GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
S 1
SENATE BILL 579
Short Title: Transforming the High School Experience. (Public)
Sponsors: Senators Lee, Sawyer, and Settle (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to: Rules and Operations of the Senate
March 26, 2025
*S579 -v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE NORTH CAROLINA H IGH SCHOOL REDESIGN 2
COMMISSION, TO ESTAB LISH VARIOUS COMPETE NCY-BASED LEARNING 3
PROGRAMS, AND TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS FOR THOSE PURPOSES. 4
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
6
PART I. NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN COMM ISSION 7
SECTION 1.(a) Commission Established. – There is established the North Carolina 8
High School Redesign Commission (Commission). The Commission shall be located 9
administratively in the Department of Public Instruction but shall exercise all of its prescribed 10
powers independently of the Department. The purpose of the Commission is to explore and 11
recommend changes to policies and systems governing high school and higher education that 12
will better prepare North Carolina students for success as they transition to higher education or 13
the workforce. 14
SECTION 1.(b) Commission Membership. – The Commission shall consist of 15 15
members as follows: 16
(1) Two members appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of 17
the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 18
(2) Two members appointed by the General Assembly upon recommendation of 19
the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. 20
(3) One member appointed by the Governor. 21
(4) The State Superintendent of Public Instruction or his or her designee. 22
(5) The President of The University of North Carolina or his or her designee. 23
(6) The President of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities or his 24
or her designee. 25
(7) The President of the North Carolina Community College System or his or her 26
designee. 27
(8) The chief executive officers of each of the following organizations, or their 28
designees: MyFutureNC, the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, BEST 29
NC, and SparkNC. 30
(9) One chief administrative officer or president of a community college 31
participating in a program, project, or initiative developed pursuant to this act 32
and one superintendent of a local school administrative unit participating in a 33
program, project, or initiative developed pursuant to this act or their respective 34
designees. These commissioners shall be appointed by the chair of the 35
Commission elected pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 Senate Bill 579-First Edition
SECTION 1.(c) The Commission shall elect a chair from the members appointed by 1
the General Assembly. Each commissioner shall have one vote for the chair, except those 2
commissioners to be appointed by the chair pursuant to subdivision (9) of subsection (b) of this 3
section who shall not yet be appointed. The Commission shall meet at least four times annually. 4
The Commission shall meet on the call of the chair or as additionally provided by the 5
Commission. A quorum is six members of the Commission. Members may not vote by proxy. 6
SECTION 1.(d) All members shall be appointed to terms for the entire duration of 7
the Commission. Any vacancy in a term shall be filled by the appointing authority for the 8
remainder of the unexpired term. 9
SECTION 1.(e) Commission Duties. – The Commission shall examine promising 10
practices in North Carolina and nationally to inform the Commission's recommendations. At a 11
minimum, the Commission shall consider the following: 12
(1) Flexible requirements for high school diplomas that are relevant to the 13
knowledge, skills, and abilities students will need for success in the future 14
workforce. 15
(2) Access to apprenticeships, internships, clinical experiences, and other 16
high-quality, work-based learning experiences while in high school. 17
(3) Opportunities for students to earn industry recognized credentials while in 18
high school. 19
(4) Partnerships between public school units and North Carolina Community 20
Colleges, The University of North Carolina, and North Carolina Independent 21
Colleges and Universities for the purposes of facilitating subdivisions (1) 22
through (3) of this subsection. 23
(5) Personalized pathways for students to satisfy core graduation requirements. 24
(6) Modular credit bearing alternatives to semester or yearlong courses. 25
(7) Competency-based alternatives to time bound courses. 26
(8) Strategies for extending learning beyond school walls at scale via community 27
connected experiences, including incorporating incentives for local businesses 28
to partner with schools. 29
(9) Uses of artificial intelligence to expand student opportunities to engage in 30
career exploration and work-based learning experiences. 31
(10) Alternative funding models to enable the development of a statewide learning 32
ecosystem that encourages subdivisions (1) through (9) of this subsection. 33
(11) Career exploration opportunities for students in middle school and the first 34
two years of high school that prepare students to engage successfully in a 35
redesigned high school experience. 36
(12) Evaluation of the programs, projects, and initiatives established by this act, 37
