Highly Qualified Route to Certification in Additional Areas

The CA-HQ (formerly the TC-HQ) option is governed by Section 5 of 16 KAR 2:010 and provides increased flexibility for fully certified Kentucky teachers* to obtain a new certification area without additional course work.

*Note that those holding the following types of credentials may NOT apply for the CA-HQ: statement of eligibility, emergency, adjunct, temporary, temporary provisional, conditional, probationary, or provisional internship or occupation-based.

Which teaching subject areas may be added using the CA-HQ route?

A certificate extension or endorsement issued under CA-HQ is permitted only in the areas of English, mathematics, sciences, foreign languages, or social studies. Health and physical education areas may be added only for those teachers holding the correlative certificate.

This option may be particularly interesting to teachers who wish to extend or add to their certificates due to changes in school configurations within their districts. For example, a teacher who has been teaching 6th grade math with a K-4/P-5 certificate is allowed to do so in a P-6 school configuration. However, this assignment is “out-of-field” should the district change to a 6-8 middle school configuration. Likewise, those teachers currently holding high school certification may be interested in extending their grade range down to grade 5 via a CA-HQ.

What are the needed components to add a new certificate area or extension via CA-HQ?

Kentucky teachers must file CA-HQ application form for a certificate extension or new certification area and they meet the following requirements:

  • A valid Kentucky professional teaching certificate*;
    1.  Current employment in a certified position, or
    2. A bona fide offer of employment in a certified position in a Kentucky public school; or
    3. Approval of the local district superintendent;
  • Successful completion of the applicable content assessments; and
  • Either:
    1. A major in the area of certification being sought; or
    2. b. A combination of education, experience, professional development, awards and achievements in the area of certification being sought sufficient to demonstrate subject matter competency as evidenced by a score of ninety (90) points on the index contained within the application form, CA-HQ.
      *Note that those holding the following types of credentials may NOT apply for the CA-HQ: statement of eligibility, emergency, adjunct, temporary, temporary provisional, conditional, probationary, or provisional internship.

How should I determine if I am eligible to apply via the CA-HQ route?

It is suggested that you first view the CA-HQ sample application form to determine if you have a combination of teaching experience, college credit hours, high quality professional development activities, and the appropriate KY Praxis II test to reach the 90 points* needed on the KY CA-HQ Index. Remember that all the above requirements must be in the new certification area sought for the purposes of the CA-HQ route

If you believe you meet all requirements, you should work with your district’s human resources office for the appropriate documentation of activities and approval signatures to complete the form, and, if applicable, you will also need to work with an approved KY university (see next question) to complete the course analysis. This is required for all applicants who are using college credit hours as a part of their CA-HQ application.

*As of March 5, 2010, the successful passage of the appropriate Praxis II test will count for 45 points on the CA-HQ form.

What institutions are currently serving as the clearinghouse for transcript reviews?

EPSB has contracted with a consortium of Kentucky universities to serve in this role. This review is done on the CA-HQ form, and universities which may conduct the transcript review are listed on that form.

Do I have to take a PRAXIS test with the CA-HQ process?

Most likely, yes. The only scenario in which the candidate would NOT have to take a PRAXIS test for the appropriate subject area/grade range is when the teacher has a declared major area and is wishing to extend grade range in that area from high school certification to middle school certification. For example, a teacher who is fully certified in Mathematics, Grades 8-12, would not need to take a Praxis II test to apply for extending that certificate to Mathematics, Grades 5-9.

PRAXIS test categories may be viewed here.

What is the cost and time frame to obtain the CA-HQ modification for the applicant?

If the applicant currently holds a high school subject-specific certificate, has a declared major in the subject area, and wishes only for the subject area to be extended to cover middle school grades, the applicant must make the appropriate payment through the KECS system via the ePay online payment service for certification fees. This type of modification may usually be processed in the EPSB office within 10 working days or less.

However, if the applicant is selecting an option that would entail the taking of a PRAXIS examination and transcript analysis, the cost will vary according to the examination cost. In addition to the applicable processing fee through the KECS system via the ePay online payment service for certification fees, candidates are responsible for paying the cost of the PRAXIS examination(s) and $96.00 for the transcript analysis. The timeframe for obtaining these types of modifications varies according to when the applicant is able to take and receive scores for the applicable PRAXIS test(s). Once these scores are received, transcript reviews will take five working days, and then the EPSB office will process the certificate in 10 working days or less.

While this does represent a cost to the applicant, it is much less than the cost of traditional university-route options to extend or add certifications.

Am I guaranteed a certificate extension or addition via the CA-HQ process?

No. Applicants must understand that the process is dependent upon a variety of factors including:

  • the successful passing of a PRAXIS test and/or having a declared major in the appropriate subject area,
  • the accumulation of 90 points on the CA-HQ application form, which will include the transcript analysis, along with the other experience factors.

However, those applicants who are seeking a downward grade range extension and who have a declared major in the subject area should receive the CA-HQ.

Last modified: Thursday, June 15, 2023, 11:00 AM