States that work to raise the academic bar also raise the quality of their talent pipelines and create more attractive climates for job creation. The NC Chamber and its Hire Standards, NC Coalition have closely monitored the monthly meetings of the North Carolina Academic Standards Review Commission (ARSC). With the Commission’s math and English Language Arts (ELA) working groups expected to make preliminary recommendations at the August meeting, Hire Standards, NC compiled its own set of recommended next steps for the Commission.

During the last year, nearly all states have settled discussions on K-12 academic standards, and many of those have already begun the process of improving standardized tests, developing teacher leadership programs and implementing digital upgrades in alignment with those standards. The State Board of Education recently made recommendations on assessment reform to the General Assembly; but as long as North Carolina is not among the list of states that have fully settled the standards debate, assessment reform will remain challenging.

Ten months of Commission meetings have taken place with no presenters advocating returning to our previous standards, and surveys of teachers have shown overwhelming support for the current standards. With those facts in mind and considering the ever-present need for North Carolina’s leaders to invest in our students, the NC Chamber and Hire Standards, NC continue to encourage the Commission to move boldly ahead with proactive solutions to improve implementation of our current standards. If you have not done so already, please share this information with anyone in your network interested in preserving high academic standards in North Carolina, and we encourage you to communicate with Commission co-chairs – Tammy Covil at tammy.covil@nhcs.net and Andre Peek at andre.peek@nc.gov – in support of the recommendations from Hire Standards, NC.

Thank you for the input and support you have provided, and continue to provide, to advance the discussion around high standards and let our leaders know that North Carolinians place a high priority on investing in our state’s future – its students. As the conversation around this vital issue evolves, we will remain engaged to keep you informed.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber