A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to establish a committee to study the common core state standards.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.(a)  Establishment. – There is established the Common Core State Standards Study Committee (Committee).
SECTION 1.(b)  Membership. – The Committee shall be composed of 20 members as follows:
(1)	Ten members appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate; the persons appointed may be members of the Senate or public members.
(2)	Ten members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the persons appointed may be members of the House of Representatives or public members.
The Committee shall have two cochairs, one designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and one designated by the Speaker of the House of Representatives from among their appointees. The Committee shall meet upon the call of the cochairs. Vacancies shall be filled by the appointing authority. A quorum of the Committee shall be a majority of the members.
SECTION 1.(c)  Duties. – The Committee shall study the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the short‑ and long‑term educational, economic, and regulatory impact of those changes on our teachers, administrators, schools, parents, communities, and State. In doing so, the Committee shall consider at least all of the following:
(1)	The estimated cost of implementing the CCSS in K‑12 Mathematics and K‑12 English Language Arts since approval by the State Board of Education in June 2010, including costs associated with at least all of the following:
a.	The purchase of instructional materials that are aligned with the CCSS.
b.	Professional development and training provided to school personnel.
c.	The changes to schools' and local administrative units' technological infrastructure (including computer hardware, software, bandwidth, security, etc.) necessitated by adoption of CCSS and assessments.
d.	Outreach and personnel expenses committed by the Department of Public Instruction for CCSS‑related activities.
(2)	Projected cost of fully implementing common core assessments in English and Mathematics upon adoption of common assessments and all related assessment instruments.
(3)	A detailed summary of the federal funds used to assist North Carolina's adoption of the CCSS and common assessments.
(4)	Research that determines whether CCSS's definition of "college readiness" is consistent with the requirements needed to enter four‑year constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina system.
(5)	Studies that demonstrate that CCSS uses appropriate, research‑based curriculum sequences in Mathematics and English Language Arts.
(6)	The details of North Carolina's participation in the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC).
(7)	Time line for the adoption of CCSS assessments.
(8)	Programs and support services created or adapted to assist schools in implementing CCSS.
(9)	Practices employed to assist at‑risk students, including children with disabilities, low‑income students, and English language learners.
(10)	Changes to instructional methods and teaching philosophies stimulated by CCSS adoption.
(11)	Perspectives of classroom teachers and school‑based administrators that assess the transition from State standards to the CCSS.
(12)	Perspectives of classroom teachers and school‑based administrators that detail the ongoing process of teaching CCSS, including impacts on working conditions and classroom instruction and prospects for its success.
(13)	Perspectives of public school students, parents, and members of the community regarding the impact of the CCSS.
(14)	CCSS‑related correspondence between the Department of Public Instruction and any elected member of the General Assembly between January 2009 and June 2010.
(15)	Correspondence between the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Public Instruction related to CCSS between June 2010 and the date of inquiry.
(16)	Operation of the Common Core Certification Program in North Carolina.
(17)	Plans and prospects for adopting common standards in other subjects, including all of the following:
a.	Arts Education.
b.	English as a Second Language.
c.	Healthful Living.
d.	Information and Technology Skills.
e.	World Languages.
f.	Science.
g.	Social Studies.
h.	Career and Technical Education.
(18)	Public school student data collection, dissemination, and access policies and practices employed in North Carolina since adoption of the CCSS.
(19)	CCSS preparation and training provided by teacher education programs and schools of education in North Carolina.
(20)	Impact of CCSS adoption on charter schools, alternative schools, specialty and regional schools, online schools, early college programs, and other nontraditional public school settings.
(21)	Impact of CCSS adoption on International Baccalaureate programs, Advanced Placement courses, the Occupational Course of Study, and other alternative courses of study.
(22)	Comparisons of CCSS adoption and performance disaggregated by student groups (e.g. sex, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, grade), school types and sizes, community types, percentage of economically disadvantaged students, and other commonly accepted categories.
(23)	CCSS adoption in North Carolina compared to other states and jurisdictions.
(24)	Evidence that the use of a common or national curriculum in other countries directly leads to high academic achievement.
(25)	Fiscal, educational, and legal consequences of State withdrawal from CCSS and/or the SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium.
SECTION 1.(d)  Compensation; Administration. – Members of the Committee shall receive subsistence and travel allowances at the rates set forth in G.S. 120‑3.1, 138‑5, or 138‑6, as appropriate. With the prior approval of the Legislative Services Task Force, the Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional and clerical staff to assist in the work of the Committee. With the prior approval of the Legislative Services Commission, the Committee may hold its meetings in the State Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building. The Committee may also meet at various locations around the State in order to promote greater public participation in its deliberations. The Committee, while in the discharge of its official duties, may exercise all the powers provided under the provisions of G.S. 120‑19 and G.S. 120‑19.1 through G.S. 120‑19.4, including the power to request all officers, agents, agencies, and departments of the State to provide any information, data, or documents within their possession, ascertainable from their records or otherwise available to them, and the power to subpoena witnesses.
SECTION 1.(e)  Report. – The Committee shall submit an interim report of its findings and recommendations, including any recommendations for action by the General Assembly, to the 2014 General Assembly upon its convening, and an interim report of its findings and recommendations to the 2015 General Assembly upon its convening. The Committee shall provide a final report to the 2016 General Assembly upon its convening. The Committee shall terminate upon the filing of its final report.
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.