North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards
Standard 1: Teachers Demonstrate Leadership
A. Teachers lead in their classrooms.
1. Take responsibility for all students’ learning
2. Communicate vision to students
3. Use data to organize, and set goals
4. Use a variety of assessment data throughout the year to evaluate progress
5. Establish a safe and orderly environment
6. Empower students
B. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school.
1. Work collaboratively with all school personnel to create a
professional learning community
2. Analyze data
3. Develop goals and strategies through the school improvement plan
4. Assist in determining school budget and professional development
5. Participate in hiring process
6. Collaborate with colleagues to mentor and support teachers to improve
effectiveness
C. Teachers lead the teaching profession.
1. Strive to improve the profession
2. Contribute to the establishment of positive working conditions
3. Participate in decision-making structures
4. Promote professional growth
D. Teachers advocate for schools and students.
1. Advocate for positive change in policies and practices affecting
student learning
2. Participate in the implementation of initiatives to improve
education
E. Teachers demonstrate high ethical standards.
1. Demonstrate ethical principles
2. Uphold the Code of Ethics and Standards for the Professional Conduct
Standard II: Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse
Population of Students
A. Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a
positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults.
1. Encourage an environment that is inviting, respectful,
supportive, inclusive, and flexible
B. Teachers embrace diversity in the school community and in the
world.
1. Demonstrate knowledge of diverse cultures
2. Select materials and develop lessons that counteract stereotypes and
incorporate contributions
3. Recognize the influences on a child’s development, personality, and
performance
4. Consider and incorporate different points of view
C. Teachers treat students as individuals.
1. Maintain high expectations for all students
2. Appreciate differences and value contributions by building positive,
appropriate relationships
D. Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with
special needs.
1. Collaborate with specialists
2. Engage students and ensure they meet the needs of their students through
inclusion and other models of effective practice
E. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant
adults in the lives of their students.
1. Improve communication and collaboration between the school
and the home and community
2. Promote trust and understanding and build partnerships with
school community
3. Seek solutions to overcome obstacles that prevent family and
community involvement
Standard III: Teachers Know the Content They Teach
A. Teachers align their instruction with the
Course of Study.
1. Teach the
2. Develop and apply strategies to make the curriculum rigorous
and relevant
3. Develop literacy skills appropriate to specialty area
B. Teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching
specialty.
1. Know subject beyond the content they teach
2. Direct students’ curiosity into an interest in learning
C. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content
areas/disciplines.
1. Know links between grade/subject and the
Standard Course of Study
2. Relate content to other disciplines
3. Promote global awareness and its relevance
D. Teachers make instruction relevant to students.
1. Incorporate life skills which include leadership, ethics,
accountability, adaptability, personal productivity, personal responsibility,
people skills, self-direction, and social responsibility
2. Demonstrate the relationship between the core content and 21st
century content that includes global awareness; financial, economic,
business and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy, and health and
wellness awareness
Standard IV: Teachers Facilitate Learning for Their Students
A. Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they
know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional
development of their students.
1. Know how students think and learn
2. Understand the influences on student learning and differentiate instruction
3. Keep abreast of evolving research
4. Adapt resources to address the strengths and weaknesses of students
B. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.
1. Collaborate with colleagues
2. Use data for short- and long-range planning
3. Engage students in the learning process
4. Monitor and modify plans to enhance student learning
5. Respond to cultural diversity and learning needs of students
C. Teachers use a variety of instructional methods.
1. Choose methods and materials as they strive to eliminate
achievement gaps
2. Employ a wide range of techniques using information and
communication technology, learning styles, and differentiated instruction
D. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction.
1. Know appropriate use
2. Help students use technology to learn content, think critically, solve
problems, discern reliability, use information, communicate, innovate, and
collaborate
E. Teachers help students develop critical thinking and problem-
solving skills.
1. Encourage students to ask questions, think creatively, develop
and test innovative ideas, synthesize knowledge and draw conclusions
2. Help students exercise and communicate sound reasoning;
understand connections, make complex choices; and frame, analyze, and
solve problems
F. Teachers help students work in teams and develop leadership
qualities.
1. Teach the importance of cooperation and collaboration
2. Organize learning teams in order to help students define roles, strengthen
social ties, improve communication and collaborative skills, interact with
people from different cultures and backgrounds, and develop leadership
qualities
G. Teachers communicate effectively.
1. Communicate clearly with students in a variety of ways
2. Assist students in articulating thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively.
H. Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student
has learned.
1. Use multiple indicators, both formative and summative, to
evaluate student progress
2. Provide opportunities for self-assessment
3. Use assessment systems to inform instruction and demonstrate evidence
of students’ 21st century knowledge, skills, performance, and dispositions
Standard V: Teachers Reflect on Their Practice
A. Teachers analyze student learning.
1. Think systematically and critically about student learning in their
classrooms: why learning happens and what can be done to improve
student achievement
2. Collect and analyze student performance data to improve
effectiveness
B. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals.
1. Participate in continued, high quality professional development
C. Teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment.
1. Actively investigate and consider new ideas that improve
teaching and learning
2. Adapt practice based on data