In order to be considered for a principal or assistant principal position, you must possess the following qualifications. These qualifications are a requirement for obtaining an Administrative Services Credential (ASC), the District of Columbia's official school leader license. Visti the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education's section on school administrator licensure for more information.
All new school leaders need a valid District of Columbia Administrative Services Credential (ASC). The ASC is authorized through the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). Find out more information about the school leader licensure requirements and complete the ASC application.
DC Public Schools is aware that many candidates will not have their ASC upon applying for a position, since the SLLA exam is only offered a few times each year. If you have met all other criteria, then you will still be considered for a school leader role, and a lack of licensure will not adversely affect your application in the screening process, although you should be aware of and be working towards licensure.
If you have specific questions regarding your license or certification, contact the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Educator Licensing and Accreditation Office. You can reach the Licensing Office by emailing [email protected], calling (202) 741-5881, or by visiting 810 First Street, NE, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20002.
DC has reciprocity with all 50 states; however, a candidate must hold a full principal-level license in the issuing state and not an assistant principal-level license. For example, the Maryland Administrator II license is considered a full principal-level license.
ASC processing typically takes 12 weeks but may take longer during the peak summer months of June, July, and August, when the OSSE Licensure Office receives a surge of applications.
The following information is taken from Educational Testing Service, under the Test Directory - "School Leadership Series."
How often is the test given?
The SLLA is given three times a year, once in January, June, and September.
Brief Overview of Assessment
The SLLA exam is four-hours long and consists of multiple choice and constructed response questions. The test calls for answers based on scenarios and sets of documents educators might encounter. More information on test content can be found in the “Test at a Glance” PDF file.
Cost of Assessment
The Registration fee per test date is $50. The SLLA costs $325. Additional fees apply for late registration and score by phone requests. At this time, DC Public Schools does not provide stipends for the cost of this test.
Test Scores
The District of Columbia requires a qualifying score of 163*. Passing score information is on your score report and is only sent to those score recipients listed on your registration form. Therefore, please indicate on the registration form that you would like your scores sent to OSSE, Educator Licensing and Accreditation Office. SLLA scores take approximately 4-6 weeks to be reported. Therefore, if a candidate takes the test in June, his or her scores will not be back until mid-July. For more specific score release dates, please visit www.ets.org.
*The passing score changed because ETS recently regenerated the SLLA exam. A passing score on tests taken before 9/01/2009 is 160. A passing score on tests taken on or after 9/01/2009 is 163.
Registration
To obtain additional information on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) or to register for the exam, visit the Educational Testing Service website.