Every state publishes a free, public database of teacher and specialist credentials. Most parents never check. Find your state's verification tool below — and learn exactly which credentials your child's team is required to hold.
Tell us who you need to verify and we'll give you the exact steps, direct links, legal citations, and a ready-to-send script to request their credentials in writing.
Click your state to open its official educator licensure search. Look up any teacher, paraprofessional, BCBA, SLP, OT, PT, or school psychologist on your child's IEP team. Verification is free and public.
Tip: Search for each person on your child's IEP team. If someone isn't listed, isn't current, or has disciplinary action, that's a finding you can bring to your next IEP meeting.
Schools rely on parents not knowing what credentials are required. Here's what each role on your child's IEP team is supposed to hold — and what to ask if they don't.
Must hold a state special education teaching license/certification specific to the disability category and grade level they're teaching. Some states require additional endorsements (autism, intellectual disabilities, emotional/behavioral disorders).
Required to design and supervise ABA programs. National certification through the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB). Must be in good standing — not just "BCBA-eligible."
Should hold a state SLP license AND ASHA's Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP). "Speech assistant" or "SLPA" requires supervision by a fully licensed SLP.
Both require state licensure. OTs typically hold OTR/L. PTs hold DPT or MPT plus state license. "OT assistant" (COTA) and "PT assistant" (PTA) can deliver services but require supervision by the licensed therapist.
Should hold a state school psychologist credential AND ideally NCSP (Nationally Certified School Psychologist) from NASP. Required for evaluations, FBAs, and behavior intervention plans.
Under ESSA, paraprofessionals in Title I schools must have an associate's degree, 2 years of college, OR pass a state assessment. Many states require additional special education paraprofessional certification or training.
When you run a credential check and find one of these, it's not just a paperwork issue — it's a procedural finding you can use in writing to your district.
What to do with a finding: Document it (screenshot the database result with date), put it in writing to the special education director, and request that a properly credentialed staff member be assigned. Cite IDEA's "highly qualified" requirements (34 C.F.R. § 300.18 — though weakened by ESSA, state requirements still apply).
Enter your child's IEP team — names, roles, state — and our AI verification engine checks every person against real databases and tells you exactly what it finds.