivalent competency
Have three years of experience as a full-time licensed educator on any license
Receive a passing score on the Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment exam.
https://www.oregon.gov/tspc/lic/pages/administrator-license-redesign.aspx

Idaho (Does Not Meet Educational Requirements - See Additional Course Requirement)

School Administrator Reciprocity to Idaho

Out-of-state applicants are held to the same requirements as in-state candidates. However, an applicant may be issued an Idaho Interim Certificate while they complete coursework and/or assessment requirements.

In-state Requirements:

To qualify for an Administrator Certificate with a School Principal Endorsement P-12, a candidate must:

Hold a master's degree from an accredited college or university
Complete a state-approved program of at least 30 semester credit hours of graduate study in school administration for preparation of school principals at an accredited college or university that includes competencies of the Idaho Foundation Standards for School Administrators: School Climate, Collaborative Leadership, and Instructional Leadership and receive institutional recommendation
Complete an administrative internship in a state-approved program or have one year of experience as an administrator in grades P-12
Have four years of full-time certificated experience working with students, grades P-12, while under contract in an accredited school setting
Show proof of proficiency in evaluating teacher performance demonstrated by receiving a passing score on an approved assessment.

Details can be found at: www.sde.idaho.gov/cert-psc/cert/apply/out-of-state.html#

California (Does Not Meet Educational Requirements - See Additional Skills Requirement)

School Administrator Reciprocity to California

In addition to verified out-of-state education and work experience comparable to in-state candidates, out-of-state applicants prepared in a regionally-accredited teacher and administrator preparation program holding, or who are eligible to hold, a certificate issued by another state must also satisfy California's basic skills requirement and submit fingerprint clearance forms. An out-of-state applicant who satisfies all necessary requirements except the basic skills requirement may be issued a one-year non-renewable credential.

Note: If an out-of-state prepared candidate does not have the required five years of full-time teaching earned in another state, they must satisfy all the requirements of in-state candidates.

Details can be found at: www.ctc.ca.gov/credentials/out-of-state-admin

Hawaii (Meets Educational Requirements)

School Administrator Reciprocity to Hawaii

Out-of-state applicants holding a valid, comparable certificate issued by another state must also hold a master's degree in educational administration or educational leadership from an accredited university and have at least five years K-12 school-level experience, to include four years satisfactory performance as a licensed, K-12 school-level principal or higher, in a public school system (private school and/or charter school experience is not accepted).

Details can be found at: www.hawaiipublicschools.org/ConnectWithUs/Employment/LicensureAndCertification/Pages/home.aspx#

Colorado (Does Not Meet Educational Requirements - See Additional Exam Requirement)

School Administrator Reciprocity to Colorado

Out-of-state applicants are held to the same requirements as in-state candidates.

In-state Requirements:

To qualify for an Initial Principal License, a candidate must:

Hold a bachelor's degree or higher from an accepted institution of higher education
Complete an approved principal preparation program at an accepted institution of higher education or an approved alternative principal program
Have at least three years of full-time, successful experience as a licensed or certified professional in a public/non-public elementary or secondary school in Colorado or another state
Receive a passing score on the state-board adopted assessment for Principal Quality Standards.

Details can be found at: www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/endorsementrequirements