10A N.C. Admin. Code 09 .3012 - NC PRE-K TEACHER EDUCATION, LICENSURE AND CREDENTIALS
(a) All teachers shall hold, or be eligible
to hold a North Carolina (NC) Birth through Kindergarten (B-K) Initial or
Continuing License or a NC Professional Educator's Initial or Continuing
License with a B-K or Preschool Add-on License issued by the North Carolina
Department of Public Instruction. Teachers working toward the required
education and license shall meet one of the following requirements:
(1) a NC B-K Initial License;
(2) a NC Lateral Entry B-K License;
(3) a NC Residency B-K License;
(4) a NC Emergency B-K License as determined
by the Early Educator Support (EES) ) Unit;
(5) a NC Professional Educator's License with
a Provisional B-K or Preschool Add-On;
(6) another state's license; or
(7) a BA/BS degree and be eligible for a NC
Residency B-K License.
(b) Pre-K teachers with a NC Lateral Entry
B-K License as specified in Subparagraph (a)(2) of this Rule shall make
progress toward the NC Professional Educator's B-K Continuing License by:
(1) obtaining and following an official
Lateral Entry B-K Plan of Study issued by an accredited college or university
with a North Carolina Department of Public Instruction approved B-K Teacher
Education Program;
(2) submitting
to the Division, college or university transcripts verifying the completion of
a minimum of six semester credit hours per school year in accordance with
Subparagraph (1) of this Paragraph;
(3) completing the three-year North Carolina
State Board of Education Beginning Teacher Support Program in accordance with
G.S.
115C-300.1 and North Carolina State Board of
Education Policy LICN-004; TCED-0016; and
(4) achieving the NC B-K Initial or
Continuing Professional License issued by the North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction within three years.
(c) Pre-K teachers with a NC Residency B-K
License as specified in Subparagraph (a)(3) of this Rule shall make progress
toward the NC B-K Initial or Continuing Professional License by:
(1) obtaining and following an official
Residency B-K Plan of Study issued by an approved North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction (NCDPI) Educator Preparation Program (EPP) based on:
(A) submission of all college transcripts to
the EPP;
(B) overall GPA of 2.7 or
higher on the undergraduate degree or as determined by the EPP; and
(C) employment as a Lead Teacher in a
non-public NC Pre-K or Developmental Day Preschool classroom;
(2) submitting to the Division,
college or university transcripts verifying the completion of a minimum of six
semester credit hours per school year in accordance with Subparagraph (1) of
this Paragraph;
(3) meet the
Division's and EPP's requirements to renew the Residency B-K License no more
than two times within a three-year period; and
(4) achieving the NC B-K Initial or
Continuing License issued by the North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction within three years.
(d) Pre-K teachers with a NC Emergency
License shall make progress toward the Residency B-K License by:
(1) obtaining and following an official Plan
of Study prepared by an EPP. This official Plan of Study must specify how to
qualify for a Residency B-K License during the upcoming school year.
(2) submitting to the Division, college or
university transcripts verifying the completion of a minimum of six semester
credit hours or less per school year in accordance with Subparagraph (1) of
this Paragraph; and
(3) holding an
Emergency License does not guarantee conversion to a Residency B-K License the
following school year.
(e) Pre-K teachers with a NC Professional
Educator's License with a Provisional B-K or [Preschool] Add-on shall make
progress towards clearing the Licensure Add-On provisions by:
(1) obtaining and following a Plan of Study
issued by an accredited college or university with a North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction approved B-K or Preschool Add-On Teacher Education
Program;
(2) submitting to the
Division college or university transcripts verifying the completion of a
minimum of six semester credit hours per year in accordance with Subparagraph
(1) of this Paragraph;
(3)
completing the three-year North Carolina State Board of Education Beginning
Teacher Support Program in accordance with
G.S.
115C-300.1 and North Carolina State Board of
Education Policy TCED-0016; and
(4)
completing all coursework required as prescribed by the official BK Add-On or
Licensure Only Plan of Study within five years from the initial effective date
of the BK provisional licensure area established by North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction.
(f) Teachers not meeting the annual minimum
semester hours as set forth in Subparagraphs (b)(1), (c)(1) and (d)(1) of this
Rule shall submit a written request to the Division of Child Development and
Early Education Early Educator Support Unit requesting an extension to complete
the requirement. Teachers shall submit a written request to the Division of
Child Development and Early Education Early Educator Support Unit. The written
request shall include the reason for not meeting the provisions of this Rule, a
list of the required coursework and semesters hours to be completed as
prescribed by the Plan of Study, a timeline for completing the required
semester hours, and documentation supporting course enrollment and expected
completion dates.
(g) In
determining whether to approve less than the annual minimum required semester
hours, the Division shall consider reasons, including:
(1) parental or family leave;
(2) death, disability, or illness;
and
(3) natural or man-made
disasters.
(h) Teachers
shall maintain the B-K or Pre-K/K Add-on Continuing License in accordance with
G.S.
115C-296(b)(1)b.4. 115C-296
(II). and NC State Board of Education Policy LICN-005. These policies can be
found at
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=LICN-005&Sch=10399&S=10399&C=LICN&RevNo=1.03&T=A&Z=P&St=ADOPTED&PG=6&SN=true.
(i) Teachers with expired B-K
Continuing licenses shall meet the provisions set forth in
G.S.
115C-296(II). which can be
found at
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=LICN-005&Sch=10399&S=10399&C=LICN&RevNo=1.03&T=A&Z=P&St=ADOPTED&PG=6&SN=true
and North Carolina State Board of Education Policy LICN-005. These policies can
be found at
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/ePolicy/policy.aspx?PC=LICN-005&Sch=10399&S=10399&C=LICN&RevNo=1.03&T=A&Z=P&St=ADOPTED&PG=6&SN=true.
(j) The site-level administrator
shall maintain documentation available for review by the Division, of the
progress toward the requirements as specified in this Rule.
(k) All NC Pre-K lead teachers employed by
nonpublic schools must be enrolled with the Early Educator Support Unit of the
Division of Child Development and Early Education. The enrollment application
may be found online at
https://ncchildcare.ncdhhs.gov/Portals/0/documents/pdf/N/NCPre-K_EESLPD_Enrollment_Application_REV_JUL2019.pdf?ver=2019-08-16-135555-313.
Notes
Eff. November 1, 2012;
Readopted Eff. October 1, 2017;
Amended Eff. February 1, 2021.
Eff. November 1, 2012.
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