A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to allow students in home school to participate in advanced placement (AP) exams and the preliminary scholastic assessment test (psat).
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑5 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(7b)	Home school. – A nonpublic school that operates pursuant to Part 3 of Article 39 of this Chapter."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑174.18 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑174.18.  Opportunity to take Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
(a)	Every student in the eighth through tenth grades who has completed Algebra I or who is in the last month of Algebra I shall be given an opportunity to take a version of either the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) or the PLAN precursor test to the ACT, at the discretion of the local school administrative unit, one time at no cost to the student. The maximum amount of State funds used for this purpose shall be the cost of the PSAT/NMSQT.
(b)	A student in home school who has completed a course or test that shows equivalent competency to passing Algebra I shall also be given one opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT or PLAN at a school within the local school administrative unit which the student would be assigned to if the student attended public school. The local school administrative unit may charge the student the cost of the test."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 115C‑174.26 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑174.26.  Advanced courses.
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(a1)	A student in home school that meets the requirements to sit for an advanced exam shall be allowed to take the exam at a school within the local school administrative unit that the student would have been assigned to if the student attended public school. For the purposes of this section, the requirements needed to sit for the exam may only be set by the chief administrator of the home school and the organization issuing the exam. A local board of education cannot require a student in home school to complete a specific course to sit for the exam. The local school administrative unit may charge the student the cost of the test.
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(d)	Local boards of education shall provide information to students and parents on available opportunities, the enrollment process for advanced courses, and the registration process for advanced exams. The information shall explain the value of advanced courses in preparing students for postsecondary level coursework, enabling students to gain access to postsecondary opportunities, and qualifying for scholarships and other financial aid opportunities. The local board shall provide information on the registration for advanced exams for students in home school at the request of a student or parent that participates in home schooling.
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SECTION 4.  This act is effective when it becomes law.