Bill Summary for H 756 (2023-2024)

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Summary date: 

Apr 20 2023

Bill Information:

View NCGA Bill Details2023-2024 Session
House Bill 756 (Public) Filed Tuesday, April 18, 2023
AN ACT TO CREATE THE STANDARD COURSE OF STUDY ADVISORY COMMISSION TO RECOMMEND ACADEMIC STANDARDS TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR APPROVAL.
Intro. by Torbett, Blackwell, Zenger.

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Bill summary

Enacts GS 115C-81.6, establishing a twenty-member Standard Course of Study (SCOS) Advisory Commission (Commission), located administratively in the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) but that exercises its powers and duties independently thereof and whose purpose is to involve stakeholders in establishing the standard course of study. Requires the Commission to make recommendations regarding all aspects of the standards and competencies of the standard course of study. Sets forth three duties: (1) develop and recommend the SCOS to the State Board of Education (Board); (2) develop support materials for teachers and parents, upon approval by the Board; and (3) provide recommendations as request to the Board related to the alignment of State programs and support materials with the revised academic content standards for each core academic area. Provides for membership and appointment process (including appointment of 8 members by of the General Assembly upon recommendation of the President Pro Tempore and another 8 upon recommendation by the Speaker of the House), meetings, and staff to assist the Commission in its work assigned by the Superintendent of DPI. Provides for four-year terms and for filling vacancies. Requires that the terms for the appointments that are made by the General Assembly begin July 1, 2023, and specifies which of those members will be appointed for two-years and which for four-year terms.  Requires election of a chair, vice-chair, and secretary from among its members. Specifies quorum is a majority of Commission members. Requires the Commission to adopt rules to govern its proceedings. Provides for members to be compensated for their services and reimbursement for expenses. 

Requires the Commission to submit report by December 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, to the specified NCGA committee and the Board of its activities during the preceding year, together with any recommendations and findings regarding the process for revisions to the standard course of study.

When the Commission submits its recommendations for the SCOS to the Board, permits the Board to adopt the SCOS or to reject the SCOS. If the Board adopts the SCOS, it cannot make substantive changes. If the Board rejects the SCOS, it must state with specify its reasons for doing so.  Permits the Commission to amend its recommendations and resubmit the SCOS to the Board, who again has the authority to reject or adopt the SCOS.  If the Board fails to adopt either of these recommendations, then the Board may develop and adopts own recommended course of study. 

Enacts GS 115C-81.7 (development of SCOS) as follows. Requires the Board to develop a comprehensive plan to revise on a regular basis, content standards and the standard course of study in specified core academic areas and to provide this plan to the Commission for it to review and then adopt recommended SCOS. 

Requires the Commission to involve and survey a representative sample of parents, teachers, and the public, to help determine academic content standard priorities and usefulness. Specifies that a full review of available and relevant academic content standards that are rigorous, specific, sequenced, clear, focused, and measurable, whenever possible, must be a part of the process of the development of content standards. Requires that the revised content standards developed in the core academic areas do all of the following: (1) reflect high expectations for students and an in-depth mastery of the content. (2) be clearly grounded in the content of each academic area; (3) be defined grade-by-grade and course-by-course;  (4) be understandable to parents and teachers; (5) be developed in full recognition of the time available to teach the core academic areas at each grade level; and (6) be measurable, whenever possible, in a reliable, valid, and efficient manner for accountability purposes. Specifies that high school course content standards must include the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue further postsecondary education or to attain employment in the twenty-first century economy. The high school course content standards must also be aligned with the minimum undergraduate course requirements for admission to the constituent institutions of UNC.

Requires the Board, in consultation with the Commission, to also develop and implement an ongoing process to align State programs and support materials with the revised academic content standards for each core academic area on a regular basis. Requires the Board to work in collaboration with the UNC Board of Governors to ensure that teacher and school administrator degree programs, ongoing professional development, and other university activity in the State's public schools align with the Board's priorities.

Enacts GS 115C-81.8, setting forth legislative review of the SCOS adopted by the Board, as follows.  Requires the Board to submit a report of proposed changes to the specified NCGA committee. Specifies that changes may be implemented after the 31st legislative date after the date the Board submits the report. Allows for NCGA to disapprove change by legislation introduced in either house by the 31st legislative day after submission of the report. Provides for effective dates of legislation. Specifies that a change that is specifically disapproved by a bill enacted into law before it becomes effective must not be implemented. Specifies that a bill specifically disapproves a change if it contains a provision that refers to the report submitted to the specified NCGA committee by title and date and the specific change by page and line number in the report that is disapproved. Notwithstanding any rule of either house of the General Assembly, permits any member of the General Assembly to introduce a bill at any time during any regular session to disapprove a change that has been submitted to the specified NCGA committee that has not become effective

Amends GS 115C-12(9c) (powers of the State Board of Education) to delete current provisions specifying its power to develop content standards, and instead directs the Board to develop the standard course of study enacted under Part 1, Courses of Study, of Article 8. Makes conforming changes to GS 115C-81.5 (standard course of study) and GS 150B-1(d).

Requires the Commission to review the social studies standard course of study during the 2023-2024 school year and provide recommendations to the Board by no later than January 1, 2025. Applies to all standard courses of study after the act becomes law.