Bill > S1006

This bill, the K-12 Innovation and Transformation Act, aims to enhance elementary and secondary public education by establishing a North Carolina High School Redesign Commission to explore and recommend policy changes for better preparing students for higher education and the workforce, and it appropriates funds for various educational initiatives. The Commission, composed of 15 members from diverse educational and industry backgrounds, will examine practices for flexible high school diplomas, apprenticeships, industry credentials, personalized learning pathways, modular and competency-based courses, and the use of artificial intelligence in education, with a reporting deadline of April 30, 2027. The bill also allocates funds for a pilot program by the SME Education Foundation focused on STEM education, introduces procedures for reviewing local school administrative units' expenditures to prevent excessive spending, and modifies reporting requirements for renewal school systems to include more detailed student performance and post-graduation data, while also allowing for alternative teacher evaluation models. Furthermore, it expands automatic enrollment in advanced courses to include English Language Arts, establishes "Learning Accelerator" programs for modular, competency-based STEM learning experiences that can count as elective credit, and creates an Extended Learning and Integrated Student Supports Grant Program for at-risk students. The bill also permits public school sites in commercial zones, increases funding for advanced teaching roles salary supplements and grants, and launches a Teacher Evaluation Pilot Program to explore new evaluation tools and licensure renewal flexibility. Additionally, it mandates an expedited revision of the Healthful Living Standard Course of Study to include mental health awareness and substance abuse prevention, establishes an AI Academic Support Program for grades 6-12 using Khanmigo, and restructures educator preparation programs to support teacher pipeline initiatives like the TeachReadyNC program, which aims to increase licensed teachers through apprenticeships. Finally, the bill initiates several programs to transform the high school experience through competency-based education (CBE), including a Community College Seamless Skills Initiative for dual credit and credentials, a Competency-Based High School and Healthcare and High-Tech Pathways Program, a Lighthouse Math Project to improve college-level math readiness, and a CBE Innovation Grant Program to support schools transitioning to mastery-based learning, with a comprehensive evaluation of these initiatives to be conducted by the North Carolina Collaboratory.