Standards Review, Revision, & Implementation
About the Process
The standards review, revision, and implementation process provides a comprehensive study of each content area organized by grade level, proficiency level, and/or course. The five-to-seven-year cycle allows time for review, revision, and consistent implementation of the standards. Alignment with the statewide assessment program, extended content standards, and materials adoption are addressed throughout the process. To promote transparency and stakeholder engagement in every standards review, revision, and implementation, NCDPI uses a uniform and formalized system that is: 1) Feedback-Based, 2) Research-Informed, 3) Improvement-Oriented, and 4) Process-Driven.The review, revision, and implementation phases outlined in the SCOS-12 policy Links to an external site. and manual Links to an external site. represent standard processes for updating standards. However, this policy does not prevent the State Superintendent from recommending or the State Board of Education from taking prompt action regarding standards revisions in response to legislation or for other reasons deemed necessary and appropriate by the Board.
Standards Timeline
View the timeline below outlining the phases of the review, revision, and implementation process. Should the NC State Board of Education approve Draft 3 of the proposed ELA Standards, public school units (PSUs) are not required to implement them until the 2026-2027 school year. The current 2017 ELA Standard Course of Study would remain in place for classroom instruction for the 2025-2026 school year.
Draft 1
State Board of Education policy specifies that the NC Department of Public Instruction will formally collect feedback on the current standards from educators, administrators, parents, students, institutions of higher education, business/industry representatives, national organizations, and other education agencies. The purpose of this survey is to obtain input from educators and stakeholders familiar with the English Language Arts Standard Course of Study in order to inform revision decisions.
This process began with a review phase, conducted during the 2023- 2024 school year. The review phase included gathering relevant research and analyzing data obtained through surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The data obtained was compiled by the NCDPI Office of Learning Recovery (OLR) and provided to the ELA Data Review Committee (DRC), a group of K-12 stakeholders, for review and analysis.
The DRC completed a formal report Links to an external site. summarizing the data and trends within the feedback and making recommendations for changes. The report was provided to the ELA Standards Writing Team (SWT) as the basis to start the revision process for the 2024 - 2025 school year. The SWT launched their work in July 2024. Draft 1 was released December 5, 2024 for public review and feedback until January 9, 2025.
The collected data will be summarized once again by the DRC, who will complete a formal report making recommendations for revisions to Draft 1. This report will be used to develop Draft 2, which will be released in early spring for public review and feedback.
To view draft one and information about Draft 1, use the links below.
Draft 1 Links to an external site. (Released December 2024)
Companion Document Links to an external site.
Draft 2
The ELA Standards Writing Team (SWT) will reconvene on March 10, 2025 to continue revision to Draft 2. Draft 2 of the proposed 2025 ELA Standard Course of Study as well as survey for public review and feedback will be released in mid-March 2025.
Stay Updated
In an effort to keep stakeholders informed during the Revision Phase, the NCDPI ELA Team will provide monthly standards updates that contain the latest announcements and current news regarding the ELA SCOS. These updates are sent the first Friday of every month. To receive these updates straight to your inbox, please subscribe to our listserv Links to an external site.. To view past listserv messages, visit the NCDPI ELA Webpage Links to an external site..
