Bill > H1061

This bill aims to replace the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with North Carolina's own higher academic standards, ensuring that the state maintains control over its educational curriculum and assessments. Key provisions include requiring the State Board of Education to develop and revise content standards for core academic areas, such as reading, writing, mathematics, and science, with a focus on rigor, clarity, and age-appropriateness, and to collaborate with a newly established Academic Standards Review Commission. This commission, composed of appointees from legislative leadership, the State Board of Education, and the Governor, will review and recommend academic standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics, ensuring they are at least as high as current standards and maintain the independence of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. The bill also prohibits any agreements that cede state control over curriculum development to federal agencies or private entities, and it mandates that the State Board of Education consult with the commission when aligning assessments with these new standards, while also prohibiting the use of assessments developed by the Smarter Balanced Consortium or PARCC. Furthermore, the bill prohibits the collection of certain personally identifiable student data, such as religious affiliation or political party affiliation, and requires that any new assessment instruments be nationally normed and aligned with North Carolina's standards, with legislative approval needed for their acquisition.