A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to update principal licensure REQUIREMENTS, TO DEVELOP A PORTFOLIO‑BASED ASSESSMENT, and TO STUDY METHODS TO IMPROVE principal preparation AND LICENSURE PROCESSES, as recommended by the department of public instruction.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. PRINCIPAL LICENSURE REQUIREMENT UPDATES AND CONFORMING CHANGES
SECTION 1.(a)  G.S. 115C‑270.5(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	Authority. – The State Board of Education shall have entire control of licensing all applicants for professional educator positions and school administrator positions in all public schools of North Carolina, subject to the requirements of this Article. The State Board shall adopt rules for the issuance, renewal, and extension of all licenses and shall determine and fix the salary for each grade and type of license which it authorizes."
SECTION 1.(b)  G.S. 115C‑270.20(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Administrator and Student Services Personnel. – The State Board shall establish classification and levels of preparation necessary for issuance of licenses for administrators and student services personnel as follows:
(1)	Administrator license. – The State Board of Education shall have entire control of licensing of all applicants for supervisory and professional positions in all public schools of North Carolina, and the Board shall adopt rules for the renewal and extension of all licenses and shall determine and fix the salary for each grade and type of license which it authorizes. The Board shall not issue provisional licenses for principals. To qualify for licensure as a school administrator, an individual must meet all of the following requirements:
a.	Submit a complete application to the State Board.
b.	Pay the applicable fee.
c.	Attain a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or accredited university.
d.	Complete an accredited school administrator preparation program meeting the criteria listed in G.S. 115C‑284(c2). Any participating college or university approved by the State Board of Education prior to January 1, 2023, may also be deemed accredited for the purposes of this section.
e.	Have at least four years of experience as a licensed professional educator and any of the following:
1.	Possesses a Master's of School Administration (MSA).
2.	Possesses a Master's of Education degree in Educational Leadership.
3.	Has completed an add‑on licensure program if the candidate holds a master's degree in an education‑related field.
f.	Submit a portfolio to the State Board for approval that meets criteria adopted by the State Board.
(2)	Provisional assistant principal license. – The Board shall issue a one‑year provisional assistant principal license to an employee of a local board only in either of the following circumstances:
a.	The local board determines the following:
1.	There is a demonstrated need for administrators.
2.	The employee enrolls in an approved school administration program leading to a master's degree in school administration or educational leadership before the provisional license expires.
b.	The employee meets the following criteria:
1.	Is enrolled in an approved master's in school administration program.
2.	Is participating in the required internship under the master's program.
The Board shall extend the provisional license for a total of no more than two additional years while the employee is completing the program.
(3)	Continuing education. – The State Board of Education shall include continuing education in high‑quality, integrated digital teaching and learning as a requirement of licensure renewal."
SECTION 1.(c)  G.S. 115C‑284 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑284.  Method of selection and requirements.
(a)	Principals and supervisors shall be elected by the local boards of education upon the recommendation of the superintendent, in accordance with the provisions of G.S. 115C‑276(j).
(b)	In the city administrative units, principals shall be elected by the board of education of such administrative unit upon the recommendation of the superintendent of city schools.

	

	

	

	

(c2)	The State Board of Education shall adopt standards and associated rules for school administrator preparation programs. The standards shall:
(1)	Be aligned with the revised standards for the evaluation of school executives and specifically address the use of the results of the Teacher Working Conditions Survey.
(2)	Require evidence of a high level of institutional commitment, including dedicated resources, for administrator preparation program improvements and redesign.
(3)	Require the use of cross‑functional work teams to determine a common curriculum framework that (i) is designed to align with defined standards, (ii) includes rigorous core courses, and (iii) will produce administrators who meet the defined standards. The cross‑functional work teams shall include school‑based personnel, faculty from schools of education and other disciplines from institutions of higher education, and representatives of State agencies.
(4)	Require the use of cross‑functional work teams to design and periodically update specific standards regarding placement, required activities, and evaluations of clinical experiences. These standards shall include appropriate training for the school leaders who agree to accept and supervise interns.
(5)	Require written agreements between the institution of higher education and a local school administrative unit to govern their shared responsibility for (i) recruitment and preparation of school administrators, especially with regard to clinical experiences including the internship, and (ii) a new administrator's success once employed.
(6)	Require authentic partnerships between adjunct faculty and full‑time faculty to fully address the need for both practical, field‑based experience and academic, theory‑based experience. These partnerships may require a change in the institution of higher education's definition of scholarly activity and its reward system.
(7)	Require all candidates to complete an internship that is at least 1,000 hours in duration.
(8)	Require the development of portfolios for emerging leaders that provide evidence they are applying their training to actual school needs and challenges.
The State Board of Education shall develop rules to determine whether an applicant who completed a school administrator preparation program outside the State meets or exceeds the requirements to hold a North Carolina school administrator license.
(c3)	The State Board of Education shall require that all students in school administrator preparation programs demonstrate competencies in (i) using digital and other instructional technologies and (ii) supporting teachers and other school personnel to use digital and other instructional technologies to ensure provision of high‑quality, integrated digital teaching and learning to all students.
(d)	Repealed by Session Laws 1989, c. 385, s. 1.
	