and any other competency-based education (CBE) programs or high school 38
redesign efforts taking place in the State. The Commission shall partner with 39
the Office of Learning Research at the North Carolina Collaboratory to 40
conduct these evaluations. 41
SECTION 1.(f) Meetings and Organization. – The chair shall designate one or more 42
of the organizations identified in subdivision (8) of Section 1(b) of this act to plan and manage 43
Commission meetings and draft reports. Designated organizations shall provide administrative 44
staff for meetings. Funds appropriated to the Department of Public Instruction to be used to 45
contract with one or more organizations to plan and manage Commission meetings pursuant to 46
this act shall be divided equally among the organizations designated by the chair unless otherwise 47
agreed by the chair and all designated organizations. 48
SECTION 1.(g) Report. – The Commission shall submit a report to the Joint 49
Legislative Education Oversight Committee by April 30, 2026, and annually thereafter. The 50
reports shall include all recommendations approved by a majority of Commission members and 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 579-First Edition Page 3
a summary of any evaluations of the efficacy of any CBE programs and high school redesign 1
efforts implemented during the current school year. 2
SECTION 1.(h) The Commission shall terminate on June 30, 2030, or upon filing 3
of its final annual report, whichever occurs first. 4
5
PART II. COMPETENCY-BASED AND HIGH SCHOO L REDESIGN PROGRAMS 6
7
COMPETENCY -BASED HIGH SCHOOL AND HEALTHCARE AND HIGH -TECH 8
PATHWAYS PROGRAM 9
SECTION 2.(a) Program Established; Purpose. – There is established the 10
Competency-Based High School and Healthcare and High-Tech Pathways Program (Program). 11
The purpose of the Program is to create pathways that will utilize competency-based education 12
(CBE). Pathways will result in obtaining either an associate degree or an industry recognized 13
credential/certification/licensure based on the student's goal of employment or enrollment. 14
Students will decide their college or career track at the end of their junior year with an initial 15
emphasis on healthcare preparation. 16
SECTION 2.(b) Participants. – Mooresville Graded School District (MGSD) shall 17
partner with Mitchell Community College (MCC) to implement the Program. 18
SECTION 2.(c) Program Time Line. – MGSD, in collaboration with MCC, shall 19
contract with an organization with demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing 20
learner-centered, modular, and competency-based high school programs that align with emerging 21
and high-tech career pathways. The organization shall have experience in co-designing stackable 22
credentials with local education agencies and higher education partners and a documented track 23
record of developing digital infrastructure that supports student-paced progression, 24
interdisciplinary learning, and real-world skill acquisition. This expert partner shall assist in 25
developing a framework for the Program, including course design, sequencing, credentialing 26
structure, and other elements necessary for personalized student progression during the 27
2025-2026 school year. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a pathway provided 28
by the Program by the 2027-2028 school year at the latest. 29
SECTION 2.(d) Program Flexibilities. – Notwithstanding any provision of law to 30
the contrary, the following flexibilities shall be available to Program participants: 31
(1) MGSD may offer Credit by Demonstrated Mastery assessments and CTE 32
Proof of Learning assessments outside of existing State testing windows. 33
(2) MCC may enroll MGSD students in community college courses prior to their 34
eleventh grade year without the student meeting the requirements for ninth 35
and tenth grade students pursuant to subdivision (4) of G.S. 115D-20. 36
(3) Students participating in the Program shall have access to all community 37
college courses at MCC, regardless of pathway selection. 38
(4) MGSD may replace any high school graduation credit requirement, except 39
those outlined in this subdivision, with either community college courses 40
offered by MCC or locally developed CBE courses that are consistent with 41
the student's pathway. MGSD shall not replace any graduation credit 42
requirements in the following subject areas: 43
a. English. 44
b. Mathematics. 45
c. Science. 46
d. Social Studies. 47
(5) All schools in MGSD shall be deemed to have been continuously operating 48
under a modified calendar since the 2003-2004 school year for purposes of 49
G.S. 115C-84.2(d). MGSD may align their school calendar with the MCC 50
calendar. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 Senate Bill 579-First Edition
(6) Notwithstanding G.S. 115C-295, beginning July 1, 2026, so long as MGSD is 1
participating in the Program, up to fifty percent (50%) of the teachers in each 2
school in MGSD may be employed as teachers despite not holding teacher 3
licenses if they meet the requirements set out in this subdivision. All teachers 4
who are teaching in the core subject areas of mathematics, science, social 5
studies, and language arts shall be college graduates. All teachers hired by 6
