A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO CLARIFY and make PERMANENT the REPORTING REQUIREMENT ON CURSIVE WRITING AND MULTIPLICATION TABLES and to require students who score a level five on math end‑of‑year tests to be placed in advanced math classes the following year.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Part 1 of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115C‑81.81.  Annual report on cursive writing and multiplication tables.
The State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by March 30 of each year on the compliance of each local school administrative unit with the requirements regarding cursive writing pursuant to G.S. 115C‑81.75 and the memorization of multiplication tables pursuant to G.S. 115C‑81.80. The report shall include at least the following information:
(1)	The percentage of local school administrative units in the State complying and not complying with G.S. 115C‑81.75 and a list of both sets of units.
(2)	The percentage of local school administrative units in the State complying and not complying with G.S. 115C‑81.80 and a list of both sets of units.
(3)	A list of all instructional strategies used by each local school administrative unit to comply with G.S. 115C‑81.75 categorized by unit.
(4)	A list of each instructional strategy identified pursuant to subdivision (3) of this section and the corresponding percentage of local school administrative units in the State using that strategy to comply with G.S. 115C‑81.75.
(5)	If, in any given year, one or more local school administrative units does not respond to inquiries from the Department of Public Instruction related to this section, the percentage of local school administrative units in the State that were nonresponsive and a list of those units."
SECTION 2.  Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115C‑81.36.  Advanced courses in mathematics.
(a)	When practicable, local boards of education shall offer advanced courses in mathematics in all grades three and higher.
(b)	When advanced courses are offered in mathematics, any student scoring a level five on the end‑of‑grade or end‑of‑course test for the mathematics course in which the student was most recently enrolled shall be enrolled in the advanced course for the next mathematics course in which the student is enrolled. A student in seventh grade scoring a level five on the seventh grade mathematics end‑of‑grade test shall be enrolled in a high school level mathematics course in eighth grade. No student who qualifies under this subsection shall be removed from the advanced or high school mathematics course in which the student is enrolled unless a parent or guardian of the student provides written consent for the student to be excluded or removed from that course."
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law. Section 1 of this act applies to reports submitted on or after that date. Section 2 of this act applies beginning with the 2018‑2019 school year.