(e)	It shall be unlawful for any board of education to employ or keep in service any principal or supervisor who neither holds nor is qualified to hold a license in compliance with the provision of the law or in accordance with the regulations of the State Board of Education. However, a local board of education may select a retired principal or retired assistant principal to serve as an interim principal for the remainder of any school year, regardless of licensure status.
(f)	The allotment of classified principals shall be one principal for each duly constituted school with seven or more state‑allotted teachers.
(g)	Local boards of education shall have authority to employ supervisors in addition to those that may be furnished by the State when, in the discretion of the board of education, the schools of the local school administrative unit can thereby be more efficiently and more economically operated and when funds for the same are provided in the current expense fund budget. The duties of such supervisors shall be assigned by the superintendent with the approval of the board of education.
(h)	All principals and supervisors employed in the public schools of the State or in schools receiving public funds, shall be required either to hold or be qualified to hold a license in compliance with the provision of the law or in accordance with the regulations of the State Board of Education."
SECTION 1.(d)  G.S. 115C‑238.68(1) reads as rewritten:
"(1)	Principal. – The board of directors shall employ and contract with a principal for a term not to exceed three years. The principal shall meet the requirements for licensure set out in G.S. 115C‑270.20(b), unless waived by the State Board of Education upon submission of a request by the board of directors. The principal shall be responsible for school operations and shall exercise those duties and powers delegated by the board of directors."
SECTION 1.(e)  G.S. 115C‑287.1(h) reads as rewritten:
"(h)	An individual who holds a provisional assistant principal's license and who is employed as an assistant principal under G.S. 115C‑270.20(b)(2) shall be considered a school administrator for purposes of this section. Notwithstanding subsection (b) of this section, a local board may enter into one‑year contracts with a school administrator who holds a provisional assistant principal's license. If the school administrator held career status as a teacher in the local school administrative unit prior to being employed as an assistant principal and the State Board of Education for any reason does not extend the school administrator's provisional assistant principal's license, the school administrator shall retain career status as a teacher unless the school administrator voluntarily relinquished career status or is dismissed or demoted pursuant to G.S. 115C‑325. Nothing in this subsection or G.S. 115C‑270.20(b)(2) shall be construed to require a local board to extend or renew the contract of a school administrator who holds a provisional assistant principal's license."
SECTION 1.(f)  G.S. 116‑239.10(1) reads as rewritten:
"(1)	Principal. – The constituent institution shall employ and contract with a principal for a term not to exceed three years. The principal shall meet the requirements for licensure set out in G.S. 115C‑270.20(b), unless waived, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, by the State Board of Education upon submission of a request by the chancellor that is approved by the Subcommittee. The principal shall be responsible for school operations and shall exercise those duties and powers delegated by the chancellor."
SECTION 1.(g)  Except as otherwise provided, this section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with applications for administrator licensure submitted on or after July 1, 2025.

PART II. DEVELOPMENT OF PORTFOLIO‑BASED ASSESSMENT
SECTION 2.  The Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), in consultation with the Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Principal Fellows Commission, shall develop a portfolio‑based assessment system for use in applications for administrator licensure pursuant to G.S. 115C‑270.20(b)(1). PEPSC shall present recommendations to the State Board of Education for approval by June 15, 2024.

PART III. STUDY TO IMPROVE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR PREPARATION AND LICENSURE PROCESSES
SECTION 3.  The Department of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission (PEPSC), shall study ways to improve school administrator licensure and preparation processes to ensure that all school administrators in the State are prepared to lead schools that provide high‑quality instruction to all students. The Department shall develop recommended changes to the licensure and preparation processes based on this study. The Department shall submit the results of the study and the recommended changes to the State Board of Education and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by February 15, 2024.

PART IV. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 4.  Except as otherwise provided, this act is effective when it becomes law.