MGSD who are not licensed as a teacher by the State shall complete preservice 7
training, which may be offered through an educator preparation program or 8
by a local school administrative unit, in all of the following areas prior to 9
beginning instruction: 10
a. The identification and education of children with disabilities. 11
b. Positive management of student behavior. 12
c. Effective communication for defusing and de-escalating disruptive or 13
dangerous behavior. 14
d. Safe and appropriate use of seclusion and restraint. 15
(7) Beginning with the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the Department of Public 16
Instruction shall calculate the amount of State funds to be allocated to MGSD 17
on the same basis as other local school administrative units and shall distribute 18
those funds to MGSD. The Department shall use statewide average salary 19
figures for the purpose of calculating the dollar equivalent of guaranteed 20
positions as necessary. The funds allocated to MGSD shall be subject to any 21
restrictions as to use imposed by federal law, the conditions of federal or State 22
grants, or as provided through any rules that the State Board adopts to ensure 23
compliance with federal regulations. Notwithstanding G.S. 115C-105.25, use 24
of these funds shall otherwise be unrestricted except as provided in this act. 25
(8) The deposit of money in the State treasury to the credit of MGSD shall be 26
made as necessary for the operation of MGSD. The State Board may withhold 27
money to be distributed to MGSD if any report required to be filed with State 28
school authorities is more than 30 days overdue. Money in the State Public 29
School Fund and State bond moneys shall be released only on warrants drawn 30
on the State Treasurer, signed by a local official as required by the State Board. 31
(9) Upon notification by the Board of Trustees of the Teachers' and State 32
Employees' Retirement System to the State Treasurer and the Office of State 33
Budget and Management as to any default of MGSD, the State Board shall 34
withhold from any State appropriation due to MGSD an amount equal to the 35
sum of all delinquent contributions and payments due to the Retirement 36
Systems Division and shall transmit that amount to the Retirement Systems 37
Division. 38
SECTION 2.(e) Selection of Third-Party Vendor. – MGSD shall select a third-party 39
vendor (Vendor) that is an educational support provider with a nationally recognized, 40
research-based instructional and leadership framework, including a High Reliability School 41
model, a taxonomy of educational objectives aligned to classroom strategies, and a system for 42
implementing personalized competency-based education. The provider shall have published 43
extensively in peer-reviewed and practitioner literature, have an established track record of 44
working directly with K-12 schools and districts across multiple states, and offer professional 45
development services, implementation support, and instructional resources developed and led by 46
a founding education researcher with over four decades of influence in curriculum, instruction, 47
and assessment. 48
SECTION 2.(f) MGSD Partnership with Vendor. – MGSD shall partner with the 49
Vendor selected pursuant to subsection (e) of this section to develop standards-aligned 50
proficiency scales for all content areas in grades nine through 12 to ensure educators in the 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 579-First Edition Page 5
participating schools have the tools necessary to successfully transition to CBE approaches. The 1
Vendor shall provide professional development and coaching to the schools in MGSD to ensure 2
educators can engage in learning about CBE approaches, including implementation of the 3
proficiency scales developed by MGSD. 4
SECTION 2.(g) Funding. – It is the intention of the General Assembly to appropriate 5
from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of up to two million 6
dollars ($2,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for each year of the 2025-2027 fiscal biennium. These 7
funds would not revert but remain available until the end of the 2026-2027 fiscal year. These 8
funds shall be allocated to MGSD for the following purposes: 9
(1) To contract with experts in CBE and designing stackable credentials pursuant 10
to subsection (c) of this section. 11
(2) To hire one additional staff member at MGSD to oversee implementation of 12
the Program. 13
(3) To partner with a Vendor pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. 14
15
LIGHTHOUSE MATH PROJECT 16
SECTION 3.(a) Project Established; Purpose. – There is established the Lighthouse 17
Math Project (Project). The purpose of the Project is to increase the percentage of high school 18
students who are (i) eligible to complete college level mathematics upon graduation from high 19
school and (ii) able to complete college level math either through dual enrollment while in high 20
school or within the first year of college enrollment. 21
SECTION 3.(b) Project Participants. – Wake Technical Community College (Wake 22
Tech) shall partner with Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) for high school students 23
at East Wake High School and Knightdale High School to be eligible to participate in the Project 24
at the Wake Tech East campus of Wake Tech. Wake Tech and WCPSS shall partner with 25
