Teaching Math in North Carolina

North Carolina’s education system has a bit of catching up to do – both in terms of teacher salaries and expenditures per pupil. Nevertheless, North Carolina offers many rewards to those eager educators who are willing to accept some of the challenges of teaching mathematics in this beautiful state. To help pave the way for your math teaching career, North Carolina offers a range of financial assistance programs and professional development opportunities to help you along the way.

Math Teacher Certification in North Carolina

Math Teaching Qualifications

In order to qualify as an educator in North Carolina, candidates must complete the required undergraduate coursework, pass the requisite standardized examinations and complete a state-approved teacher preparation program.

Credentials & Exams

• Standard Professional 1 Certificate: This three-year professional educator license is issued to teachers with less than two years of teaching experience who have completed a state-approved teacher education program.
• Standard Professional 2 Certificate: This five-year professional educator license is issued to teachers with three or more years of teaching experience. Candidates who hold a valid license issued under another state or jurisdiction and meet the needs of “Highly Qualified” and who meet North Carolina’s licensure exam requirements OR have National Board Certification will be issued the SP2 certificate.
• Lateral Entry License Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college and who meet one qualification from each of the next two categories are eligible to apply for a Lateral Entry License:
  • Category I
    • Relevant Degree, or
    • 24 hours of credit in subject, or
    • Passing score on the NC State Board of Education approved licensure exams for the teaching area, which include:
      • Praxis II – for the majority of license areas effective 07/01/14
      • Pearson testing – for Elementary Education effective 10/01/2014
      • Praxis II and Pearson – for Special Ed: General Curriculum effective 10/01/2014
      • American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) – for World Languages except English
    • Category II
      • 2.5 GPA or better or
      • Five years of experience considered relevant by the employing LEA, or
      • Passing scores on Praxis I/Core Academic Skills for Educators, or a total SAT score of 1100, or a total ACT score of 24 plus one of the following:
        • GPA of 3.0 in the major field of study, or
        • GPA of 3.0 in all courses in senior year, or
        • GPA of 3.0 on a minimum of 15 semester hours of courses completed within the last five years after the bachelor’s degree.
• Reciprocity: Individuals who have been issued a valid license from another state or jurisdiction, meet the requirements for “Highly Qualified” status and hold a bachelor’s degree are eligible to apply for a comparable North Carolina teaching certificate.