Monthly Standards Update
2026 ELA Standard Course of Study Installation Under Way
On January 8, 2026, the NC State Board of Education (SBE) adopted Draft 4 as the 2026 ELA Standard Course of Study for implementation in the 2027-2028 school year. The current 2017 ELA Standard Course of Study will remain in place for classroom instruction through the 2026-2027 school year. The newly approved K-12 ELA SCOS aims to serve as the framework that guides each Public School Unit (PSU) in the development of the curriculum and instruction for English Language Arts.
In an effort to keep stakeholders informed, the NCDPI ELA Team will provide monthly standards updates that contain the latest announcements and current news regarding the adopted 2026 ELA SCOS. These updates are sent the first Friday of every month.
To receive these updates straight to your inbox, please subscribe to our listserv. To view past listserv messages, visit the NCDPI ELA Webpage.
New: Office of Teaching & Learning (OTL) Professional Learning Guide
The NCDPI Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL) provides leadership and support for the review, revision, installation, and implementation of the NC Standard Course of Study, which includes resources and professional learning for providing high-quality, standards-aligned instruction for every K–12 student.
The 2026–2027 Office of Teaching & Learning Professional Learning Guide provides a central location for accessing statewide professional learning opportunities and newly released resources for the 26-27 SY. Educators can explore professional learning offered by each content-area team, find team contact information, and connect directly to each content area’s primary resource repository. Use the guide throughout the year to stay informed about available learning opportunities!
Update: 2026-2027 ELA SCOS Webinar Series Registration Full!
Registration for the 2026-2027 ELA SCOS Webinar Series is currently full! The ELA Team thanks those who joined and participated in the first webinar which focused on the Complex Texts (CT) Strand. Recordings and slide decks from the first webinar are coming soon and will be available via the promo flyer.
Educators attempting to register for the remaining webinars who are not able are encouraged to try to join each session the day of using the direct meeting links now included on the flyer.
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2026 ELA SCOS Installation Resource Spotlight
Highlighted Vertical Progression
The Highlighted Standards Vertical Progression Tool provides a vertical view of the NC Standard Course of Study for English Language Arts, K-12 (2026). This resource allows educators to see how each standard and objective changes and builds from grade-to-grade as they progress towards career and college readiness. Educators can use the vertical progression to align and differentiate curriculum and instruction, develop scaffolds and supports, and coordinate curriculum and instruction across grades.
Statements are provided in a column to the left of the objectives in the Complex Texts (CT) Strand, Comprehension Development (CD) Strand, and Communication and Writing (CW) Strand in order to help educators understand the overarching focus for objectives as they progress across grades. In order to support understanding of the vertical progression of skills in Comprehension Development Foundational Skills (CD.F), objectives are divided into required skills and their corresponding concepts. Similarly, CW.2 and CW.3 objectives are embedded within tables, mapping their initial introduction and continued use.
View the Highlighted Vertical Progression document and other supporting resources for the 2026 ELA SCOS on the 2026 SCOS page in the Virtual Implementation Kit (VIK).
New Printable Progressions Added
To support local printing of the Highlighted Vertical Progression, additional document tabs have been added to the document that capture progressions in the K-3, 2-6, 5-9, and 8-12 grade spans. To print these tabs, navigate to the desired grade span. Then, click File > Print > Print Current Tab. Repeat this process to print all desired grade spans.
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