Office of Teaching and Learning
About Us
The Office of Teaching and Learning serves as the authoritative source for the review, revision, and support for the implementation of state content standards in the K-12 North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The Office of Teaching and Learning additionally supports multiple legislative and grant-related programs, initiatives, and reporting requirements related to teaching, learning, and healthy schools. OTL works with educators, public school units (PSUs), chief academic officers, content area directors, state organizations, other state agencies, national organizations, and other stakeholders. Critical work of OTL includes, but is not limited to:
- Facilitating the review, revision, installation, and implementation of standards
- Providing state-wide, regional, and PSU-specific professional learning
- Creating and sharing statewide resources
- Managing state and federal programs, grants, and initiatives
Browse OTL standards and resources by area:
- Arts (Dance, Music, Theatre Arts, Visual Arts)
- English Language Arts
- English Language Development
- Healthful Living (Health and Physical Education)
- Literacy Instruction Standards
- Mathematics
- Science
- Social Studies
- Student Success
- World Languages
For Career and Technical Education Blueprints, Computer Science Standards, and Digital Learning Standards, please visit their respective office webpages.
2026-2027 OTL Statewide Professional Learning
The NCDPI Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) provides leadership and support for the review, revision, installation, and implementation of the NC Standard Course of Study, which includes resources and professional learning for providing high-quality, standards-aligned instruction for every K–12 student.
Use this guide to register for professional learning and access newly released resources during the 2026- 2027 school year. Want opportunities and information sent straight to your inbox? Sign up for our listservs.
Find It All in One Place: External Implementation Guide
The External Implementation Guide is a repository for all North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSOS) stakeholders. This repository provides a variety of resources for supporting administrators, educators, and parents during the implementation of the current Standard Course of Study for each content area.
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, or 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.
Standards Review and Revision Updates
2026 ELA Standard Course of Study Installation
On January 8, 2026, the NC State Board of Education (SBE) adopted Draft 4 as the 2026 ELA Standard Course of Study for implementation in the 2027-2028 school year. The current 2017 ELA Standard Course of Study will remain in place for classroom instruction for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years. The newly approved K-12 ELA SCOS aims to serve as the framework that guides each Public School Unit (PSU) in the development of the curriculum and instruction for English Language Arts. View the adopted 2026 ELA SCOS K-12 and supporting resources via the NCDPI ELA Team webpage and ELA Virtual Implementation Kit (VIK).
Stay Updated
Additional details regarding professional learning opportunities and forthcoming resources will be shared via listservs and social media channels. Consider encouraging colleagues to subscribe to the ELA Team listserv and/or follow the ELA Team Instagram and Facebook pages, so they can stay informed throughout installation and implementation of the 2026 ELA Standard Course of Study!
Acknowledgements
The NCDPI K-12 ELA Team expresses their gratitude to the thousands of stakeholders--educators, state and national experts, and community members--who contributed to the development of these standards. Their collaboration and expertise have been crucial to ensure the standards set expectations that will allow students to be innovative thinkers and competitive in post-secondary pursuits--college, career, or military--and throughout their lives.
2026 Mathematics Standard Course of Study Installation
The NCDPI K-12 Math team is excited to announce that during the October 1, 2026, North Carolina State Board of Education meeting, the Board adopted the proposed 2026 K-12 Mathematics Standard Course of Study. This milestone follows a comprehensive review and revision process informed by more than two years of feedback from educators, administrators, families, students, institutions of higher education, business and industry representatives, national organizations, charter schools, and school districts across the state. The approved standards reflect the work of over 70 educators from across North Carolina, including teachers from every grade level, school and district instructional leaders, and faculty representing both math and math education from the NC Community College System and UNC System campuses. The 2026 K-12 Math Standard Course of Study and supporting crosswalks are available below:
The remainder of the 2026–2027 school year and the entire 2027–2028 school year will serve as the installation period for the new standards. The current K-12 Mathematics Standards will remain in effect throughout this period. During installation, the NCDPI K-12 Mathematics Team will collaborate with state, district, and school leaders; educators; school counselors; and other stakeholder groups to provide professional learning and resources to support local installation and implementation. Implementation of the newly adopted standards will begin with the start of the 2028–2029 school year.
NCDPI sincerely appreciates everyone who contributed time, expertise, and thoughtful feedback throughout the review and revision process. NCDPI will share additional information, resources, and professional learning opportunities through the NCDPI K–12 Math Hub, the NCDPI Mathematics webpage, and the K-12 Mathematics listservs. To subscribe to the K-12 Mathematics listserv, visit NCDPI Updates and select the mathematics newsletters you would like to receive.
If you have any questions, please contact any of the K-12 Math team members.
Social Studies Standards Review Phase
The Social Studies team has completed the data collection portion of the review phase. The data is being analyzed by independent researchers and will be provided to the Data Review Committee for further evaluation. Applications for the Data Review Committee closed on September 10th and selected committee members will be notified the week of September 21st.