A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to amend the powers and duties of the state board of education to include the duty to approve internet or web‑based courses.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑12 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(31)	Duty to Approve Internet or Web-Based Courses. – The Board shall coordinate the development of Internet or web-based courses offered for credit by a public school. A local board of education seeking to offer an Internet or web-based course must submit an application to the Board before developing a course or contracting for the development of a course. The application shall include the reason that the course is needed, the estimated cost to develop the course, the number of students expected to take the course, and whether the course will be developed by the local school administrative unit, a nonprofit school-based provider or a for-profit commercial provider. The Department of Public Instruction, with the approval of the Board, shall approve the applications. After purchasing an existing Internet or web-based course, a local board shall report the name and cost of the course to the State Board so that the Board can maintain a listing of existing courses.
The Board shall provide technical assistance to local school administrative units interested in developing their own Internet or web-based course. The Board shall establish guidelines on the characteristics of high-quality courses to assist in course development."
SECTION 2.   The State Board of Education shall study the feasibility of the Department of Public Instruction, in collaboration with local school administrative units, to develop an online course template to aid in Internet or web‑based course development and to build a library of courses modeled on the Community College System's Virtual Learning Community Project.  The State Board shall report on its findings to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2002.
SECTION 3. The State Board of Education shall conduct a survey of Internet or web‑based courses that were offered during the 2001‑2002 school year to determine the following: (i) the total number of schools that offered courses, (ii) the total number of courses offered, (iii) the total number of students who participated in the courses, (iv) the number of courses, the subject area of the courses, and the number of students that participated by school, (v) the reasons that the courses were offered, and (vi) the cost to develop and provide the courses.  The State Board shall report on the survey results to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by December 15, 2002.
SECTION 4.   This act is effective when it becomes law.