Academic Standards
Office of Academic Standards
The primary purpose of the Office of Academic Standards is to serve as the authoritative source for the review, revision, and support for the implementation of state content standards in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The Office of Academic Standards additionally supports multiple legislative and grant-related programs, initiatives, and reporting requirements. Please visit the webpages on the side-rail to access information, materials, and resources across areas and programs.
North Carolina Standard Course of Study (SCOS) Internal Procedures Manual
In April 2023, the State Board of Education approved the updated internal procedures' manual for reviewing, revising, and implementing content standards.
The purpose of this manual is to provide explanation of and guidance on:
- the process to be followed when developing or revising a section of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS),
- the topics, categories, and minimum supporting materials to be included in the contents of a standard course of study, and
- the considerations that must be made as standards are being reviewed/revised/implemented.
The manual is designed to assist with the task of revising or developing a content area of the NCSCOS. It is not intended to guide the development and/or revision of local curriculum guides or other curriculum support documents.
Download the manual at the bottom of the page.
Standards Review and Revision Updates
Data Review Committee (DRC)
The DRC met in early May and produced the following reports...
Permission to Revise
The Office of Academic Standards presented the DRC reports to the State Board of Education and received permission to revise standards on June 1, 2023.
Standards Writing Team
Applications for the Standards Writing Team (SWT) will open on June 5th and close on June 30.
In April, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of Academic Standards’ team kicked off the review phase for K-12 English Language Arts (ELA) Standards. These standards will follow the NC Standard Course of Study Manual in terms of process and timeline. Please subscribe to the ELA listserv to receive updates on the standards every First Friday of the month.
In August, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of Academic Standards’ team kicked off the review phase for K-12 Guidance Standards. These standards will follow the NC Standard Course of Study Manual in terms of process and timeline.
All-Stakeholder Survey
Per the Internal Procedures Manual, the review phase consists of data collection and analysis, as well as research. The NCDPI team is seeking input on the current K-12 Arts, K-12 Guidance, and K-12 World Language standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies.
These surveys are being shared to gather thoughtful input and comments from stakeholders familiar with the Arts, Guidance, and/or World Language Standard Course of Study in order to inform revision decisions, which may include changes, clarifications, additions, deletions, or replacements to the current standards.
Any individual who wishes to provide input on the Standard Course of Study may complete this survey. This survey is estimated to take about 10 to 20 minutes to complete, depending on how many grades or courses you choose to review.
We thank you for your time and input. Your feedback is extremely valuable to the standards review and revision process.
All-Stakeholder Survey for K-12 Guidance Standards
*This survey will close January 20, 2023, at 5:00 PM.
Data Review Committee (DRC) Applications
This application is for educators, educational leaders, and stakeholders who desire to become part of the K-12 Guidance Standards revision process. The DRC will meet periodically throughout the revision process to review and discuss data, as well as draft recommendations for revision. Applications will be available until November 18, 2022.
The Guidance DRC will consist of a range of external stakeholders including university professors, content professionals, and experts from partner organizations. Please review the Scope of Work.
These applications will close January 20, 2023, at 5:00 PM.
On May 5, 2022, the NC State Board of Education granted permission for NCDPI to move forward with the review and revision of the K-12 Healthful Living standards, per SCOS-012.
Data Review Report
The Data Review Committee (DRC) has completed the initial data review report which summarizes information gained through research, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The report will be used by the Standards Writing Team (SWT) during their initial meeting February 7th and 8th to begin formulating an initial draft of both Health and Physical Education Standards. Once complete, the initial draft will be released to the field in the form of a survey to gather feedback. The survey, available in March 2023, will be open for 30 days.
On May 5, 2022, the NC State Board of Education granted permission for NCDPI to move forward with the review and revision of the K-12 Science standards, per SCOS-012. The manual was revised at the April 2023 State Board of Education meeting. The link can be found below.
May/June Update for the Draft 2023 K-12 Science Standards
The survey window for feedback on the second draft of the proposed K-12 Science Standards closed on Sunday, March 26, 2023. We want to thank all of those who provided feedback.
Per The NC State Board of Education Standard Course of Study Manual, the K-12 Science Data Review Committee analyzed the feedback received regarding Draft 2 and prepared a report with recommendations for the Standards Writing Team. The report is linked below.
The Standards Writing team used the report and feedback to write a third draft which was presented to the State Board of Education for discussion on May 31st, 2023. Draft 3 of the K-12 Science Standards can be found using the link below as well as the State Board of Education presentation. The State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the draft standards at their July meeting.
In August, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of Academic Standards’ team kicked off the review phase for K-12 World Language Standards. These standards will follow the NC Standard Course of Study Manual in terms of process and timeline.
Permission to Revise
The World Languages Team will be presenting at the State Board of Education Meeting next month, May 31st - June 1st, to ask permission to revise the standards.