WS Chronicle

RALEIGH  – The North Carolina House of Representatives gave final legislative approval on Thursday, June 14, to a bill that ensures low-income students have access to advanced courses.  The bill will now be signed into law by the governor.

House Bill 986 Various Changes to Education Laws requires local education agencies (LEAs) to automatically enroll any student in the third grade or above in advanced math courses if they receive a superior score of 5 on their end-of-grade test.

“Today thousands of low-income students across the state came one step closer to breaking from the cycle of poverty through true educational opportunity,” said Rep. Ed Hanes Jr. (D-Forsyth), a primary sponsor of the original proposal to require enrollment of students with superior courses in advanced classes.

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) praised the legislation on June 14 by stating, “Students who earn the opportunity take to advanced classes deserve to be automatically enrolled in a challenging classroom experience.”

An investigation by the [Raleigh] News and Observer and Charlotte Observer last year found thousands of low-income children who achieve “superior” marks on end-of-grade tests are more likely to be excluded from advanced classes than their peers from families with higher incomes.

“By passing this legislation and giving these low-income students the opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies, we are providing them the means to possess the intellectual capital, the social capital and the cultural capital necessary to change their impoverished conditions,” commented Hanes in a press conference after the bill passed the House earlier this month.

Malone (R-Wake), another primary sponsor of the original proposal, stated: It is an economic imperative to ensure that all students reach their highest potential.” Malone is a former Wake County school board member and believes “Students can strive in more rigorous classrooms, and we should be doing all we can to ensure that every child has an opportunity to take these courses.”

Brenda Berg, CEO of BEST NC, a nonpartisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving North Carolina’s education system, applauded the measure. “The vast majority of all new jobs require STEM knowledge. Depriving students of advanced math also deprived them access to careers. North Carolina’s economic future depends on every student reaching their highest potential,” Berg said. “I am particularly impressed by the bipartisanship that

Representatives Hanes and Malone show through this legislation. It is remarkable what can be achieved when students are the priority.”

Matt Ellinwood, director of the Education and Law Project at the NC Justice Center, told EdNC that the bill “is an important first step in ensuring children who have earned the right to participate in advanced classes have the opportunity to do,” adding that he would eventually like to see the opportunity be extended to additional subjects.

.  The bill will now be signed into law by the governor.

House Bill 986 Various Changes to Education Laws requires local education agencies (LEAs) to automatically enroll any student in the third grade or above in advanced math courses if they receive a superior score of 5 on their end-of-grade test.

“Today thousands of low-income students across the state came one step closer to breaking from the cycle of poverty through true educational opportunity,” said Rep. Ed Hanes Jr. (D-Forsyth), a primary sponsor of the original proposal to require enrollment of students with superior courses in advanced classes.

State House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) praised the legislation on June 14 by stating, “Students who earn the opportunity take to advanced classes deserve to be automatically enrolled in a challenging classroom experience.”

An investigation by the [Raleigh] News and Observer and Charlotte Observer last year found thousands of low-income children who achieve “superior” marks on end-of-grade tests are more likely to be excluded from advanced classes than their peers from families with higher incomes.

“By passing this legislation and giving these low-income students the opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies, we are providing them the means to possess the intellectual capital, the social capital and the cultural capital necessary to change their impoverished conditions,” commented Hanes in a press conference after the bill passed the House earlier this month.

Malone (R-Wake), another primary sponsor of the original proposal, stated: It is an economic imperative to ensure that all students reach their highest potential.” Malone is a former Wake County school board member and believes “Students can strive in more rigorous classrooms, and we should be doing all we can to ensure that every child has an opportunity to take these courses.”

Brenda Berg, CEO of BEST NC, a nonpartisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving North Carolina’s education system, applauded the measure. “The vast majority of all new jobs require STEM knowledge. Depriving students of advanced math also deprived them access to careers. North Carolina’s economic future depends on every student reaching their highest potential,” Berg said. “I am particularly impressed by the bipartisanship that

Representatives Hanes and Malone show through this legislation. It is remarkable what can be achieved when students are the priority.”

Matt Ellinwood, director of the Education and Law Project at the NC Justice Center, told EdNC that the bill “is an important first step in ensuring children who have earned the right to participate in advanced classes have the opportunity to do,” adding that he would eventually like to see the opportunity be extended to additional subjects.