NC State
Licensure Examination Requirements
The Praxis II Series. All
persons qualifying for an initial teaching license in North Carolina
must pass the designated Praxis II specialty area tests. The Praxis
II is normally taken during the Professional semester. School
counseling candidates must pass the Praxis II specialty area test in
school counseling, normally taken during the PCN 610 counseling
skills laboratory semester.
The School of
Education must receive an official authentic copy of satisfactory
scores before a recommendation for licensure can be forwarded to the
NC Department of Public Instruction. Students should have their
scores sent directly to the University by the Educational Testing
Service. Student copies are not accepted. Applications and
information about the tests are available in the Licensure Office.
The appropriate specialty area exam must be taken for each area of
licensure sought. Passing scores for each respective licensure area
appear in Appendix E-1.
Due Process
Procedures for Undergraduate Students
Any student whose entrance to, continuation in, or exit from the
Teacher Education Program is denied based on policies established by
the Teacher Education Committee has the right to appeal the denial
(Appendix E-6). The Dean of the School of Education will notify the
student of the denial and the policy upon which it is based. Within
ten (10) working days of receipt of the denial, the student wishing
to appeal should submit a written request for appeal to the Dean of
the School of Education. The request should contain the reason(s)
the student believes the denial should be reversed. If a request
for appeal is not received within ten (10) working days, it will not
be considered. Once the appeal is received, it will be forwarded to
the chair of the Teacher Education Committee Hearing Appeals Board.
The chair will schedule a meeting of the Hearing Appeals Board and
notify the student of the date, time, and location of the meeting.
The student will be provided the opportunity to appear before the
Hearing Appeals Board to present his/her appeal. The chair of the
Hearing Appeals Board will inform the Dean of the School of
Education of the Board's decisions. The Dean of the School of
Education will notify the student of the decision.
If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Hearing
Appeals Boards, he/she may present his/her appeal to the Teacher
Education Committee at its next regularly scheduled meeting. To
appear before the Teacher Education Committee, the student must
provide the Dean of the School of Education with a written request
to do so within ten (10) working days of receipt of the
decision of the
Hearing Appeals Board. The decision of the Teacher Education
Committee will be final.
Due Process
Procedures for Graduate Students
Any student whose
entrance to, continuation in, or exit from the Graduate Program is
denied by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies acting upon
policies established by the Graduate Council of The University of
North Carolina at Pembroke has the right to appeal the denial. The
Graduate Council has designated the Graduate Appeals Committee (GAC)
as the "due process" body for all graduate students. The Dean of
the School of Graduate Studies will notify the student of the denial
and the policy upon which it is based. Within ten (10) working days
of receipt of the denial, the student wishing to appeal should
submit a written request for appeal to the Dean of the School of
Graduate Studies. The request should contain the reason(s) the
student believes the denial should be reversed. If a request for
appeal is not received within the ten (10) working days, it will not
be considered. The appeal will be considered at the next meeting of
the GAC. The student will be advised of the date, time, and
location, of the meeting, and provided the opportunity to appear
before the GAC if he/she desires to do so. The decision of the
Graduate Council will be final.
Policy on Transfer
Credit for Professional Education Courses
Upon the review and
approval by the appropriate program coordinator and the Licensure
Officer, up to six (6) hours of transfer credit may be
granted for professional education courses. Transfer credit will be
accepted only from four-year colleges and universities with teacher
education programs approved by at least one of the following: (1)
the North Carolina State Board of Education; (2) the National
Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); or (3)
the appropriate regional accrediting agency, e.g., Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. Transfer credit for
professional education courses will not be accepted from two-year
colleges or institutions, including junior colleges, technical
colleges/institutes, or community colleges.
Residency
Requirements for Teacher Education Programs
Undergraduate students
enrolled in one of the licensure programs in teacher education at
The University of North Carolina at Pembroke will complete a minimum
of 30 semester hours of coursework at The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke prior to enrollment in the Professional
Semester. This coursework may be in the student's major and/or
professional education.
One Repeat Policy
Required major and
professional education courses in which a grade lower than a "C-"
was earned ("C" in EDN 302) must be repeated and a grade of "C" or
better must be earned. The course may be repeated only one time.
Students who do not earn the required "C" (2.0) or better when
repeating the course are not eligible for admission to or
continuation in the Teacher Education Program.
Time Limit Policy
Students have
five years from the date of completing coursework toward licensure
to be recommended by The University of North Carolina at Pembroke
for initial licensure. After five years have elapsed, a student's
program of study will be reviewed and additional coursework may be
required before a recommendation will be made for initial
licensure. Major/professional education coursework taken more than
five years ago is subject to review and may not be accepted toward
initial licensure.
Licensure-Only
Those students who possess a
baccalaureate degree may enroll at UNCP to earn teacher licensure.
In addition to applying to the University through the Admissions
Office, such students must complete a Request for a Plan of Study
form available from the School of Education Licensure Office.
