Micro-Credentialing
In 2024, the North Carolina State Board of Education approved the Micro-credential Quality Assurance Standards and Rubric as the guidelines for defining a micro-credential for educator professional learning—developed in collaboration with digiLEARN and RTI International through the Micro-Credentials Partnership of States.
These standards establish a shared framework for ensuring that micro-credentials are meaningful, portable, and grounded in evidence-based practice. By outlining expectations for design, evaluation, accessibility, and impact, the standards provide clarity for developers, assessors, and educators. Micro-credentials aligned with this rubric support educators across roles—including teachers, paraprofessionals, instructional and operational staff, and school leaders—in demonstrating job-embedded skills and advancing their professional learning in flexible, personalized ways.
Professional Learning Micro-Credentials
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction’s Office of Digital Teaching and Learning has developed eight competency-based micro-credential pathways that provide educators with opportunities to demonstrate mastery in key areas of digital teaching and learning.
Pathways include:
Artificial Intelligence
Data Privacy
Digital Literacy Standards for Students
Using AI in Classroom Instruction
These micro-credentials offer meaningful, practice-based professional learning that is directly connected to classroom application and instructional improvement.
The Micro-Credentialing Handbook is available as a resource to help educators and PSUs understand what micro-credentials are and to explore available pathways. PSUs interested in implementing a pathway internally may complete [this form] to begin the process.
For more information, please contact Ashley McBride at ashley.mcbride@dpi.nc.gov.
Student-Facing Micro-Credentials