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2006-07 Data Sources & Information

Quality Teachers

Classroom Teachers
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

Data include only "classroom teachers" employed in March 2007. A classroom teacher is defined by the NC Department of Public Instruction as anyone in purpose codes beginning with 510, 520, or 550 and object codes 121, 123, 128, or 129. There are other adults in the school building, many of whom work with children, who are not counted here (e.g. Media Specialist, Counselor, etc.).

District and state counts are the average number of classroom teachers in schools in the same grade span category (elementary, middle, high, combined elementary, middle and high, combined elementary and middle or combined middle and high).

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.


Teacher Licensure
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

In North Carolina, prospective teachers must complete an approved education program to obtain a teaching license. North Carolina also requires first-time applicants to obtain a minimum score on content-based PRAXIS Examinations in their main teaching field. Out-of-state applicants, to the extent that their education programs are equivalent to the standards and guidelines of North Carolina's approved education programs, qualify through reciprocity agreements. But, they too, during the 2006-07 school year, must have taken the appropriate PRAXIS examinations to qualify for licensure.

For purposes of the school report card, "fully licensed" percentages include only those classroom teachers with clear initial or clear continuing licenses. A classroom teacher is defined by the NC Department of Public Instruction as anyone in purpose codes beginning with 510, 520, or 550 and object codes 121, 123, 128, or 129.

Some teachers are listed as having multiple types of licenses. For purposes of the school report cards, these teachers are counted only once and are included in the least desirable licensure category that applies. License categories are ranked from least to most desirable, as follows: emergency permit, SB 1124, lateral entry, provisional license, temporary permit, initial license and continuing license. Following is a description of each category.

  • Emergency Permit

  • Issued to individuals who hold at least a bachelor’s degree but do not have the equivalent of a college major in the area they are assigned to teach or do not have the required grade point average to qualify for a license based on any other licensure policy. Emergency permits are valid for one year and are not renewable.

  • SB 1124 (Alternative Entry License)

  • Issued to individuals who hold at least a bachelor’s degree but do not have the equivalent of a college major in the area they are assigned to teach or do not have the required grade point average to qualify for a license based on any other licensure policy. Emergency permits are valid for one year and are not renewable.

  • Lateral Entry

  • Issued to individuals who hold at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution with the equivalent of a college major in the area they are assigned to teach. Individuals employed on lateral entry licenses must be affiliated with colleges and universities with approved teacher education programs to complete prescribed course work. The first lateral entry license is issued for two years. It may be re-issued for an additional year. Individuals employed on lateral entry licenses must complete at least six semester hours of course work each year and satisfy Praxis II testing requirements before the end of the second year.

  • Provisional License

  • Issued to individuals who are licensed in one or more areas, but assigned to teach in an area in which they are not licensed. For example, an individual with a license in elementary education may be assigned to teach exceptional children. This individual would be issued a provisional license in the appropriate exceptional children’s area (e.g., learning disabilities, mentally handicapped, etc.). Individuals employed with provisional licenses must be affiliated with colleges and universities with approved teacher education programs to complete prescribed course work. Individuals employed on provisional licenses must complete at least six semester hours of course work each year. The license can be renewed annually for up to four more years (five years total). The Praxis II subject test(s) for the area must be satisfied upon completion.

  • Temporary Permit

  • Issued to individuals who have not yet satisfied Praxis testing requirements, but otherwise meet all requirements for a “clear” license. Temporary permits are valid for two years, provided that the individual at least takes the required Praxis exams during the first year of employment.

  • Initial License

  • Issued to teachers with three or fewer years of teaching experience. This license is valid for three years of practice. The beginning teacher must complete the Initial Licensure Program to be granted a continuing license.

  • Continuing License

  • Issued to individuals who have satisfactorily completed the Initial Licensure Program and individuals completing teacher preparation programs in other states who begin teaching in North Carolina with four or more years teaching experience. This is a renewable, five-year license.

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.


Highly Qualified Teachers
All teachers of core academic subjects must be Highly Qualified. As specified by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) federal education act, the term “core academic subjects” means English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography.

To be a Highly Qualified teacher at the elementary school level a teacher must have obtained an appropriate license for the core academic subjects taught and demonstrate subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading/language arts, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum by passing the teacher licensing exams (Praxis II) required by the state.

To be a Highly Qualified teacher at the middle and high school levels a teacher must have obtained a middle school or secondary license in a teaching area required for each teaching assignment and demonstrate a high level of competency by:

  1. Passing the required Praxis II test(s) in each academic subject in which the teacher teaches; or
  2. Successfully completing in each academic subject in which the teacher teachers
    1. An undergraduate major; or
    2. Coursework equivalent to an undergraduate major; or
    3. A graduate degree in the core teaching subject area(s); or
    4. Master's level licensure or above in the appropriate subject area; or
    5. National Board Certification in the related subject area(s).

