Become a Certified Principal

Preliminary Review Process

Candidates who are considering the proficiency evaluation process to add Principal certification should be able to answer “yes” to the following:

  1. I am a Kentucky certified teacher with at least three years of successful teaching experience.
  2. I have college course work and/or leadership experience in educational administration.
  3. I understand there is a $200 non-refundable fee.

Upon submission of the Proficiency Evaluation Application and required documents as outlined below, the Faculty Review Committee will determine if additional course work and/or experiences are required before a recommendation for certification can be made. If additional course work and/or experiences are required, an Educator Learning Plan (ELP) will be developed. (All requirements of the ELP must be satisfied within two years.) Once the ELP has been developed, an employment eligibility letter will be provided. Candidates, who are selected for an assistant principal, or principal position, must obtain a written offer of employment from the school district. Candidates can then be recommended for a one year proficiency provisional certificate – which may be renewed one time.

Required Documents

If you would like to proceed with the Proficiency Evaluation, please contact betty.hampton@louisville.edu for access to the application and code. You will also need to provide the following documents for review. These can be sent via email to betty.hampton@louisville.edu.

  1. Brief letter with rationale and summary of evidence (e.g. course work and/or school leadership experiences) you wish to be considered as the basis for adding Principal certification
  2. Copy of all college or university transcripts
  3. Detailed resume including all teaching and leadership experiences
  4. Two written letters of recommendation attesting to the candidate's skills and understanding of a) ability to improve student achievement, b) leadership, c) advanced knowledge of curriculum, instruction and assessment. One letter of recommendation must be from the applicant's current site supervisor. The other recommendation may be from a school counselor, assistant principal or other professional familiar with the applicant's work
  5. Philosophy of education (2 page limit).

As part of the ELP, each candidate will work with an assigned faculty member to develop an electronic portfolio organized by PSEL standards. Each PSEL standard will require artifacts and a narrative to demonstrate mastery of the standard.