SparkNC to align the Project participants' ongoing efforts at the Wake Tech East campus with 26
the design and implementation of the Project. 27
SECTION 3.(c) Project Commitments. – WCPSS, in collaboration with Wake Tech, 28
shall contract with Khan Academy, Inc. (Khan), for use of the artificial intelligence student 29
tutoring program, Khanmigo. Students enrolling at participating high schools shall have access 30
to Khanmigo from the time of enrollment in the high school and continuing through their 31
attendance at Wake Tech if the student chooses to enroll at Wake Tech East. Wake Tech shall 32
collaborate with Khan to do the following: 33
(1) Develop and deliver at least one Khanmigo-centered gateway college math 34
course to be offered to high school students at participating high schools to be 35
completed as a college level math course. This course shall also be available 36
to students who graduate from participating high schools and enroll in the 37
courses at Wake Tech East. 38
(2) Develop a Khanmigo-centered developmental math course sequence that will 39
be provided by Wake Tech faculty to students from participating high schools 40
in one of the following formats: 41
a. As part of a Career and College Promise Career Ready Pathway. 42
b. As supplement to a Career and College Promise Pathway. 43
c. As a summer bridge program eligible to students prior to or subsequent 44
to their junior and senior years of high school. 45
d. As a community college course during the first semester of enrollment 46
at Wake Tech. 47
SECTION 3.(d) Modular Math Course – As part of the Project, Khan, in consultation 48
with Wake Tech and WCPSS, shall work to develop a self-paced, competency-based modular 49
math course with appropriate student diagnostics and student assessments based on the college 50
readiness math competencies provided as part of the Project. It is the intent that students 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 6 Senate Bill 579-First Edition
successfully demonstrating college readiness math competencies will be eligible to enroll in 1
college level math courses. 2
SECTION 3.(e) Funding; DPI. – It is the intention of the General Assembly to 3
appropriate from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of up to five 4
hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to 5
contract with Khan for licenses for the Khanmigo application and to create the course developed 6
pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (c) of this section. It is the intention of the General 7
Assembly that funds appropriated for the purposes laid out in this section shall not revert but 8
shall remain available to accomplish the purposes of this section until the end of the 2026-2027 9
fiscal year. 10
SECTION 3.(f) Funding; NCCCS. – It is the intention of the General Assembly to 11
appropriate from the General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of up to 12
one million dollars ($1,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year to be used 13
to establish time-limited positions at Wake Tech. Two positions shall be assigned to work in each 14
participating high school to assist in the implementation of the courses offered by the Project. It 15
is the intention of the General Assembly that funds appropriated for the purposes laid out in this 16
section shall not revert but shall remain available to accomplish the purposes of this section until 17
the end of the 2028-2029 fiscal year. 18
19
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SEAMLESS SKILLS INITIATIVE 20
SECTION 4.(a) Initiative Established; Purpose. – There is established the 21
Community College Seamless Skills Initiative (Initiative). The purpose of the Initiative is to 22
create a competency-based education (CBE) model that seamlessly connects high school and 23
community college. By aligning learning experiences from high school with college-level 24
competencies, the Initiative enables students to explore career pathways, earn dual credit, and 25
fulfill computer science requirements while gaining credentials of value in high-demand 26
technology employment sectors through college credit. 27
SECTION 4.(b) Initiative Participants. – Fayetteville Technical Community College 28
(FTCC) and Wilkes Community College (WCC) shall partner to implement the duties of the 29
Initiative. 30
SECTION 4.(c) Project Commitments. – The Project shall commit to accomplishing 31
each of the following: 32
(1) Establish high-tech pathways that will integrate high school and community 33
college curricula for hands-on, project-based learning. 34
(2) Develop competency-based pathways that will create cross-curricular maps 35
for dual credit, fostering seamless transitions between secondary and 36
postsecondary education. 37
(3) Scale and replicate to be able to build a scalable framework for rapid 38
implementation across North Carolina. 39
(4) Empower student ownership by enabling students to set long-term learning 40
goals and to manage and own their credentials with a digital wallet. 41
(5) Facilitate student work experiences to accelerate learning and transition 42
students into work through "learn & earn" work-based learning in partnership 43
with public agencies and private employers. 44
(6) Address workforce needs by developing and sustaining a comprehensive 45
