NC Music Educator Conference Edition 2022

Standard Course of
Study Review Begins
Fall 2022
by Brandon Roeder, N.C. Department of Public Instruction
You heard correctly – it is finally time for standards review
in arts education, guidance, and world languages! Though
we may be incredibly comfortable with the standards
we’ve been teaching for over a decade, it is imperative the state
standards are updated on a regular basis to ensure we are serving
our students. How can you get involved? Read on for a description
of the three-year review and revision cycle with entry points for
educators of varying commitment levels.
NC State Board Policy SCOS-012 (NCSCOS, Process for the
Review, Revision, and Implementation of the NC Standard Course
of Study) governs how standards are revised. It states that NCDPI
will review the standards to ensure the NCSCOS consists of clear,
relevant standards and objectives. The standards review, revision,
and implementation process provides a comprehensive study of
each content area organized by grade level, proficiency level, and/or
course. To promote transparency and stakeholder engagement in
every standards review, revision, and implementation, NCDPI will
use a uniform and formalized system
built on four guiding principles:
implementation. The steps included in each phase are
outlined below, with bold sections denoting where you can get
involved.
NC Standard Course of Study Review Phase
The review stage will begin in the fall of 2022. The review
process is designed to ensure clear, rigorous, and measurable
standards that are easily understood by teachers, parents, and
students, and are articulated K – 12 by grade, proficiency level,
and/or course. Steps in this process include:
• Collecting and reviewing feedback from stakeholders,
including, but not limited to, educators, administrators,
parents, community members, students, institutions of higher
education, business/industry, education agencies in other
states and/or national organizations for the specific content
area. You can be a part of the process by filling out this survey!
• Establishing and convening a data review committee to review
current data on enrollment, stakeholder responses, and current
standards. You can be a part of the process by applying for the
data review committee.
• The NCDPI team will also analyze contemporary and current
research on standards in the content area being reviewed.
NC Standard Course of Study Revision Phase
If the data review committee recommends changes to the
existing content standards and the state board of education
approves revision, NCDPI will continue the revision process into
the 2023 – 24 school year by:
• Establishing and convening a Standards Writing Team. (Please
note: an individual may not be on the data review committee
and the standards writing team.) You can be a part of the
process by applying for the standards writing team.
• Sharing all drafts of standards with local districts, charter
schools, and other stakeholders for review and input. You can
be a part of the process by reviewing and giving input on the
drafts.
• Engaging the data review committee to compile feedback and
share with the writing team.
• Finally, the NCDPI team will submit the revised standards
to the state board of education for their review and potential
approval.
NC Standard Course of Study Implementation Phase
Once the state board of education approves the standards,
NCDPI will support standards implementation in the 2024 – 25
school year by:
• Launching and disseminating a state-level standards
implementation plan to local districts and charter schools.
• Facilitating statewide training and support for educators on
the revised standards.
• Collecting data and evaluating the implementation of the
revised standards.
If you have any opinions on how the standards can be improved
upon, get involved! Be on the lookout for an invitation to apply to
the data review committee in the second semester of this school
year or apply for the standards review committee when the time
comes.
If you are unable to make such a large commitment, be sure
to engage with providing feedback in the surveys and on the draft
standards. For more information about the standards revision
process, visit the Office of Academic Standards webpage at: www.
dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/academicstandards.
There are so many ways to be involved – choose what
fits you best!
Welcoming our new
• Feedback-Based: Formal
collection of feedback from
community, K – 16, and national
stakeholders.
• Research-Informed: NCDPI will
review contemporary and current
research on teaching and learning
in arts education.
• Improvement-Oriented:
NCDPI will provide the state
superintendent and state board
of education an annual report
summarizing feedback received
from stakeholders about standards
and implementation.
Director of Bands,
Dr. Cole Hairston
Presenting at the fall conference:
“Game Theory and Interactions
with the Band”
Auditions and information:
brevard.edu/music
• Process-Driven: The system
process includes three
phases: review, revision, and
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