NC TEACH Alternative Licensure for Elementary Education (K-6)

North Carolina Teachers of Excellence for All Children (NC TEACH) recruits, trains, supports, and retains mid-career professionals as they become licensed teachers in North Carolina. The Elementary Education certification area is designed to offer residency license teachers the opportunity to earn an initial standard professional I license to teach grades K-6 in North Carolina.

Alternative licensure is popular with teachers who changed their career path after earning their undergraduate in a different field. NC TEACH ensures they can begin teaching immediately, using their knowledge of their core subject for up to three years while they earn their permanent teaching license. UNC Greensboro’s program supplements coursework in elementary mathematics, science, Language Arts, and social studies with classes in educational theory, ensuring teachers are ready to successfully manage their classrooms.

How To Earn Your elementary education licensure

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction grants teachers on a residency license three years to work in classrooms while attaining their standard professional license. UNC Greensboro’s NC TEACH alternative licensure program supports working teachers with classes they can take outside regular school hours. They will gain hands-on learning experience through field-based experiences in local public school systems.

The NC TEACH program is mostly online with periodic in-person sessions depending on the concentration. Participants will work closely with mentors and faculty on evaluations, reflective conversations, and instructional feedback. These mentors also provide the NC TEACH participants with supporting classroom management and planning.

An Elementary Education licensure requires 24 credit hours of coursework on a range of subjects, including:

• Educational Implications of Learning and Developmental Theory
• Mathematics in the Elementary Schools
• Social Studies in the Elementary School
• Reading Instruction
• Clinical Experience in Teaching

UNCG supervisors will coordinate with the partnering schools, monitor their progress, conduct evaluations, and facilitate coaching and reflection.

After Graduating with your elementary education licensure

Upon completion of NC TEACH’s Elementary Education licensure program, graduates will receive their initial standard professional I license to teach in North Carolina. This allows them to teach in any K-5 classroom in a public school. In many cases, candidates can achieve a master’s degree with limited additional coursework.

The U.S. Department of Education requires that all higher education institutions advise students as to whether their curriculum provides them with the eligibility to apply for a professional license and/or certification in the state for which they plan to practice. As such, please review UNC Greensboro’s status by state for the initial teaching license. You should note whether the program either “meets”, “does not meet”, or if there “has not been a determination” of the program’s status in the state for which you plan to practice. Review the Licensure Reciprocity Information.

Funding and Scholarships While Getting Licensure

Each year, the School of Education awards over $1 million in scholarships and graduate assistantships to students.

The Haggai Academy is a scholarship program that provides scholarships of up to $8,000 per year, as well as a wide range of additional enrichment opportunities, for non-traditional students (24 years of age or older) pursuing an initial teacher license.