talent pipeline of skilled workers for high-demand technology fields in 46
occupations that depend upon IT and OT for operational success. 47
(7) Develop statewide resources, including a guidebook to facilitate model 48
replication and a new talent development model to accelerate learning using 49
CBE. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Senate Bill 579-First Edition Page 7
SECTION 4.(d) Digital Wallet. – The participants in the Initiative shall contract 1
with a third-party entity to create a secure, interoperable digital wallet platform capable of 2
issuing, storing, verifying, and sharing learner credentials, including microcredentials, 3
certifications, transcripts, and verified skill records. The platform shall allow for credential 4
portability across educational institutions and employers, support open standards for 5
interoperability, and ensure privacy and security in compliance with applicable laws. The system 6
shall enable learners to manage a comprehensive, lifelong record of achievement that is 7
accessible, verifiable, and shareable with third parties through digital means. All credential and 8
learner data shall be owned and controlled by the student and shall not be stored in centralized 9
cloud infrastructure. 10
SECTION 4.(e) Support. – The Community Colleges System Office shall provide 11
ongoing technical support to community colleges participating in the Initiative. FTCC shall enter 12
into a memorandum of understanding with WCC to jointly co-design the Program. As part of 13
this effort, the colleges shall engage an organization with demonstrated expertise in designing 14
and implementing learner-centered, modular, and competency-based high school programs 15
aligned with emerging and high-tech career pathways. The selected organization shall have a 16
history of co-designing stackable credentials with local education agencies and postsecondary 17
institutions and a proven track record of building digital infrastructure that supports 18
student-paced progression, interdisciplinary instruction, and authentic skill development. The 19
organization shall assist in the development of a comprehensive framework for the Program, 20
including course design, sequencing, credentialing structure, and related elements necessary to 21
support personalized student progression during the 2025-2026 school year. 22
SECTION 4.(f) It is the intention of the General Assembly to appropriate from the 23
General Fund to the Community Colleges System Office the sum of up to three million seven 24
hundred fifty thousand dollars ($3,750,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal year 25
to be allocated to FTCC and WCC for the purposes outlined in this section. To the extent funds 26
are appropriated for this purpose, the sum of up to two million seven hundred fifty thousand 27
dollars ($2,750,000) shall be allocated to FTCC and the sum of up to one million dollars 28
($1,000,000) shall be allocated to WCC. Funds allocated for the purposes outlined in this section 29
shall not revert but shall remain available until the end of the 2028-2029 fiscal year. 30
31
COMPETENCY -BASED EDUCATION AND HIGH SCHOOL REDESIGN 32
STRATEGIC NETWORK 33
SECTION 5. MGSD, MCC, Wake Tech, WCPSS, FTCC, WCC, and SparkNC shall 34
collaborate to create a Competency-Based Education and High School Redesign Strategic 35
Network (Network). The president of SparkNC, or the president's designee, shall serve as the 36
chair of the Network. The chair shall coordinate the operations of the Network and provide 37
administrative and technical support for the Network to the extent such support is necessary. The 38
Network shall provide a means for each entity to share what it has learned and developed 39
regarding CBE and high school redesign. The goals of the Network shall be to advance the goals 40
of developing a CBE approach to education across the State. 41
42
OFFICE OF LEARNING RESEARCH EVALUATION 43
SECTION 6.(a) The Office of Learning Research at the North Carolina 44
Collaboratory shall study and evaluate the Programs established pursuant to this Part and report 45
to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 15, 2027, and annually 46
thereafter, culminating in a final report on March 15, 2030. Reports shall include at least the 47
following: 48
(1) The total number of students engaging with these programs. 49
(2) The total amount of funds expended to implement, design, and operate the 50
programs. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 8 Senate Bill 579-First Edition
(3) Effects on student achievement and learning outcomes. 1
(4) Any other information requested by the Committee. 2
SECTION 6.(b) It is the intention of the General Assembly to appropriate from the 3
General Fund to the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina the sum of up to 4
four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2025-2026 fiscal 5
year to be allocated to the North Carolina Collaboratory for the Office of Learning Research to 6
conduct the study and evaluation required by this section. 7
8
PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE 9
SECTION 7. This act becomes effective when the Current Operations 10
Appropriations Act of 2025 becomes law and if that bill appropriates funds for the purposes 11
detailed in each section of this act. 12