The $34.4 billion state budget signed by Gov. Josh Stein in July 2026 includes provisions from Senate Bill 840 that eliminate the requirement that college students pass the Praxis Core exam before entering educator preparation programs. The law, effective July 1, 2026, also creates a new pathway for teachers on a limited license to convert to a continuing professional license using EVAAS student-growth scores and drops the standard that out-of-state teachers must come from states with substantially similar licensure requirements.
What the budget changes
The budget repeals G.S. 115C-269.15(a), which had prohibited educator preparation programs from admitting a student who had not passed the Praxis Core, met minimum SAT or ACT scores, or held a bachelor's degree. A new provision in G.S. 115C-270.20 defines a limited license as a three-year renewable license for individuals who have not fulfilled exam requirements after three years of an initial provisional license. The State Board of Education is barred from requiring a standardized examination for the limited license, and only the employing local school board may request one.
For teachers already holding a limited license, the budget adds a requirement in G.S. 115C-270.15 that the State Board convert it to a continuing professional license if the teacher has available EVAAS growth data and a positive growth score in two of the three most recent years. The budget also removes the condition that a beginning teacher must have taken licensure exams during their first year to be eligible to fulfill the exam requirement by their third year, a rule that had prevented some who passed exams from obtaining a continuing license.
On out-of-state and international teachers, the budget eliminates the requirement in G.S. 115C-270.25 that the applicant's home state have substantially similar licensure requirements to North Carolina. Previously, that standard forced some experienced out-of-state teachers to retake licensure exams in the state. The budget also directs the State Board to expand elementary licenses, previously for kindergarten through grade 6, to include grades 7 and 8, raising questions about the future of the separate middle grades license covering grades 6 through 9. The Department of Public Instruction said it is still reviewing the impact of that change.
At UNC-Greensboro's School of Education, about 35 students returned to the education major after the Praxis Core requirement was eliminated, including students in music education, dance education, birth-through-kindergarten, and elementary education. Those students must still meet GPA minimums for advanced coursework and pass content-area exams for full licensure, university officials said.
How other states have approached the same question
Louisiana eliminated its Praxis Core requirement for educator preparation program admission. In the first admissions cycle after elimination, historically Black colleges and universities in Louisiana reported a 33 percent increase in enrollment. A 2022 Louisiana task force report found that about 1,000 aspiring educators per year had been unable to begin a preparation program due to failing the Praxis Core.
North Carolina itself waived the Praxis Core for the 2020-21 academic year. Statewide educator preparation program enrollment rose 34.3 percent that year, with Black candidate enrollment up 51.5 percent and Hispanic candidate enrollment up 48.2 percent. The following year, the test requirement was reinstated, and enrollment declined, a trend that has continued.
Indiana passed a law in 2019 removing the basic skills portion of its teacher licensing exam requirement. A subsequent study by Indiana University found that Black and Hispanic prospective teachers still scored up to 52 percentage points lower than white peers on remaining Praxis content sections and that 92 percent of the certified educators on Indiana's score-setting panels identified as white. The study's author recommended diversifying score-setting panels rather than eliminating licensing tests, noting tests provide public assurance of professional competency.
What the research shows
The North Carolina State Board of Education's Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission found that passing the Praxis Core was not associated with completing a degree, passing pedagogy licensing exams, or being rated effective on supervisor evaluations and student test scores. The Board voted 9-3 in 2024 to recommend lawmakers end the requirement.
The Indiana University study found that score gaps between Black and white candidates on Praxis content exams widened in some areas between 2016-17 and 2020-21. In one example, no Black candidates passed the mathematics subject area exam in 2016-17, while 52 percent of white candidates did. The study's author cautioned against eliminating licensing tests altogether but recommended diversifying the panels that set passing scores.
ETS said in a statement reported by NC Newsline that the Praxis Core was not designed to predict classroom performance or student achievement, but rather to assess foundational reading, writing, and math skills. The company also offers fee waivers for candidates who meet federal financial-aid criteria, as well as free retakes for candidates who fail the same test three times.