Transcripts of all previous college/ university coursework must
accompany the request. Based upon review of the transcripts by the
Licensure Officer and the appropriate program coordinator, a plan of
study, leading to a recommendation for licensure by The University
of North Carolina at Pembroke, is prepared. Students returning for
licensure-only must meet comparable Teacher Education Program
admission and continuation requirements as degree-seeking students.
The internship competencies may be met with verification of at least
one year (full-time) successful teaching experience in the licensure
area in a NC accredited school. Appendix E-2 contains a Plan of
Study request form; a Plan of Study form appears in Appendix E-3.
Interview Requirement:
Licensure-only students, who are employed full-time teachers in a
K-12 public school at the time of application, may substitute the
Principal’s Recommendation of Teacher for Admission to The UNCP
Teacher Education Program form (Appendix E-4) for the Teacher
Education interview requirement. The completed form is submitted
with the Application for Admission to Teacher Education.
(Appendix C-1).
Students seeking
additional "M" level licensure may enroll in some graduate
courses for the purpose of earning licensure-only. Individually
prescribed plans of study are prepared for such students.
Alternative Route to Licensure (In
Focus)
To be admitted to the University of North
Carolina at Pembroke School of Education and Teacher Education
program students must:
1.
Earned a C (2.0) or better in EDN 302, Foundations of
Education:
2.
Earned a grade of at least a C- (C if the course was
repeated) in all required major and professional courses completed
at the time of admission;
3.
At least a 2.5 cumulative Quality Point Average (QPA) on a
4.0 scale on all prior college/university course work;
4.
Satisfactorily completed an admission to the TE Program
interview and,
5.
Completed a Candidate for Professional Licensure Form
(CPL)
The admissions requirements listed above
apply to an individual holding a bachelor’s degree from a regionally
accredited college or university and seeking teaching licensure.
However, an alternative to the grade requirement (#3) is as follows:
Earn a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0
on a minimum of 15 hours of coursework taken at UNCP relative to
licensure (EDN Professional Core courses and/or subject matter
courses required for licensure) and pass Praxis I.
In-Focus Plan of Study
If a student does not have an
overall grade point average of 2.500 from the institution he/she
graduated from then he/she may obtain an In-Focus Plan of Study
(Appendix E-5) from our Licensure Office.
Eligibility requirements are as
follows:
-
You must hold at least a
Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or
university.
-
Pass the Praxis I test which
consists of Reading, Writing and Mathematics.
-
You must have an overall grade
point average of 3.0 on a minimum of fifteen (15) semester hours
of coursework taken at UNCP relative to licensure (EDN
Professional Core courses and/or subject matter courses required
for licensure).
-
To be
admitted into the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Teacher
Education Program, In-Focus students must have:
-
Earned a “C” or better in EDN
302 (Foundations of Education);
-
Earned a grade of at least a
“C-“ (“C” if the course was repeated) in all required major and
professional courses completed at the time of admission;
-
At least a 2.5 cumulative
Quality Point Average (QPA) on a 4.0 scale on all prior
college/university course work;
-
Satisfactorily complete an
admission to the Teacher Education Program interview and;
-
Complete a Candidate for
Professional Licensure (CPL) form.
The admissions requirements listed
above apply only to an individual holding a bachelor’s degree from a
regional accredited college or university and seeking teaching
licensure. An alternative to the grade requirement (#3) is as
follows:
-
Earn a grade point average (GPA)
of 3.00 on a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of course work taken
at UNCP relative to licensure (EDN Professional Cores courses
and/or subject matter courses required for licensure) and;
-
Pass all three (3) parts of the
Praxis I exam.
Licensure-Only Program in School
Counseling
The typical avenue for securing the
knowledge and skills necessary for work as an effective school
counselor is for an individual to complete the Master of Arts in
School Counseling (M.A.) degree. A professional counselor with a
master’s degree in another area of counseling (e.g., community
counseling) and who does not desire a master’s degree in school
counseling may be eligible to complete a licensure-only program.
Upon successful completion of the licensure-only program, an
individual will be recommended for licensure as a school counselor
in North Carolina.
A summary of the protocol and
procedure is as follows:
1. Candidates seeking
licensure-only status must apply for program admission through the
School of Graduate Studies. All aspects of the application process
must be completed (i.e., essay, letters of reference, and official
transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate level coursework).
Applications received after March 1 must also include a recent
(within 5 years) MAT or GRE score. Licensure-only candidates are
subject to the same admission criteria as degree-seeking
candidates. Candidates must meet the criteria for full-standing
status. No provisional admittance will be granted.
2.
Only candidates with a relevant graduate degree and coursework
completed at a regionally accredited institution will be considered
for licensure-only status. An example of this situation is when a
practicing agency counselor with a recent degree in agency
counseling desires training and licensure to practice the school
setting. Practicing teachers who hold “A” or
“M” licensure in a teaching area
(e.g., special education, administration, middle grades) and who
desire to add counseling to their certificates are not eligible for
licensure-only status.
