North Carolina SB 840: Teacher Licensure Modifications.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 2
SENATE BILL 840
Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/29/26

Short Title: Teacher Licensure Modifications. (Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:
April 28, 2026
*S840-v-2*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REMOVE TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION TO AN 2
EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAM, TO MODIFY THE TEACHER LICENSURE 3
EXAMINATION REQUIREMENTS, AND TO MODIFY TEACHER LICENSURE 4
REQUIREMENTS FOR OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-269.15(a) is repealed. 7
SECTION 2. G.S. 115C-270.15 reads as rewritten: 8
"§ 115C-270.15. Examination requirements. 9
... 10
(c) Time Line for Completion of Examinations. – The State Board of Education shall 11
permit an applicant to fulfill any such examination requirement before or during the third year of 12
licensure, provided the applicant took the examination at least once during the first year of 13
licensure.licensure. 14
... 15
(e) Conversion to Continuing Professional License. – The Except as provided in 16
subsection (f) of this section, the State Board shall not convert an IPL or RL IPL, RL, or limited 17
license to a continuing professional license for a teacher who has not fulfilled the examination 18
requirements of this section. 19
(f) Waiver of Examination Requirements for Certain Individuals with Limited Licenses. 20
– The State Board shall convert a limited license to a continuing professional license for a teacher 21
who has available growth data under the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS) 22
and has a positive growth score for two of the three most recent years for which growth scores 23
are available." 24
SECTION 3. G.S. 115C-270.25 reads as rewritten: 25
"§ 115C-270.25. Out-of-state license applicants. 26
The State Board of Education shall grant a CPL to a teacher licensed in another state with 27
substantially similar licensure requirements who has at least three years of teaching experience 28
and is in good standing with the other state." 29
SECTION 4.(a) There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of 30
Public Instruction the sum of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 31
2026-2027 fiscal year for the purpose of implementing the requirements of this act. 32
SECTION 4.(b) This section becomes effective July 1, 2026. 33
SECTION 5. Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes 34
law. 35