Teacher Licensure Process Streamlined; Student Growth Standard Removed as Stand-Alone from Teacher Evaluations   The State Board of Education approved a number of changes to the teacher licensure policies this month to clarify and streamline the process. With the changes, North Carolina public schools will have two types of teacher licenses — Initial (three-year term) and Continuing (after the third year and on a five-year renewal cycle).   Teachers will no longer need to be recommended by the school district or charter school for conversion from the Initial license to a Continuing license. Teachers move from Initial to Continuing once they have met all State Board of Education requirements. Teachers who have coursework requirements with their license must complete those by the end of a designated period but without a yearly minimum number of course credits.   In addition, the educator evaluation system’s Standard 6 (teachers) and Standard 8 (principals) that measured student academic growth will no longer be stand-alone standards. Instead, academic growth at the school, district and state levels will be considered in evaluating educator effectiveness, and there will be no reporting on student growth at the individual educator level.

School Districts Receive Preliminary Approval to use Reform Models in Low-Performing Schools

Four school districts received preliminary approval to use one of four reform models with five schools that meet the recurring low-performing criteria. Recurring low-performing schools are schools that have been low performing for two of the previous three consecutive years.

School districts are given the opportunity to apply to use one of four reform models (Transformation, Turnaround, Restart, and Closure) with these schools. The reform models provide opportunities for calendar and funding flexibility or the restart of a school with new support programs for students.

Applications from Alamance-Burlington, Vance, Wake and Wayne County Schools received preliminary approval this month and are expected to receive final approval for reform models to be applied at the following schools: 

• Haw River Elementary (Alamance-Burlington)
• E.M. Rollins Elementary (Vance County)
• Barwell Road Elementary (Wake County)
• Walnut Creek Elementary (Wake County)
• Goldsboro High School (Wayne County)

Board Planning Meeting Includes Content Standards Review, State Assessment Plans and Teacher Licensure Background Checks Approximately twice a year, the State Board of Education takes extra time to hold a planning meeting outside of its regular monthly agenda. In April, the Board held its biannual planning meeting at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and discussed a variety of issues with long-term scope and interest.   Of special interest at this session were presentations outlining the process underway for revising the Standard Course of Study English/Language Arts and Mathematics Standards, options for changing student assessments and accountability models for the future, and ways to strengthen criminal background checks in the teacher licensure process.   All of these presentations and materials are posted on the State Board of Education’s website (click on Meetings then select the April 5 and April 6 meeting dates).

SBE Highlights: A checklist of Board actions is posted every month at the conclusion of the meeting. The State Board of Education’s next meeting will be held May 4-5 in the 7th Floor Board Room, Education Building, 301 N. Wilmington Street, Raleigh, NC. Board materials will be available online by clicking on the Meetings tab.