Retaining Effective Teachers Policy
Length of probationary period: North Carolina does not offer tenure to its new teachers; therefore, it does not have a corresponding probationary period. The state requires that teachers employed for fewer than three years are given one-year contracts. A contract between a district and a teacher who has been employed for three years or more must be for a term of one, two or four years.
As a result of North Carolina's strong probationary period policies, no recommendations are provided.
North Carolina indicated that, although it does not have tenure, it does have a three-year probationary period that leads to a continuing license with a five-year renewal term. The state added that during this probationary period, teachers must participate in a three-year Beginning Teacher Support Program and pass all required licensure exams and coursework (for lateral entry teachers).
Tenure should be a significant and consequential milestone in a teacher's career. The decision to give teachers tenure (or permanent status) is usually made automatically, with little thought, deliberation or consideration of actual performance.[1] State policy should reflect the fact that initial certification is temporary and probationary, and that tenure is intended to be a significant reward for teachers who have consistently shown effectiveness and commitment.[2] Tenure and advanced certification are not rights implied by the conferring of an initial teaching certificate. No other profession, including higher education, offers practitioners tenure after only a few years of working in the field.[3]
States should also ensure that evidence of effectiveness is the preponderant (but not the only) criterion for making tenure decisions.[4] Most states confer tenure at a point that is too early for the collection of sufficient and adequate data that reflect teacher performance. Ideally, states would accumulate such data for four to five years. This robust data set would prevent effective teachers from being unfairly denied tenure based on too little data and ineffective teachers from being granted tenure.