North Carolina 2025 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S507 Amended / Bill

Filed 04/02/2025

                    GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA 
SESSION 2025 
S 	2 
SENATE BILL 507 
Education/Higher Education Committee Substitute Adopted 4/2/25 
 
Short Title: Auto Enrollment in Advanced ELA Courses. 	(Public) 
Sponsors:  
Referred to:  
March 26, 2025 
*S507 -v-2* 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 
AN ACT TO EXPAND AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT IN ADVANCED COURSES IN K-12 2 
SCHOOLS TO INCLUDE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS COURSES. 3 
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4 
SECTION 1. G.S. 115C-81.36 reads as rewritten: 5 
"ยง 115C-81.36. Advanced courses in mathematics.mathematics and English Language 6 
Arts. 7 
(a) When practicable, local boards of education shall offer advanced learning 8 
opportunities in mathematics in grades three through five, and advanced courses in mathematics 9 
in all grades six and higher. For the purposes of this section, advanced learning opportunities are 10 
those services and curricular modifications in mathematics and English Language Arts for 11 
academically or intellectually gifted students approved as part of the local plan, as required by 12 
G.S. 115C-150.7.G.S. 115C-150.7, and advanced courses are advanced courses in mathematics 13 
and English Language Arts. 14 
(a1) When advanced learning opportunities are offered in mathematics in grades three 15 
through five, any student scoring at the highest level on the corresponding end-of-grade test shall, 16 
for the next school year, be provided advanced learning opportunities in mathematics approved 17 
for that student's grade level. No student who qualifies under this subsection shall be removed 18 
from the advanced learning opportunity provided to the student unless a parent or guardian of the 19 
student provides written consent for the student to be excluded or removed after being adequately 20 
informed that the student's placement was determined by the student's achievement on the 21 
previous end-of-grade test. 22 
(b) When advanced courses are offered in mathematics in grades six and higher, any 23 
student scoring at the highest level on the corresponding end-of-grade or end-of-course test for 24 
the mathematics course in which the student was most recently enrolled shall be enrolled in the 25 
advanced course for the next mathematics course in which the student is enrolled. A student in 26 
seventh grade scoring at the highest level on the seventh grade mathematics end-of-grade test 27 
shall be enrolled in a high school level mathematics course in eighth grade. Local boards of 28 
education may provide supplemental content enrichment, which may include the administration 29 
of diagnostic assessments, to students enrolled in a high school level mathematics course. No 30 
student who qualifies under this subsection shall be removed from the advanced or high school 31 
mathematics course in which the student is enrolled unless a parent or guardian of the student 32 
provides written consent for the student to be excluded or removed from that course after being 33 
adequately informed that the student's placement was determined by the student's achievement 34 
on the previous end-of-grade or end-of-course test. 35  General Assembly Of North Carolina 	Session 2025 
Page 2  Senate Bill 507-Second Edition 
(b1) When a high school mathematics course is offered in eighth grade, a student in 1 
seventh grade scoring at the highest level on the seventh grade mathematics end-of-grade test 2 
shall be enrolled in a high school level mathematics course in eighth grade. Local boards of 3 
education may provide supplemental content enrichment, which may include the administration 4 
of diagnostic assessments, to students enrolled in a high school level mathematics course. 5 
(c) By December 15, 2020, December 15, 2025, and annually thereafter, the Department 6 
of Public Instruction shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight 7 
Committee containing data collected for the current school year on the number and demographics 8 
number, demographics, and socioeconomic status of students who were eligible for advanced 9 
mathematics courses under this section, including high school level mathematics courses in 10 
eighth grade, and of those students, the number and demographics number, demographics, and 11 
socioeconomic status of those who were placed in advanced mathematics courses and were not 12 
placed in advanced mathematics courses. The report shall include information on the type and 13 
format of advanced mathematics courses provided and shall also include any feedback provided 14 
by local boards of education on the implementation of this section. 15 
(d) The Department of Public Instruction shall provide guidance to local boards of 16 
education on how to best develop programming and courses to ensure all impacted students 17 
receive rigorous, academically appropriate instruction in mathematics.mathematics and English 18 
Language Arts. 19 
(e) No student who qualifies for advanced learning opportunities or advanced courses 20 
under this section shall be removed from the advanced learning opportunity or advanced course 21 
provided to the student unless a parent or guardian of the student provides written consent for the 22 
student to be excluded or removed after being adequately informed that the student's placement 23 
was determined by the student's achievement on the previous end-of-grade or end-of-course test. 24 
Local boards of education may provide supplemental content enrichment, which may include the 25 
administration of diagnostic assessments, to students enrolled in advanced courses." 26 
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 27 
the 2025-2026 school year. 28