North Carolina § 115C-270 - 20. Licensure requirements.

§ 115C-270. 20. Licensure requirements.

Teacher Licenses. - The State Board shall adopt rules for the issuance of the following classes of teacher licenses, including required levels of preparation for each classification: Continuing professional license or CPL. - A five-year renewable license issued to a teacher who has at least three years of licensed teaching experience and meets other requirements established by the State Board. A CPL shall remain in effect for five years after retirement. Emergency license or EL. - A one-year nonrenewable license issued to an individual who holds a bachelor's degree with coursework relevant to the requested licensure area, but has not successfully completed a recognized educator preparation program and does not qualify for a residency license. An emergency license shall only be requested by the local board of education, and applicants for emergency licenses shall meet all other requirements established by the State Board, including preservice training, prior to teaching. Initial professional license or IPL. - A three-year nonrenewable license issued to an individual who has successfully completed a recognized educator preparation program and meets other requirements established by the State Board. Lifetime license. - A license issued to a teacher after 30 or more years of teaching as a licensed teacher that requires no renewal. For the purposes of this subdivision, a teacher shall be determined to have completed 30 or more years of teaching as a licensed teacher when the teacher holds a current North Carolina teaching license and has completed 30 or more years of creditable service with the Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System. Limited license. - A three-year nonrenewable license issued to an individual who meets the requirements of this subdivision. A limited license shall only be requested by the local board of education currently employing or seeking to employ the individual and shall be used for continued employment only in that local school administrative unit. The State Board shall not require individuals to demonstrate preparation through achieving a prescribed minimum score on a standardized examination for a limited license. To receive a limited license, one of the following shall be met: In-state licensee. - Both of the following are met: The individual was issued an IPL or RL, but failed to fulfill examination requirements under G.S. 115C-270.15 after three years of licensure. The local board of education submits to the State Board an affidavit stating that the teacher is currently employed by that local board, is an effective teacher, and will be encouraged to continue to pursue a CPL. The affidavit shall be signed by both the principal and superintendent for the school to which the teacher is currently assigned. Out-of-state licensee. - Both of the following are met: The individual holds current teacher licensure in another state that is in good standing. The local board of education submits to the State Board an affidavit stating that the local board seeks to employ the teacher, that the teacher has been employed as a licensed teacher in another state for at least three years, and that the teacher will be encouraged to pursue an IPL or CPL, as appropriate for that teacher. The affidavit shall be signed by the superintendent for the local board of education seeking to employ the teacher. Residency License or RL. - A one-year license, renewable twice, that meets both of the following requirements: Is requested by the local board of education and accompanied by a certification of supervision from the recognized educator preparation program in which the individual is enrolled. The individual for whom the license is requested meets all of the following requirements: Holds a bachelor's degree. Has either completed coursework relevant to the requested licensure area or passed the content area examination relevant to the requested licensure area that has been approved by the State Board. Is enrolled in a recognized educator preparation program. Meets all other requirements established by the State Board, including completing preservice requirements prior to teaching. Repealed by Session Laws 2019-71, s. 4.2, effective July 1, 2019. Administrator and Student Services Personnel. - The State Board shall establish classification and levels of preparation necessary for issuance of licenses for administrators and student services personnel. Notwithstanding the requirement in subsection (a) of this section that an individual must hold a bachelor's degree with coursework relevant to the requested licensure area for individuals seeking licensure in a career or technical education area, the State Board may establish alternate criteria related to that area to establish competency in lieu of a bachelor's degree. History (2017-189, s. 3(c); 2019-71, ss. 2.1, 4.1, 4.2; 2019-212, s. 8(b).) Editor's Note. - Session Laws 2017-189, s. 7(a) made this section effective July 27, 2017, and applicable beginning with the 2017-2018 school year. Session Laws 2017-189, s. 3(d), provides: "(d) Any professional educator license issued by the State Board of Education prior to the effective date of this act shall continue in effect until the expiration of that license. The State Board of Education may continue to issue lateral entry licenses for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years in accordance with State Board Policy LICN-001 as it was in effect on the effective date of this act [July 27, 2017]." Session Laws 2019-71, s. 5, provides: "As soon as practicable, and no more than 10 calendar days from the effective date of this act, the State Board of Education shall adopt emergency rules for the implementation of this act in accordance with G.S. 150B-21.1 A. This section does not require any rule making if not otherwise required by law." Session Laws 2019-71, s. 6, as amended by Session Laws 2019-212, s. 8(f), made the amendments to subdivisions (a)(4), and (4a) and the repeal of subdivision (a)(6) by Session Laws 