The Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC) held its final meeting of 2024 on Thursday, December 12, where key policy updates were approved along with an update on the status of the principal portfolio assessment. One key policy amendment was PEPSC’s vote to approve changes to LICN-001: General Licensure Requirements, which encompasses licensure standards for public school teachers, administrators, and student services personnel. These recommendations will be sent to the State Board of Education (SBE) for consideration and final approval.

The approved amendments update licensure requirements for administrators, superintendents, out-of-state educators, assistant principals, and individuals with residency licenses. Below is a summary of the key changes:

Administrator License:

• Incorporated recent changes to licensure requirements from the General Assembly with the clarification that a five-year renewable license can be issued to individuals who have completed an SBE-approved administrator preparation program amongst other requirements.
   
• Noted that those who hold a master’s degree in education may complete an SBE-approved licensure-only program for principals.
   
• Specified the minimum requirements:
  • Must hold at a minimum a bachelor’s degree;
  • Completion of a minimum 500 internship hours;
  • Passage of a State Board of Education-approved assessment;
  • A minimum of four years of experience as a licensed educator. This experience must be in a teaching or instructional support role.
     
• Noted that those who have completed at least one course toward a Master of School Administration (MSA) or principal licensure-only program by August 1, 2025, are exempt from the internship and portfolio requirements. This date was previously, August 31, 2024, but the language was updated to reflect the General Assembly’s override of Governor Cooper’s veto of SB 382.

Superintendent’s License:

• Clarified that an applicant must complete an SBE-approved superintendent licensure preparation program to be issued a license.
   
• Clarified that superintendents with a bachelor’s degree and five years of relevant leadership or managerial experience are authorized for employment and salary purposes only.

Out-of-State Educators with 3+ Years of Experience

• Added additional language to clarify testing requirements for affected individuals.
   
• Removed the requirement for applicants to complete the Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI’s) Reading Research to Classroom Practice and Mathematics Foundations courses to convert an Initial Professional License to a Continuing Professional License.

Assistant Principals:

• Clarified additional options for the issue of a one-year provisional principal’s licensure:
  • If the local school board has determined there is a shortage, and that the individual enrolls in an approved licensure-only program within the first year.
  • The applicant must have four years of experience as a licensed educator or instructional support position.
     
• Specified that to convert a provisional license, the individual must pass the SBE-approved portfolio-based assessment.

Professional Development Requirements for Residency License:

• Expanded additional training requirements for local education agencies to provide.
   
• Noted that this training must be provided, to the extent possible, before entering the classroom, for at least eight hours of instruction, which can be included in the 10-day professional development requirement.

 
DPI staff also provided an update to PEPSC on the ongoing work related to the principal licensure portfolio assessment. Unfortunately, due to an unsigned agreement between Pearson and California, as well as stalled communications, alternative options to the Cal APA must be considered. One promising option is the Massachusetts Performance Assessment for Leaders (MA PAL), which offers a high level of alignment with Cal APA, is customizable, and has a comparable cost. Massachusetts has expressed willingness to collaborate, and Pearson has indicated they are on the cusp of a signed agreement. PEPSC provided consent for DPI to proceed with this option, enabling a Task Force to explore, contextualize, and adjust the assessment to meet North Carolina’s specific needs.

While the next PEPSC meeting date has not officially been announced, meetings are typically scheduled on the second Thursday of each month, meaning the next meeting will likely occur on Thursday, January 9, 2025.