ELA Course Coding Clarifications

ELA Course Coding Clarifications

The North Carolina ELA Standard Course of Study

NCDPI is in the process of unifying course codes in North Carolina. A universal coding system is necessary to provide consistency to all LEA’s and individual schools for determining issues of course credit and graduation requirements. As a part of this process, ELA has identified and made changes to some course codes to ensure proper alignment to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS). Until these new codes are activated and implemented for the 2009-2010 school year, schools may still offer courses under the current coding system.

As the ELA section at DPI has worked through this process, some reoccurring coding and curriculum issues have been identified and need to be addressed. Thus, ELA is providing clarification on these issues for LEA’s and schools as they begin to plan and develop course offerings and begin the registration process for the 2009-2010 school year.

Clarifications

• The NCSCOS for English I, II, III, and IV, in that chronological progression, is the required curriculum for graduation in the state of North Carolina. While in some cases, courses may be taken concurrently, adherence to the scope and sequence of this Spiraling Curriculum is necessary to meet the goals and objectives that define the curriculum. This requirement and sequence are not an arbitrary decision by NCDPI, but rather is the policy of the State Board of Education (SBE).

• In an effort to provide rigor as well opportunity for advanced course offerings, many NC schools are now offering blended courses. While blending courses is and has been acceptable in this state, LEA’s and schools need to be aware that first and foremost, specifically in regard to blending courses with English I-IV, the blended courses must first satisfy the requirements of the NCSCOS in that subject area. The blending of accelerated curriculums is a national trend, and as a result of this trend and feedback from colleges and universities about inconsistent student preparation in high school AP courses, the College Board has implemented the AP Course Audit.

• The AP Course Audit monitors the rigor and content of all AP courses offerings. This process requires individual AP teachers to receive an official endorsement from College Board to have that teacher’s AP course included in College Board’s electronic ledger. This electronic ledger is referenced by colleges and universities for acceptance for credit for AP courses.
• Regardless of approval by College Board, English I-IV course offerings blended with AP and/or IB courses must first and foremost meet the expected curricular requirements for NCSCOS for the respective course, English I-IV, to receive credit for that course as a part of NC graduation requirements. The College Board’s audit or stand alone or elective AP courses cannot replace NCSCOS requirements for English I-IV.

• In North Carolina, many schools choose to blend English III and IV with an AP/IB course. These blended course offerings must meet the expectations of both the NCSCOS for the English course and the AP course. Concurrent with the 2007-08 academic year, College Board is requiring those blended courses to meet the endorsement requirements through the AP Course Audit process.

• The College Board permits teachers to use various titles for the AP courses, as long as the College Board title is included. However, North Carolina is designating those blended and AP courses by the titles given with the course code, thus requiring NCDPI’s course title and code to be included on the students’ transcripts.

Under the new course coding system, and in alignment with the current AP/IB courses offered in the state of North Carolina, the following course coding designations will be implemented to provide uniformity and consistency:

Blended Courses (meeting both NCSCOS and AP/IB requirements):

10337 English III and AP English (Language or Literature)

American Lit and AP Language

American Lit and AP Literature

10347 English IV and AP English (Language or Literature)

British Lit and AP Literature

British Lit and AP Language

10338 English III and IB English

10348 English IV and IB English

Stand Alone Courses (Electives):

10357 AP English Language and Composition (not meeting NCSCOS for Eng. III or IV)

10367 AP Literature and Composition (not meeting NCSCOS for Eng. III or IV)

Highlights

NCDPI recognizes and understands that that unification of course coding is an arduous process that the new system might create some chaos and confusion. However, once changes are implemented and kinks are worked-out, the result will be a much more streamlined and efficient system.

In review:

• Beginning with the 2008-2009 school year, some ELA course codes will change. The biggest impact will be in the areas of AP/IB blended and stand alone courses.
• Because of inconsistent use of codes in designating courses in the past, some confusion might have led to a lack of full understanding of blended courses and stand alone courses.
• At no time have English I-IV and their respective SCOS been eliminated, interchangeable, or open to substitution. All four courses are mandatory for graduation.
• At no time has the College Board attempted to override any state mandated courses for high school graduation.
• NC continues to cooperate with College Board’s AP program as long as the blended courses include all of the NCSCOS requirements for high school graduation in each of the English I-IV courses.
• The new course coding system recognizes the diversity of course offerings in ELA’s and individual schools while clearly designating course codes that meet the SCOS requirements and electives in ELA.

Please use the following chart for consultation and clarification purposes.