2019-71, ss. 2.1, 4.1 and 4.2, effective July 1, 2019, and applicable beginning with the eighteenth day following the effective date of this act [July 1, 2019]. Session Laws 2019-212, s. 8(c), provides: "An individual with a lateral entry license shall be deemed to meet the requirements of G.S. 115C-270.20(a) (4a) if the following criteria are met: "(1) The individual would have been issued a continuing professional license but for the failure to fulfill examination requirements set by the State Board of Education. "(2) The local board of education submits to the State Board an affidavit stating that the teacher is currently employed by that local board, is an effective teacher, and will be encouraged to continue to pursue a CPL. The affidavit shall be signed by both the principal and superintendent for the school to which the teacher is currently assigned." Session Laws 2019-212, s. 8(g), made the amendments to subdivision (a)(4a) by Session Laws 2019-212, s. 8(b), applicable to individuals holding or seeking licensure on or after the effective date of this act [September 4, 2019]. Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.1, as amended by Session Laws 2020-49, s. 3(a), provides: "For the purposes of this Part, the following definitions apply: "(1) Authority. - State Education Assistance Authority. "(2) Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency. - The period beginning March 10, 2020, and continuing until the Governor signs an executive order rescinding Executive Order No. 116 (Declaration of a State of Emergency to Coordinate Response and Protective Actions to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19). "(3) Federal testing waiver. - The testing waiver granted to the State Board of Education by the United States Department of Education for the 2019-2020 school year, pursuant to section 8401(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, which, pursuant to G.S. 115C-174.11 , eliminated the collection of certain student assessment data for the 2019-2020 school year. "(4) Modified calendar school. - A school that a local board designated as having a modified calendar for the 2003-2004 school year or any school that was part of a planned program in the 2003-2004 school year for a system of modified calendar schools, so long as the school operates under a modified calendar. "(5) State Board. - The State Board of Education. "(6) Year-round school. - A school with a single or multi-track instructional calendar that was adopted prior to March 1, 2020, and provides instructional days in compliance with Section 2.11(b)(1) of this Part throughout the entire school calendar year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30, by utilizing at least one of the following plans: "a. A plan dividing students into four groups and requiring each group to be in school for assigned and staggered quarters each school calendar year. "b. A plan providing students be scheduled to attend an average of between 44 and 46 instructional days followed by an average of between 15 and 20 days of vacation, repeated throughout the school calendar year. "c. A plan dividing the school calendar year into five nine-week sessions of classes and requiring each student to attend four assigned and staggered sessions out of the five nine-week sessions to complete the student's instructional year." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.2, provides: "The purpose of this Part is to clarify or modify certain requirements in consideration of actions and circumstances related to the COVID-19 emergency, including, but not limited to, the federal testing waiver and the closure of schools for in-person instruction during the 2019-2020 school year." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 2.25(a), provides: "Extension for Licensure Requirements. - Notwithstanding G.S. 115C-270.15 , G.S. 115C-270.20 , and Section 1.2 of S.L. 2019-71, as amended by Section 8(d) of S.L. 2019-212, the State Board shall allow applicants for educator licensure additional time to meet the requirements under G.S. 115C-270.15 and G.S. 115C-270.20 as follows: "(1) An individual who is in the first year of licensure, including an initial professional license (IPL), lateral entry license, or residency license (RL), as of March 10, 2020, who has not taken the examination required by the State Board may take the examination during the individual's second year of licensure. "(2) An applicant for a continuing professional license (CPL) whose lateral entry license expires June 30, 2020, including a teacher granted an extension pursuant to Section 1.2 of S.L. 2019-71, as amended by Section 8(d) of S.L. 2019-212, who has not met the examination and coursework requirements established by the State Board as of March 10, 2020, shall be provided an extension until June 30, 2021. "(3) An applicant for a CPL whose IPL expires June 30, 2020, who has not met the examination requirement established by the State Board as of March 10, 2020, shall be provided an extension until June 30, 2021. "(4) An applicant for a CPL who is an elementary education (K-6) or special education general curriculum teacher with an IPL or RL who was granted an extension until June 30, 2020, pursuant to Section 1.2 of S.L. 2019-71, as amended by Section 8(d) of S.L. 2019-212, who has not met the examination requirement established by the State Board as of March 10, 2020, shall be provided an extension until June 30, 2021." Session Laws 2020-3, s. 5, is a severability clause. Effect of Amendments. - Session Laws 2019-71, ss. 2.1, 4.1, and 4.2, added subdivision (a)(4a); in subdivision (a)(4), substituted "30" for "50" in the first sentence and added the last sentence of the subdivision; and deleted subdivision (a)(6). For effective date and applicability, see editor's note. Session Laws 2019-212, s. 8(b), effective September 4, 2019, substituted "In-state" for "IPL" in subdivision (4a)(a); and rewrote subdivision (4a)(a)(1), which formerly read: "The individual was issued an IPL but did not qualify for a CPL under G.S. 115C-270.15(e) ." For applicability, see editor's note.