S105 - 2021 Appropriations Act. (SL 2021-180)

Overview: Section 8.4 of S.L. 2021-180, as amended by section 2.9 of S.L. 2022-6, requires the Board of Governors of The University of North Carolina (BOG) to contract with an outside consultant to evaluate the progress toward implementing the changes in requirements for approval or renewal of approval of educator preparation programs (EPPs) for training of the following:

• Elementary education teachers in coursework in the Science of Reading.
• Elementary and special education general curriculum teachers in early literacy intervention strategies and practices that are aligned with the Science of Reading.

The consultant must determine, on the basis of information provided by various entities, at least the following:

• A baseline of the current coursework in literacy training and intervention strategies and practices at EPPs.
• The plan for implementation of the requirements at approved EPPs and any recommendations for implementation by the State Board of Education, the State Superintendent, and the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission.
• The timeline for EPPs to incorporate the training into their programs by the anticipated academic semesters.
• Any EPPs that have already incorporated training into their programs and their best practices to share with other programs.

The BOG must submit an interim report by June 30, 2022, and a final report by January 15, 2023, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee and other various entities on the progress of implementation of required changes and the results of the overall evaluation from the outside consultant.

This section became effective July 1, 2021.