The State of North Carolina requires that all professional educators be licensed according to their area of assignment to insure that the children we serve receive the highest quality education.  Licensed employees must meet both State and Federal licensing requirements in order to be employed.  The Staffing Office of the Guilford County Schools assists new educators in applying for and obtaining appropriate licensure from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Upon employment, a representative will assist you in applying for a North Carolina license if not already established. 

Current employees should contact their Staffing Specialist directly for questions regarding licensure information. Potential employees with licensure questions should contact Tracey Dungee, Program Administrator, at dungeet@gcsnc.com.

The following information was designed as a resource to licensed employees.

• Adding Areas to an Existing License
• Foreign Language Testing
• License Renewal
• Licensure Codes
• PRAXIS I TESTING
• PRAXIS II for Birth through Kindergarten
• PRAXIS II Workshops
• Reciprocity
• Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC)
• Required Documents for Licensure Application
  
  

Types of Licensure

• Standard Professional I License
• Standard Professional II license
• Temporary Permit
• Provisional License
• Lateral Entry License
• Emergency Permits

Adding Areas to an Existing License

Individuals who hold a clear, Standard Professional I or II teaching license in one area can add an additional teaching area to the license by satisfying PRAXIS II testing requirements for the additional area.  If you choose to add an area by passing PRAXIS II, scores should be submitted to your Staffing Specialist.  A fee may be required dependent upon your teaching assignment. Click here to view testing requirements by licensure area:

NOTE: This option is not available for those who are only licensed in a Special Services Personnel area (i.e. Counselor, Social Worker, Psychologist, etc.) or restricted Career and Technical Education licenses.

To register for PRAXIS II click here: www.ets.org/praxis

Foreign Language Testing

TheNorth Carolina Board of Education has approved the use of ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages) to facilitatethe licensing of teachers for world languages.  Individuals who hold a Standard Professional I or II license may add a foreign language to their license by passing an oral proficiency assessment and written proficiency test (if required).  Potential teachers may use these assessments to qualify for a lateral entry license IF they hold at least a bachelors degree from a regionally accredited institution with a minimum 2.5 GPA and are employed by a North Carolina school system.

• Oral proficiency assessments are available in the following languages: Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Baluchi, Bulgarian,Cantonese, Cebuano, Chavacano, Croatian, Czech, Dari, Dutch, Egyptian,Filipino,  French, German, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hilgaynon, Hindi,Hmong, Ilonggo, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Khmer, Korean,Lao, Malay, Mandarin, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian Farsi, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Somali,Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tausug, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, andVisayan.

• Written proficiency tests are available in the following languages: Albanian, Arabic, French*, German*, Haitian Creole, Italian, Japanese,Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish*.

(* denotes the written proficiency tests that are available on-line versus test booklet format)

NOTE: The English oral and written proficiency assessments CANNOT be used to be licensed in English.

Apassing test score of “Intermediate High” on this Foreign Language assessment will be accepted by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in lieu of PRAXIS II. For additional information on assessment fees and making application click here: https://www.languagetesting.com/acad_nc1.cfm

Praxis I Testing

Thoseindividuals seeking Lateral Entry licensure with a relevant degree or24 semester hours of coursework in the content area, but below a 2.5GPA may qualify with passing PRAXIS I scores and a 3.0 GPA on a minimumof 15 semester hours of related courses completed within the past fiveyears or a 3.0 GPA in the major field of study or a 3.0 GPA in allcourses in senior year.  PRAXIS I tests are offered locally at:

• Prometrics
  3 Centerview Drive
  Suite 248
  Greensboro, NC
  
  Phone: (336)854-4230

Praxis II For Birth Through Kindergarten

EffectiveMarch, 2007, the State Board of Education approved the use of PRAXIS IIcontent knowledge test 0022 (Early Childhood) for Birth throughKindergarten (B-K) teachers to be designated “highly qualified” toteach kindergarten.  The required passing score is 155. 

Thistest is NOT required to be issued a B-K license and CANNOT be used toadd B-K to a license.  It also CANNOT be used to become eligible for aB-K license.  This test is only for those teachers who already have aB-K license who want to become “highly qualified” so they can teachkindergarten.  Employees licensed in Birth through Kindergarten who areassigned to teach Pre-Kindergarten are NOT required to be designated as“highly qualified.”

To register for PRAXIS II click here: www.ets.org/praxis

Praxis II Workshops

Thereare several independent companies that offer PRAXIS I and II workshopsto assist individuals with improving their test taking skills.  Thesecompanies are fee based and most offer some type of “money backguarantee” if you complete their program and do not pass the test(s). Guilford County Schools does not endorse these agencies or theeffectiveness of their programs. 

• CWH Consulting Co., Inc
  Dr. Charles Hatch
  1250 Jones Street
  Newberry, SC 29108
  
  Phone: (803) 276-8887
  Email: cwh4praxisprep@cs.com
  Website: www.praxisprep.com
  *Courses are offered at Queens College in Charlotte, NC
  
  
• Eastern Carolina Educational Assistance Center
  (A division of DeLorge International Learning Systems)
  Dr. Gerold H. Jarmon, Executive Director
  126 E. Gordon Street, Suite 201
  Kinston, NC 28501
  
  Phone: (888)698-4867
  Website: www.delorge.webpage66.com
  *Courses are offered either face to face or online for 6 weeks

Reciprocity

Reciprocal licensing allows educators from out-of-state to establish eligibility for licensing in NC.  Reciprocity applies to the extent that out-of-state education programs are equivalent to NC’s standards for approved education programs.  Reciprocity DOES NOT guarantee that all areas of licensure transfer directly from one state to another, but the applicant will receive the closest comparable NC license area.  Requirements specific to NC, such as testing for some licensure areas, are not covered by reciprocity and must be met before a clear NC license can be issued.

Regional Alternative Licensing Center (RALC)

Lateral Entry and Provisionally licensed employees may either associate with one college or university with an approved education program in their licensure area OR choose to have their credentials evaluated by the Regional Alternative Licensing Center to obtain a plan of study.  An advantage to those that choose to become licensed through the RALC is that you may attend any regionally accredited college or university for coursework completion.  If you are interested in obtaining a plan of study from the RALC, please contact your Staffing Specialist.

Application for RALC

To view sample plans of study or for more information regarding the RALC click here: http://www.ralc.us/

Required Documents for Licensure Application

• Official transcript(s) that are legible and indicate the degree(s) and date(s) awarded
• Out-of-State license (if applicable) (A Statement of “Highly Qualified” status may be required for certain licensure areas if not clearly indicated on the out-of-state license or through test scores)
• Form V-Verification by Institution: Completion of an Approved Education Program (if applicable)
• Copies of NTE or PRAXIS test scores
• Verification of prior experience
• Processing fee of $85.00 for Lateral Entry and Out-of-State applicants or $55.00 for Validation of an expired license (Fees can be paid via check or money order made payable to North Carolina Department of Public Instruction or via credit card-forms available through the Staffing Office)