At the beginning of each school year, Local Education Agencies (LEAs) must notify the parents of each student attending a Title I school that they may request the following qualifications of their child's teacher:

  • Whether the teacher has met NC licensing requirements
  • Whether the teacher has had any licensure requirements waived
  • What the teacher's bachelor degree major(s) is/are, other degrees held and teaching license area(s) held

Timely notice must also be given to parents of children who, after four consecutive weeks, have been taught a core academic subject by a teacher who is not highly qualified. The specific teaching licenses considered to be in field for each class can be obtained from the Department of Public Instruction's Licensure Section. Percentages include only core academic subject courses.

Sources: NCDPI, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2006.


Percentage of Teachers with Advanced Degrees
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

For purposes of the report card, an advanced degree is any degree above a bachelor's, including master's, advanced, or doctoral degrees. Data are only reported for classroom teachers. A classroom teacher is defined by the NC Department of Public Instruction as anyone in purpose codes beginning with 510, 520, or 550 and object codes 121, 123, 128, or 129.

Teachers with advanced degrees outside of the field of education may not be included in this percentage. The licensure file does not capture non-education advanced degrees. If a classroom teacher is listed as having more than one type of license, the highest degree held is reported.

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.


Number of National Board Certified Teachers
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards operates a national, voluntary system to assess and certify teachers. Candidates for National Board Certification gather a portfolio of evidence of their work (including student work samples, lesson plans, and videos) and complete a detailed analysis of that evidence. In addition, all candidates complete a full day of assessments focused on content knowledge in their main teaching area.

National Board Certified Teacher counts include all staff members with National Board Certification, regardless of their job assignment. District and state counts include the average number of National Board Certified Teachers in schools in the same grade span category (elementary; middle; high; combined elementary and middle; combined middle and high; and combined elementary, middle and high).

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.


Years of Teaching Experience
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

Data are presented on the percentage of classroom teachers with 0-3, 4-10, and greater than 10 years of teaching experience. A classroom teacher is defined by the NC Department of Public Instruction as anyone in purpose codes beginning with 510, 520, or 550 and object codes 121, 123, 128, or 129. North Carolina credits teachers with an additional year experience at the end of each school year. In addition, teachers licensed out-of-state and lateral entry teachers may be credited with additional years of experience for non-teaching work related to their teaching assignment. For example, a chemistry teacher may be credited with additional years of experience for prior work as a chemist. Years of teaching experience are based upon the highest years on the educator's license during the 2006-07 school year.

Percentages in the three experience categories may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.


Teacher Turnover Rates
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

School-level turnover rates are derived from school payroll data. All classroom teachers employed in a school during March of the previous year but not employed in the school during March of the current year are included in the school's turnover statistics. Percentages reported on the 2006-07 report cards are based upon the classroom teachers employed in March 2006 and their employment status in March 2007. A classroom teacher is defined by the NC Department of Public Instruction as anyone in purpose codes beginning with 510, 520, or 550 and object codes 121, 123, 128, or 129.

Teachers employed in more than one school may be reflected in the turnover rates of any school in which they taught and may be reflected in the turnover rates of multiple schools. Visiting teachers, teachers transferred to another school by mandate, and teachers who are no longer assigned to the classroom but who are still employed at the school, and teachers moving to another school within the district are included in each school's turnover statistics.

District-level turnover rates include any teachers who left their school district from one year to the next.

Sources:
NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.
NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Annual Teacher Turnover Report, 2006.


School Principals’ Qualifications (District Report Cards only)
The licensure and salary certification files are updated daily and can be pulled at any time. It takes several months for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to finalize assignments, enter new hires, and correct coding. February or March licensure data would most accurately reflect the situation in the school during the school year.

Data are presented on the percentage of principals with 0-3, 4-10, and greater than 10 years of principals’ experience. Years of administrative experience are based upon the highest years on the principal’s license during the 2006-07 school year. Percentages in the three experience categories may not total 100 percent due to rounding.

For purposes of the report card, an advanced degree is any degree beyond a master’s degree.

District-level turnover rates are derived from school licensure and payroll data. All principals employed in a school during the previous year but not employed in the school during the current year are included in the turnover statistics. Percentages reported on the 2006-07 report cards are based upon the principals employed in March 2006 and their employment status in March 2007.

Source: NCDPI, Human Resource Management Division, Licensure Section, Licensure & Salary Certification Files, March 2007.