NC is ‘rethinking’ how language arts is taught. Here’s what could change in schools.
North Carolina could overhaul how language arts is taught in what’s being billed as a better way to teach students how to become successful readers.
The state Department of Public Instruction recently released for public comment the first draft of new K-12 English/language arts standards. It includes what DPI says are a number of major changes, including reducing how many standards are taught and revising English IV offerings for high school seniors.
“These are pretty major changes and there could be some major impacts across the state,” said Kristi Day, director of DPI’s Office of Academic Standards. “When those surveys go out today or tomorrow, we really want to hear from the field because we want to know how does this impact them? How does this impact their students and their teaching?”
DPI staff briefed the State Board of Education on the proposed new standards this week. The standards will go through at least two more drafts before being voted on next year by the state board.
School districts set their own curriculum based on the standards adopted by the state.
This will be the first major revision since the current language arts standards were adopted in 2017. The current standards replaced the controversial Common Core-based standards.
Here’s a look at some of the major changes in the proposed standards:
Reducing the number of standards taught in schools
In what Day told the state board was a “mic drop” she said the number of standards would be cut in half. Standards are defined by DPI as “what is it that students need to know and be able to do.”
For instance, kindergarten and first grade currently have a combined 139 standards students are expected to learn. It would drop to 79 in the new draft.
Language arts teachers are currently expected to teach a total of 205 standards in grades 6 through 8. But the new draft only has 69 standards for middle school.
Also as part of the shift, there will no longer be standards for each individual grade level. Instead, standards are proposed to be grouped by “grade bands” with multiple grades: K-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-11 and 12th grade.
The reduction in standards is part of what DPI said staff was their effort to reimagine how language arts is taught. DPI says the changes align with the phonics-based “science of reading” training that the state’s elementary school teachers have been taught to use.
’Not a watering down of standards’
Day repeatedly told state board members they’re not lowering expectations for students. Instead, she said teachers would now be able to go into more detail covering each standard.
“I want to be very clear it’s not a watering down of standards,” Day said. “We’re not reducing to reduce.
“We really looked at how to integrate and how to bring those standards to a place where teachers could do more with less and they could have deeper conversations, deeper tasks, thoughtful types of assignments so they can really dive in deeper so they can master these standards across more than just one year.”
For instance one of the proposed K-1 standards is to “determine the central message, lesson, and main topic of texts using key details.” Students would now be expected to be taught that standard in both grade levels.
It’s part of a teaching method called “spiraling.” Teachers across the different grade levels in each band would revisit topics multiple times to build on what students previously learned about the standard.
‘Redesign’ how reading is taught
DPI staff gave multiple examples to the state board of why they said the current standards need to be changed.
DPI provides teachers with pacing guides. But it’s become “death by pacing guides” as teachers rush to cover all the standards, according to Amy Rhyne, senior director of DPI’s Office of Early Learning.
“That really drives the rush, if you will, of what’s happening around mastery and what it looks like,” Rhyne told the state board. “That competes with our overarching goal of what does it look like for a student to be a successful long-term reader rather than teaching the minimal pieces to a test.”
Rhyne compared it to expecting someone to know how to ride a bicycle by having them spend three days holding the handle bars, four days practicing balancing and five days of practicing pedaling in place.
“We have to rethink and redesign what that looks like, which is where we’re working together on how to be more innovative and think differently about how we are teaching children to read rather than checking off skills and standards,” Rhyne told the state board.
Rethinking English IV in NC
Students must complete four English courses to graduate from high school. But DPI staff said the options for seniors are limited in English IV, which is a traditional literature course that might not appeal to all students.
“Why not think of a different option for English IV?” said Sneha Shah Coltrane, DPI’s senior director of Advanced Learning and Gifted Education. “We know that is not going to be an easy shift. But in all the other content areas, we have significant choices.
“A child can take Excel instead of Math IV. In science, they have so many options, in social studies so many options. But we don’t when it comes to senior English.”
What’s proposed in the new standards is offering three different English IV sections: STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), arts and literature. The current English IV course would be retained as the literature section.
Shah Coltrane said that offering different types of English IV courses could make them more relevant to seniors and decrease absenteeism.
”Our initial feedback has been very positive, but it as well has been very scary for some teachers,” Shah Coltrane told the state board.
Have your say on new standards
DPI is now taking feedback from teachers and the public on draft 1 of the new language arts standards.
Go to tinyurl.com/bdupc3m5 to view the proposed standards.
Go to tinyurl.com/2yapz4kd to comment on the K-5 standards.
Go to tinyurl.com/3wtprttx to comment on the grades 6-12 standards.
This story was originally published December 7, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
