Teacher Licensure Information and Forms

APPLYING FOR YOUR FIRST NORTH CAROLINA PROFESSIONAL EDUCATOR'S LICENSE

Professional Educator's Licensure Categories

Professional Educator's Initial Licenses

are non-renewable and intended for teachers with 0-2 years of teaching experience, and are valid for three years. To be issued a Professional Educator's Initial License, an individual must have:

• completed a state approved teacher education program from a regionally accredited college or university, or
• completed another state's approved alternative route to licensure and earned a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college.
  1. Praxis II Testing - for middle grades (6-9), secondary (9-12), and K-12 (including Exceptional Children: General Curriculum) license areas.
  2. Pearson Testing for North Carolina: Foundations of Reading and General Curriculum - for Elementary Education and Exceptional Children: General Curriculum licenses only.
     • Out-of-state individuals with three or more years of experience who are applying for a NC Elementary Educator or Exceptional Children: General Curriculum teaching license and who have passed another state's licensure exam without mathematics and reading subtests may be issued an initial license. To convert to a NC Continuing license, the individual may enroll in NCDPI's Reading Research to Classroom Practice and Foundations of Mathematics courses. Candidates who successfully complete these courses along with the associated learning tasks and assessments may be eligible for a Continuing License. Visit the Events tab at www.ncsip.org for more information about when these DPI courses are offered: Reading Research to Classroom Practice (formerly called Reading Foundations) and Foundations of Mathematics.
       • For registration information, follow these steps at www.ncsip.org/events:
         1. Change the calendar to the month the participant would like to attend the course.
         2. Locate a "Day 1" session.
         3. Click on the Day (it is a link to a PDF which will open with additional information).
         4. Contact the individual listed as lead facilitator via the email listed to find if there are "non-LEA seats" available and to register.
         5. For additional information to address questions or concerns visit www.ncsip.org.

Professional Educator's Continuing Licenses

are intended for teachers with 3 or more years of teaching experience, and are valid for five years. Teachers who are fully licensed in another state who have three or more years of teaching experience AND who meet NC State Board of Education approved licensure exam requirements OR have National Board Certification are issued the Professional Educator's Continuing License.