Principal in West Virginia.

What people get wrong

Each of these costs a candidate either money or a test date.

• The test is the small part. West Virginia will not issue this endorsement without a master’s degree in educational leadership or a post-graduate licensure program in the field, and 5412 sits at 146, one of the lower cut scores in the directory. Passing the exam is not the constraint here, the degree is.
• This endorsement cannot be added through the content proficiency route, and it is not available through the Alternative Teaching Certificate or WVDE alternative certification programs. There is no test-only path to the principalship in West Virginia.
• The professional education assessment requirement does not apply to administrative endorsements, so there is no PLT to sit on top of 5412.
• West Virginia puts a ten year clock on test scores. Scores older than that must meet current requirements, though they stay valid if the state has not changed the test or the cut since you sat it. Pre-professional skills scores are exempt from the clock entirely.

Required, but not an exam

• A master’s degree in educational leadership, or a post-graduate licensure program in educational leadership
• A valid professional teaching certificate and the classroom experience required by WVBE Policy 5202
• Background check and application through WVDE