House committee substitute makes the following changes to the 1st edition.

Amends GS 115C-12(9)c1 to clarify that the measures of participation in Advance Placement courses and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme are to be included on the annual "report card" for high schools.

Makes technical and clarifying changes to new GS 115C-83.4A. Deletes subsection (f) of this section, which required the State Board of Education (SBE)to ensure that professional development was made available to teachers of advanced courses. Directs the SBE to seek a partner (was, partners) such as the College Board and renames the Partnership as the North Carolina Advanced Placement Partnership (was, North Carolina Advanced Course Partnership). Replaces references to "advanced courses" in subsection (f), which directs the partner selected by the SBE to provide professional development and other support for teachers of AdvancedPlacement courses, with "Advanced Placement courses." Adds requirement that the selected partner provide for frequent visits to schools designated as low-performing by the SBE that are targeted by the Partnership.

Amends GS 115C-174.18 to require that every student in grades eight through ten who has taken or is in the final month of Algebra I have an opportunity to take either the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) or the ACT Testat the discretion of the local school administrative unit (LEA) and at no cost to the student (was, opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT at state expense). Restricts the maximum amount of state funds to be used for this purpose to be the costs of the PSAT/NMSQT.

Provides that it is the intent of the General Assembly to appropriate funds to implement this act (was, there is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI)specified amounts to implement the provisions of this act). Designates $1.5 million to be used by the NC Advanced Placement Partnership (Partnership) to carry out its responsibilities under this act (was, designated $1.5 million tobe used bythe Partnership for professional development for teachers of advanced courses).

Requires that the SBE's annual report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee include the Partnership's report to DPI on the Partnership's implementation of its responsibilities under this act and the SBE's assessment of that report.

Makes additional conforming changes.

Declares that nothing in this act is to require the General Assembly to appropriate funds to implement it. Changes the effective date of this act to only become effective if the General Assembly appropriates funds in the amounts as set out in Section 4 of this act for the 2013-15 fiscal biennium.Provides that if the funds are appropriated, the act becomes effective July 1, 2013, and applies beginning with the 2013-14 school year.