Licensure | tfa-cpt

licensure overview

In order to begin teaching as a full-time teacher in the region, you'll need to obtain your Residency License.

What is the Residency License and its requirements? The residency license is a one-year pathway, renewable up to two times (for a total of three years). It is for candidates that meet the content requirements of licensure but may still need pedagogy requirements. All requirements to convert a Residency License to either an Initial Professional License (IPL) or Continuing Professional License (CPL) must be completed before the expiration of the second renewal of the Residency License. Individuals must meet the following requirements:

holds, at a minimum, a baccalaureate degree;
has either completed 24 hours of coursework in the requested licensure area or passed the North Carolina State Board of Education (NCSBE) required content area examination(s) for the requested licensure area; *Teach For America Corps Members are required to take and pass the content examinations for requested licensure area
is enrolled in a recognized Educator Preparation Program (EPP). Students must have earned a grade point average of at least 2.7 on a four-point scale for formal admission to approved North Carolina EPPs, and;
meets all other requirements established by the NCSBE, including completing preservice requirements prior to teaching
if assigned to teach elementary, you must pass the Foundations of Reading exam and the Elementary Education: Mathematics - CKT (7803)
If assigned to teach a middle school core content area (English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies) or a foreign language, you must pass the PRAXIS II subject area exam for your content area
If assigned to teach a high school core content area (English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies), you must pass the PRAXIS II subject area exam for your content area and the Principles of Learning and Teaching (7-12) exam, which are administered by Educational Testing Service

Upon hire with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools or Guilford County Schools, corps members are required to pay a processing fee of $100 in order to apply for a North Carolina Residency License, which is valid for three years and renewed annually.

I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.

licensure partners

Enroll in coursework through one of our partners:

East Carolina University
University of North Carolina - Charlotte (Charlotte site only)
Guilford County Schools Alternative Certification Track (Piedmont-Triad secondary teachers only)

Additional Educator Preparation Programs;

As indicated these are the partners which offer special programming for our teachers, however you can decide if you would like to enroll in any NC state approved Educator Preparation Program. It is your responsibility to ensure deadlines are being met to successfully enroll by the date provided. Here is the link with all NC approved schools.

master's degree option

Although a graduate-level degree is not required in North Carolina, if you choose, you can obtain a master's degree during your TFA commitment through one of the universities below:

University of North Carolina - Charlotte (UNCC) offers a master's of art in teaching (M.A.T.) degree program exclusively for Teach For America corps members.

North Carolina A&T State University

University of North Carolina - Greensboro