Transformational Learning Opportunities:

Virtual & Online Schooling:

• North Carolina's virtual learning environment is robust. The North Carolina Virtual Public School os a statewide virtual school and stands as the second largest virtual school in the nation, boasting an enrollment of 34,224 students during the 2021-22 school year. NCVPS exists as a supplement to brick-and-mortar schools, and offers a variety of online courses in many subject areas including world languages, advanced placement, test preparation and credit recovery. Additionally, the state also offers two multidistrict fully online schools - North Carolina Virtual Academy and North Carolina Cyber Academy. Additional remote academies are offered by local education agencies.

• Impressively, North Carolina has six school districts that are members of the Digital Promise League of Innovative Schools. The League of Innovative Schools is a national network of school leaders in 150 districts in 38 states that aim to enhance and scale digital learning opportunities for students across the nation.

Digital Learning Resources:

• North Carolina’s Department of Education’s Office of Virtual Instruction Services, including Rethink Education, which provides resources for digital learning, including technology tools, online content resources, and affiliate state organization support.

• The state administers a range of digital learning programs under the DOE’s Digital Teaching and Learning Office. These initiatives include piloting micro-credentialing and digital badges for teachers, promoting open education resources through GoOpenNC, and supplying comprehensive databases with high-quality digital resources for educators.

• Curious about your district’s internet access? ConnectK-12 provides state- and district-specific information on access to the recommended bandwidth speeds and monthly internet costs. 

Career & Technical and/or Work-based Education:  

•  The state offers various CTE pathways aligned with industry needs, where students can earn industry-recognized certifications through their CTE programs. The state offers a career readiness diploma endorsement.

Personalized, Competency- and/or Mastery-based Learning:  

• North Carolina employs Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM) as a personalized learning strategy, enabling students to earn high school credit by demonstrating mastery of content through assessments, bypassing the need for traditional coursework.

• In 2018, the Digital Scholars Initiative was launched as a collaborative effort between teachers and the non-profit organization Digital Learning Institute, aiming to promote innovation and personalized learning in schools statewide, especially for students in low-income areas. The initiative, led by "digiLEARN," trained seven master teachers known as Digital Scholars. These Scholars held leadership positions at their schools and districts while continuing to teach in the classroom. They received additional time for professional development and teaching, using their classrooms as learning labs to support fellow teachers in implementing personalized learning strategies and collaborating with other Scholars to develop best practices.

• Several NC school districts, many of them rural, participate in the Opportunity Culture Pilot. The Opportunity Culture Pilot is an initiative that spans across the U.S and implements personalized teaching models such as multi-classroom leadership and seat time flexibility. 

Innovation Schools, Zones, and/or Districts:

• In 2016, North Carolina enacted legislation called Innovation School District and Innovation Zones (I-Zones) to increase student achievement through innovative practices and personalized learning. However, participation is limited to low-performing schools in the state. These schools must be approved by the State Board of Education, and then are managed under ISD by Innovative School Operators. 

• North Carolina's Cooperative Innovative High Schools provide small public high school settings and offer high-quality instructional programs mostly on or within a college campus. The program - created under SB656 during the 2015 legislative session - targets those at risk of dropping out, first-generation college students, and those in search of accelerated learning options. The Cooperative encompasses 134 schools across the state.