3. Once admitted, students will be
issued a Plan of Study. The Plan of Study is recommended by the
Counseling Program Steering Committee and jointly approved by the
School Counseling Program Coordinator and the Teacher Education
Licensure Officer.
4. Students must complete their
Plan of Study within six years. The progression is as follows: core
courses, specialty courses and competency examination, practice
sequence (Counseling Skills Laboratory and Internship) and portfolio
defense. The competency examination may be attempted a maximum of
three times. A third failure on the exam will render the student
ineligible to continue in the licensure-only program and ineligible
to receive a recommendation for licensure from UNCP.
5. Students must earn a “B” or
better in all graded coursework applied toward satisfying
licensure-only requirements. In courses that are graded on a
pass/fail basis, students must earn a “pass.” Failure to meet this
requirement will render the student ineligible to continue
licensure-only study and ineligible to receive a recommendation for
licensure from UNCP.
6. Students are obligated to adhere
to all other policies established by the program, school, and
university.
7. Typically, students must, at a
minimum, complete the following courses on the UNCP campus:
PCN 544 Career Information in
Educational Settings 3sh
PCN 570 Consultation and Case
Management 3sh
PCN 575 Professional School
Counselor: Practices & Administration 3sh
PCN 610 Counseling Skills
(Advanced)
3sh
PCN 611 School Counseling
Internship
3sh
15sh
Note: Students not holding “A” level
licensure or the equivalent may be required to complete PCN 613
Counseling Practicum.
8.
Students are held accountable for counseling competencies found in
the current program of study regardless of whether the courses were
taken at UNCP or elsewhere. Students must establish, maintain,
present, and defend a portfolio of counseling
competencies. Failure to meet this
requirement will render the student ineligible to receive a
recommendation for licensure from UNCP.
9. Students must take the Praxis II
Specialty Area Test in School Counseling. Official scores must be
submitted to the Licensure Office. Failure to achieve a passing
score set by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)
will render the student ineligible to receive a recommendation for
licensure from UNCP.
10. Students should be aware that
UNCP makes recommendation for licensure only; licensure is granted
by the NCDPI. Thus, there may be other requirements mandated by
NCDPI before a license will be issued.
Licensure of Methods
Faculty
State Board of
Education policy requires that all methods faculty be licensed. As
defined by State Standards the term methods faculty
refers to "anyone who teaches a methods course whose primary focus
is preparation for assuming certificated positions in the public
schools"; the term methods course refers to "a course
in which the primary focus is: (a) techniques, procedures, or
organization for teaching; or (b) a supervised practicum for
teaching."
The Licensure Office
is responsible for monitoring the licensure of methods faculty,
providing opportunities for earning renewal credits, approving
proposed renewal activities, and verifying renewal credits to the
State Department of Public Instruction. Copies of methods faculty
licenses are on file in the Licensure Office.
All methods faculty
must renew their licenses every five years. To do this, faculty
members must earn a minimum of 15 renewal credits during each five
year cycle. Up to five renewal credits each five years can be
earned by teaching (1 credit is awarded for each year during the
five year cycle). Options for earning additional renewal credits
are described below. As per NCDPI policy, all renewal activities
should be approved in advance.
Licensure Renewal Options
1.
Methods faculty may earn renewal credit by successfully
completing additional college/university coursework related to their
licensure area(s). Each semester hour of coursework is the
equivalent of 1.5 renewal credits.
Methods faculty may earn renewal credit by participating in planned
renewal activities. One renewal credit may be awarded for each 10
contact hours completed. Professional development activities are
planned by the School of
Education or University-School Programs to accommodate
expressed needs/interests of faculty. NOTE: A minimum of ten
contact hours is required for renewal credit to be awarded.
2.
Methods faculty may earn renewal credits for presentations at
regional, state, and national meetings of appropriate professional
organizations. One renewal credit may be awarded for each different
presentation made. A written outline of each presentation should be
filed with the School of Education for renewal credit to be awarded.
3.
Methods faculty may earn renewal credits for attending
regional, state, and national conferences of appropriate
professional organizations. Faculty seeking renewal credit through
this option must submit written documentation of attendance and a
summary of competencies developed/refined by participation in the
conference. Up to one renewal credit may be awarded for each
conference attended.
4.
Methods faculty may earn renewal credits for publications
(articles accepted for refereed journals, chapters in books, books)
and scholarly activities. The actual number of credits awarded will
be negotiated by the faculty member involved and the Dean of the
School of Education.
5.
Methods faculty may renewal credits for planned independent
study. The actual number of credits awarded for independent study
will be negotiated by the faculty member involved and the Dean of
the School of Education. Such study must be approved in advance and
include a statement of competencies to be attained/refined through
such study. Before credit is awarded, written documentation that
the study has been completed must be on file in the School of
Education.