In July of 2020, the NC Legislature passed the following law: SL2020-78
ARTS EDUCATION GRADUATION REQUIREMENT
SECTION 2.5.(a) The State Board of Education shall modify the State graduation requirements to include one required credit in arts education to be completed by each student at any time in grades six through 12.
The State Board of Education shall implement the arts education graduation requirement beginning with students entering the sixth grade in 2022. The State Board shall include an exemption from the arts education graduation requirement for students transferring into a North Carolina public school beginning in the ninth grade or later, if such requirement would prevent a student from graduating with the graduation cohort to which the student was assigned when transferring.
SECTION 2.5.(b) The State Board of Education shall do the following:
- Establish procedures and a time line for a phased-in implementation of the arts education graduation requirement.
- Establish the minimum criteria to meet the arts education graduation requirement.
- By December 15, 2022, report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee on the following:
- The statewide implementation of the three interdependent components of comprehensive arts education (arts education, arts integration, and arts exposure).
- The graduation requirement set forth in subsection (a) of this section.
At this time, NCDPI has a working group to ensure that every student’s completion of the arts education graduation requirement will be tracked through course codes in PowerSchool as part of the established graduation plan process. Students will be able to complete this graduation requirement at any time within their 6-12 education. Only those courses with officially recognized course codes (those starting with a “5”) will be automatically tracked in PowerSchool. These courses are arts only courses, meaning that a middle school “wheel” including both arts classes and technology, PE, World Languages, CTE, or other non-arts classes would not count toward this requirement. However, a wheel including only arts classes would satisfy this requirement using the new “57” General Arts Elective course code.
2020
July – SL2020-78 Passes, requiring Arts Ed Grad Requirement
September – Inaugural Arts Ed Grad Req Meeting
November – Addition of “General Arts” Course Codes
2021
February – Legal Guidance for Middle School Courses
April – First communication to SBE
July – PowerSchool Requirements
September – Policy proposal to School Board of Education
November – Field Implementation Communication
2022
April – Completion in PowerSchool Requirements
August – 6th grade class of 2022 enters
November – Comprehensive Arts Education Report to School Board of Education
December – SL2020-78 Report to Joint Oversight Committee
2025
August – Transcript & e-Transcript Implementation
2029
June – Class of 2029 Graduates