Requirements/Virginia
ESL Teacher in Virginia.
One content test.
- Exams
- 1
- Passing
- 149
- Certificate
- English as a Second Language preK-12
The exam you have to pass
In the order most candidates take them.
01
Praxis English to Speakers of Other Languages5362
Pass149
What people get wrong
Each of these costs a candidate either money or a test date.
- The VCLA is gone. House Bill 731, approved 8 April 2024, eliminated the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment as an initial licensure requirement from 1 July 2024. If you were previously cited for the VCLA and have completed everything else, you can ask VDOE to update your evaluation and issue a full renewable license.
- At 149, Virginia sets this test well below most states, which require 155 on the identical test.
Required, but not an exam
- A bachelor’s degree
- An approved educator preparation program, or an approved alternative route
- Application through the VDOE licensure system
Now go pass it.
Knowing the list is the easy part. Built To Pass teaches the strategy layer that works on any of these, aimed at the domains where you are actually losing points.
Start with your examVerified 2026-08-05 against Virginia Department of Education, Assessments Required for Initial Licensure. Certification rules change by state board vote. Confirm with the state before you register for a test.