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All states / Nevada

Nevada

Verified against current sources (2026-05-07) Cite this page ↓

Nevada offers Bilingual Education both as a standalone certification and as an add-on endorsement; ELD/ESL is an add-on endorsement. SEI training is not mandated for all teachers. As of 2021, 13.8% of public-school students are classified English Learners (NCES). Re-verified against current SEA sources on 2026-05-07.

13.8%
classified ELs (2021-10-01)
view trend →
Bil + ELD
credential types offered

Credentials

Bilingual Education Endorsement

  • Standalone certification
  • Add-on endorsement
Approved program
Required
Coursework
Required
Practicum
Unknown
Subject test
Required
Language proficiency
Required

NAC 391.242 (regulation T002-24, updated 2024-12-26): completion of a Department-approved bilingual preparation program OR 12 semester credits of coursework (second-language acquisition theory plus at least three of: native-language reading/language-arts methods, native-language content-area methods, second-language testing/evaluation, bilingual curriculum development, native language and culture, bilingual ed history/philosophy/theory). A Praxis language exam in the native language (e.g., Praxis Spanish) must be passed prior to issuance of the endorsement.

English Language Acquisition and Development (ELAD) Endorsement

  • Add-on endorsement
Approved program
Unknown
Coursework
Required
Practicum
Required
Subject test
Not required

Branded as ELAD (English Language Acquisition and Development) since the late-2010s rename from the prior TESL endorsement. NAC 391.237: 11 semester hours of credit (3 each in language acquisition theory, methods for English learners, and assessment of English learners; 2 in elementary or secondary EL policies) plus a 1-semester-hour practicum (≥25 classroom hours). No exam gate. A separate Specialist in ELAD endorsement adds coursework in cultural/linguistic diversity foundations and program leadership.

ELAD (phased in 2020–2021 as SEI-equivalent for all teachers)

Not mandated for all teachers.

The phase-in language reported in the 2019 baseline (early childhood/elementary 2020, middle/secondary 2021) did not produce a universal mandate. As of 2026 NAC Chapter 391 contains no general requirement that all teachers obtain ELAD or any EL-related endorsement; ELAD is a voluntary specialization.

State policy signals

Seal of Biliteracy

Recognition for graduating students proficient in English plus another language.

Adopted in 2015.

Source: sealofbiliteracy.org (opens in a new tab)

ELP assessment

Annual English Language Proficiency test used for EL identification and reclassification.

ACCESS for ELLs · WIDA Consortium member.

Source: wida.wisc.edu (opens in a new tab)

History of licensure

Dated policy and verification events shaping this state's EL teacher credentials.

  1. Nevada Seal of Biliteracy enacted (AB 224, 2015)

    Nevada Assembly Bill 224 (2015 session, signed 2015-06-09) created the State Seal of Biliteracy under NRS 388.5965, recognizing high school graduates proficient in English plus one or more additional languages.

    sealofbiliteracy.org (opens in a new tab)

  2. Phase-in of EL endorsement for new teachers did not produce universal mandate

    The 2019 baseline reported a phase-in requiring all new early-childhood/elementary teachers (2020) and middle/secondary teachers (2021) to obtain an EL endorsement. As of 2026 NAC ch. 391 contains no general mandate that all teachers hold ELAD or any EL-related endorsement; the phased rule did not result in a universal credential requirement. Captured here so the 2019 expectation is searchable against the 2026 state of regulation.

    leg.state.nv.us (opens in a new tab)

  3. EPAA 29(100) document analysis (Leider, Colombo & Nerlino, 2021)

    Leider, Colombo & Nerlino published in Education Policy Analysis Archives 29(100) a comprehensive document analysis of every state and DC's bilingual, ELD/ESL, and SEI teacher-credentialing requirements, professional teaching standards mentions, and EL-percentage figures, based on primary SEA sources collected October–December 2019. The 2019 coding of Nevada's EL-credentialing landscape is preserved as a temporally-anchored research baseline against which the catalog's later verifications are framed.

    doi.org (opens in a new tab)

  4. NAC 391 endorsements update (regulation T002-24)

    Permanent regulation T002-24 amended NAC ch. 391 effective 2024-12-26, including the bilingual education endorsement requirements at NAC 391.242 and confirming the Praxis native-language proficiency exam (NAC 391.059) as a precondition for issuance. The TESL → ELAD branding is reflected throughout NAC 391.237.

    leg.state.nv.us (opens in a new tab)

Sources

  1. [1] Nevada Department of Education (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2019-11-15 (via Leider et al. 2021)
  2. [2] Leider, Colombo & Nerlino (2021), EPAA 29(100). Tables 2-5 + Appendix A. (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2019-11-15 (via Leider et al. 2021)
  3. [3] NDE — Special Licenses & Endorsements (English Language Acquisition and Development / ELAD endorsement one-pager) (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07
  4. [4] NDE — Special Licenses & Endorsements (Bilingual Education endorsement one-pager) (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07
  5. [5] NAC 391.237 — Endorsements to teach English language acquisition and development; ESL; ELAD specialist (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07
  6. [6] NAC 391.242 — Endorsements to teach in a program of bilingual education (and NAC 391.059 language-proficiency exam) (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07
  7. [7] Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF) — Teacher Tools and Protocols (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07
  8. [8] NCES Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 204.20 — English learners enrolled in public schools by state, fall 2021 (opens in a new tab) — retrieved 2026-05-07

Cite this page

Site content is published under CC BY 4.0. When citing a fact from this page, please cite both projectcert and the original Leider et al. (2021) paper the dataset extends.

APA
projectcert. (2026, May 7). Nevada EL teacher certification. https://projectcert.org/states/nv/
Leider, C. M., Colombo, M. W., & Nerlino, E. (2021). Decentralization, teacher quality, and the education of English learners: Do state education agencies effectively prepare teachers of ELs? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(100). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5279
BibTeX
@misc{projectcert_nv_2026,
  author  = {{projectcert}},
  title   = {{Nevada EL teacher certification}},
  year    = {2026},
  url     = {https://projectcert.org/states/nv/},
  urldate = {2026-05-07},
  note    = {Last verified 2026-05-07}
}
@article{leider2021decentralization,
  author  = {Leider, Christine M. and Colombo, Michaela W. and Nerlino, Erika},
  title   = {{Decentralization, teacher quality, and the education of English learners: Do state education agencies effectively prepare teachers of ELs?}},
  journal = {Education Policy Analysis Archives},
  volume  = {29},
  number  = {100},
  year    = {2021},
  doi     = {10.14507/epaa.29.5279}
}

See the methodology for how these data were collected, or the glossary for term definitions.