UPDATE: In November of 2024, ATU’s College of Education and Health (CEH) was notified that the Arkansas Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) would no longer require educators seeking the “P-12 Building Level Administrator” or “Curriculum Administrator” endorsements to take the School Leadership Licensure Assessment (SLLA 6990).
While passing the SLLA 6990 has never been a graduation requirement, we have always sought to ensure that our students were well prepared for this test by embedding the essential knowledge required into our coursework.
Although the test is no longer required, we continue to emphasize the National Education Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards in our coursework since we believe that a deep understanding of the core concepts in those standards is essential to becoming a highly-effective administrator.
The information below has been retained for archival purposes only. Again, the test is no longer required for these endorsements.
– – –
A passing score on the School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA 6990) is required to add “P-12 Building Level Administrator” to your Arkansas Educator License. Courses throughout this program are designed to prepare you for this test in various ways.
However, reviewing general information about the SLLA now can help set the stage for deeper learning. More information (including free test prep materials) can be found in the SLLA Study Companion. In addition, these SLLA Tips (compiled by Dr. Treadway) provide more links to helpful study materials, as well as a list of critical terms you may encounter.
You can find details about registering for the test (dates, cost, testing locations, etc.) on the ETS website. Regarding your SLLA score report, please select both DESE (ADE) and ATU to receive a copy. Unless your score reports are available in the ATU database, the license application process is much more difficult.
WARNING: The “home version” of the test is not recommended. Some graduates have had a horrible experience with that. If your home computer doesn’t match the technical requirements perfectly, the test will not work correctly. Worse yet, you will still be charged the fee (no refunds), and it will count as your first attempt! We strongly recommend taking the test at an approved testing center.
Note: The SLLA Exam is a licensure requirement, not a graduation requirement … so you do not need to take the test before you receive your degree. At the beginning of your final semester, you will receive an email from the EDLD Program Director with details on how to proceed once you have successfully completed the test and have documentation of a passing score.