Board of Ed Updates Language Arts Standards
The North Carolina State Board of Education approved revised K-12 English Language Arts standards last week. The changes extend the evidence-based “science of reading” approach—previously required only in elementary schools—into middle and high school instruction.
The updates emphasize foundational phonics, comprehension, and a wider range of texts, including poetry, digital media, spoken word, and complex contemporary literature.
Teachers will now have greater flexibility in material selection, addressing feedback from 2024 surveys that criticized the 2017 standards for lacking clarity and measurability. The changes respond to ongoing low literacy rates, with nearly half of eighth graders below grade level on recent tests.
The new standards take effect in the 2027-28 school year, supported by teacher training from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. |
