Increasing Access to Advanced Coursework
Research finds that students who enroll in and complete advanced math courses are more likely to be ready for post-secondary education than students who don’t, which is why BEST NC began advocating for an automatic placement policy for advanced math. State policy, which was passed in 2018 and updated in 2019, now guarantees all students who score at the highest level on End-of-Grade or End-of-Course tests in grades 3 and above will be have access to advanced learning opportunities or advanced math courses the following year.
Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Math Coursework is Making a Difference for North Carolina's Students – What's Next?
Research finds that students who complete a high school level math course in 8th grade are significantly more likely to be prepared for and experience post-secondary success; while students who do not complete a high school level math in 8th grade are less likely to graduate from high school and matriculate into post-secondary education.
BEST NC, partnering with the Collaborative for Student Success (CSS), interviewed stakeholders, educators, and legislators from across the state about the adoption, immediate successes, and hopes for the future of the North Carolina’s nation-leading advanced math auto-enrollment policy.
Research also suggests – and BEST NC agrees – that this strategy can be successfully applied to more subjects than just math, such as science and English/language arts.
I am particularly grateful for BEST NC’s work on automatically enrolling students into advanced math courses. Because of the work of BEST NC, that promising reform is now spreading nationwide.
Mike Petrilli
President
Thomas B. Fordham Institute
We’re going to see a workforce where kids are going to be more qualified to do the jobs of the future.
Representative Ed Hanes, Jr. (D)
NC House District 72 (2013-2018)
North Carolina General Assembly
A lot of people look at this bill as something that’s just common sense that should be done for everybody. Nobody should be excluded. This is the absolute best piece of legislation I’ve done.
Representative Chris Malone (R)
NC House District 35 (2013-2018)
North Carolina General Assembly
Access to Rigor = Opportunity to Grow
Prior to passing legislation, enrollment in advanced coursework was primarily driven by teacher recommendation instead of student performance. Meaning well, some students would not receive a recommendation for placement in an advanced math course the following year. These decisions would often rely on misconceptions about how students respond to increasingly difficult coursework.
However, Research finds that a more challenging course of study actually leads to more long-term success for students, contrary to rhetoric suggesting students may not be “up for” the challenge. A 2006 study tracked the academic performance of students with similar math abilities and found that student who were placed in more difficult math courses in middle school were much more likely to successfully complete college-prep level math courses in high school than their peers.
Until 2019, North Carolina high school students received instruction in financial literacy within in the required American History: Founding Principles, Civics and Economics course. Unfortunately, because so many topics were included in this single course – early United States history, civics, government, and economics – students reported receiving little explicit instruction in personal finance.
North Carolina was falling behind the 20 others states that required a stand-alone course in economics, and the 17 states that required a stand-alone course in personal finance. In these states, students receive explicit instruction in economics and personal finance, enabling high school graduates to better understand the important financial and economic choices they will face in their lives.
In 2019, after years of discussion about the need to increase the emphasis on financial literacy instruction in our schools, a bipartisan coalition of policymakers, business leaders, and education advocacy groups came together in support of the creation of a new, required course in economics and personal finance.
On July 8th, 2019, House Bill 924 was signed into law, creating a new, stand-alone high school graduation requirement in economics and personal finance. As defined in the legislation, the course must include instruction on at least the following:
- The true cost of credit,
- Choosing and managing a credit card,
- Borrowing money for an automobile or other large purchase,
- Home mortgages,
- Credit scoring and credit reports, and
- Planning and paying for postsecondary education.
Legislation
Session Law 2019-82 House Bill 924
Additionally, the legislation requires that teachers teaching this new course receive the professional development necessary to ensure high-quality, rigorous instruction in financial literacy concepts. To the extent that funds are made available, teachers must complete a week-long economics and personal finance course provided by the North Carolina Council on Economic Education before teaching the new course.
The new graduation requirement applies to students in the graduating class of 2024 and beyond.
RESOURCE LIBRARY
Related Resources & Programs
Select one of the options below to learn more about that aspect of our work.
Legislation
Session Law 2025 Senate Bill 507
Legislation
Session Law 2019-120 Senate Bill 500
Legislation
Session Law 2018-32 House Bill 986
Agency or Organization
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI)