Parent's Guide to Student Achievement

• State Board Policy
• DCS High School Program of Studies
• DCS Board Policy 3420 Student Promotion and Accountability

• Arts Education
• Career Technical Education,
• Computer Science
• English Language Arts
• English Language Development
• Student Success Standards
• Healthful Living
• Information and Technology
• Mathematics, Science
• Social Studies, and World Language

NCDPI Parent and Family Content Support Guides

Local districts, schools and teachers determine how to teach these standards, including curriculum, supplementary materials, books, etc.

DCS High School Program of Studies

In Dare County, all district provided instructional materials are vetted and reviewed to ensure alignment with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. All district provided instructional materials can be made available for review following the procedure outlined in DCS Board Policy 3210 Parental Inspection of and Objection to Educational Resources.

Each district must also have a Literacy Intervention Plan (LIP). The plan must include Reading Camps as an extension of what occurs during the school year.

Technology to Support Student Learning

Dare County Schools provides students with a Chromebook or table to access software and other digital resources to support instruction. Students will also be given a Dare County Schools’ email account, and teachers may have students create accounts for digital resources, including AI-powered tools and platforms, that are directly related to instructional needs in the classroom. Teachers may also provide instruction through tools that support learning off campus.

All technological resources provided to students remain the property of Dare County Schools. Additionally, the use of technology is subject to certain Dare County Board of Education Policies and administrative procedures that are intended to foster student safety and appropriate behavior. Like other school system property, parents are financially responsible for any damage caused by their child to their Chromebook, tablet, or other technological resource provided by Dare County Schools. More details on the rules governing the use of school system technology and charges for the damages to technological resources are provided in the Dare County Schools Annual Notices and the Dare County Schools website under the Department of Technology.

If parents wish to provide a device for their child, they must obtain permission from their child’s school and adhere to additional conditions set by Dare County Schools related to the use of the device on the Dare County Schools’ network. Parents who wish to opt their child out of a school system email account or digital resource account should contact the principal at their student’s school.

If parents have questions about their child’s academic progress, they are encouraged to contact their school. 

• DCS Parent Information Site
• DCS Board Policy 1310/4002 Parental Involvement
• DCS Board Policy 3400 Evaluation of Student Progress

Parents may look up your child’s teacher licensure status online: NCDPI License Verification

The licensure look up webpage does not include current employment information. Parents may need additional information (i.e., middle name or license number) to identify the teacher accurately.  Substitute teachers (either short or long term) may not hold a NC teaching license.  

• Policy LICN-001: General Licensure Requirements
• DCS Board Policy 1320/3560 Title I Parent and Family Engagement
• DCS Board Policy 7130 Licensure
• DCS Board Regulation 7130-R Licensure

Please contact Dare County Schools Human Resources office with any additional questions.

• Immunization records:  GS_130A-155.pdf (ncleg.gov)
• Immunization requirements:  GS_130A-152.pdf (ncleg.gov) (*this law was amended but is not reflected on the current GA page; see SL2023-134.pdf (ncleg.gov), Section 5.8(e) on page 64”

Information on required health assessments and immunizations for students are available through the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

NCDHHS Immunizations Resources

Recommended Immunization Schedules

• Kindergarten Entry Vaccine Requirements
• Seventh Grade Entry Vaccine Requirements
• Twelfth Grade Entry Vaccine Requirements

DCS Board Policy 4100 Age Requirements for Initial Entry
DCS Board Policy 4110 Immunization and Health Requirements for School Admission
DCS Board Policy 4120 Domicile or Residence Requirements

Engaging with your child about school and what they are learning is pivotal to their learning process.  

• Ask questions daily about your child’s school day.
• Inquire about topics and assignments they are learning.
• Connect with teachers to understand your child’s progress.
• Ask the teachers how you can help your child learn.
• Attend different events at your child’s school to stay connected and learn how to support them.

Local Resources:

DCS Board Policy 1310/4002 Parental Involvement

Parent Guides for Academic Standards:

The following grade level guides contain information to support parents and caregivers with understanding the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.  The purpose of these guides is to inform parents about the standards, as well as provide useful strategies to incorporate at home.

• English Language Arts Parent Guides
• English Language Development Parent Guide
• Math Parent Guides: K-5, 6-8
• Social Studies Parent Guides (coming soon)
• Science Parent Guide (coming soon)

Reading and Literacy Support:

This following site provides resources for families to practice and reinforce important literacy skills with their children who are being assessed with mCLASS reading assessments: Amplify Parent Resources

Attendance:

School attendance and class participation are integral parts of academic achievement and the teaching-learning process. Through regular attendance, students develop patterns of behavior essential to professional and personal success in life. Regular attendance by every student is mandatory. The State of North Carolina requires that every child in the State between the ages of 7 (or younger if enrolled) and 16 attend school. 

Parents and legal guardians are responsible for ensuring that students attend and remain at school daily. School administrators shall communicate attendance expectations to parents and guardians and work with students and their families to overcome barriers to attendance.

• DCS Board Policy 4400 Attendance
• DCS Board Regulation 4400-R Student Attendance Regulations

Home activities, printables, and games to support reading and literacy are also available at North Carolina’s Digital Children’s Reading Initiative (DCRI). These activities include the following topics, Pre-K-Grade 5:

(1) Phonemic awareness
(2) Phonics
(3) Vocabulary
(4) Fluency
(5) Comprehension
(6) Oral language

Printable activities will be made available for students who do not have digital access at home and may be provided to all students as a supplement to digital resources. For paper copies, please contact your child’s school. 

DCRI Printables for Families

Dare County Schools embeds Portrait of a Graduate skills in the classroom and school setting.  These durable skills were developed by NCDPI and support a child’s realization of high expectations and setting lifelong learning goals.  

Grade level specific resources, including developmentally appropriate milestones can be found in the following resource repository:

NC Portrait of a Graduate

Attendance:

School attendance and class participation are integral parts of academic achievement and the teaching-learning process.  Through regular attendance, students develop patterns of behavior essential to professional and personal success in life.  Regular attendance by every student is mandatory.  The State of North Carolina requires that every child in the State between the ages of 7 (or younger if enrolled) and 16 attend school. 

Parents and legal guardians are responsible for ensuring that students attend and remain at school daily.  School administrators shall communicate attendance expectations to parents and guardians and work with students and their families to overcome barriers to attendance.

• DCS Board Policy 4400 Attendance
• DCS Board Regulation 4400-R Student Attendance Regulations

Student Behavior: 

The maintenance of a positive school climate conducive to the individual pursuit of learning, working and living is shared by parent/guardians, students and all school personnel. Each is expected to work positively toward this goal and to respect the individuality and the rights of every person.

Parent(s)/Guardian(s), students and school personnel are also expected to deal effectively with behavioral concerns.

All students shall comply with the Code of Student Conduct of the Dare County Schools, state and federal laws, Board of Education policies, and local school rules governing student behavior and conduct. This Code and other board and school behavior policies apply to any student while in any school building or on any school premises before, during or after hours; while on any bus or other vehicle as part of any school activity; while waiting at any bus stop; during any school function, extracurricular activity or event; while subject to the authority of school personnel; and at any time or place when the student’s behavior has or is reasonably expected to have a direct and immediate impact on the orderly and efficient operation of the schools or the safety of individuals in the school environment (including, but not limited to, use of electronic communications or social media on or off school grounds).

• DCS Board Policy 4300 Student Behavior Policies
• DCS Board Regulation 4300-R Code of Student Conduct Regulations

DCS Board Policy 1310/4002 Parental Involvement

A. Communication with Parents

The board encourages school personnel to have regular contact with parents for informational purposes as well as for commendation of students and notification of concerns. School personnel shall communicate with parents about student behavior issues in accordance with requirements of policy 4341, Parental Involvement in Student Behavior Issues, and about student attendance as described in policy 4400, Attendance. In addition, parents will be notified promptly if school personnel suspect that a criminal offense has been committed against the parent’s child, unless notification would impede an investigation by law enforcement or the child welfare agency.

The principal must effectively communicate to parents the manner in which textbooks are used to implement the school’s curricular objectives. Any parent interested in learning more about their child’s course of study or the source of any supplementary instructional materials should contact the principal for more information. If a parent would like to inspect and review particular instructional materials, the parent should make such a request in accordance with policy 3210, Parental Inspection of and Objection to Instructional Materials.

The principal also shall ensure that information about the nature and purpose of all clubs and activities, curricular and extracurricular, offered at the school is available at the school’s main office and/or on the school’s website. Any parent who would like information about such clubs or activities should contact the school’s main office and/or visit the school’s website.

The principal or designee shall strive, through oral or written communication or other means, to include the parents of students identified as at-risk in the implementation and review of academic and/or behavioral interventions for their children, in accordance with policy 3405, Students at Risk of Academic Failure.

The principal or designee shall provide the parent of each student in kindergarten, first, or second grade with written notification of the student’s reading progress. The notice will be provided three times a year, following each benchmark assessment and will include: (1) assessment results, (2) whether the child may not reach reading proficiency by the end of third grade, and (3) instructional support activities for use at home.

Dare County Schools uses the following platforms for communication between home/school:

• Infinite Campus, Remind, ClassDojo, Learning Management Systems (Canvas and Google Classroom)
  • Parents can view students’ grades in Infinite Campus parent portal.

    • Link guides for how to gain parent access to LMS and/or SIS

The following are NCDPI developed parent guides that provide suggestions for building strong relationships with your child’s teacher and supporting communication between home and school.

• Building Strong Relationships with Your Child’s Teacher (NC Rethink Education Program)
• How You Can Use Questions to Support Your Child’s Learning (NC Rethink Education Program)

Additional general parent guides and parent resource webinar recordings can be found at the following website.

Tutoring:

NCVPS EdVantage Tutoring offers virtual statewide wraparound support to middle and high school students in NC public schools. Tutoring is available in Math, Science, and ELA, and is offered via a personalized partnership with district/school leadership to best meet the needs of selected students each semester.

Resources listed below are subject to availability and location:

• Adult Spanish Classes
• Adult English Classes
• Advancement Via Individual Determination
• Dual Language Immersion Summer Tutoring
• Carolina Advising Corps
• Before/After School Tutoring
• Guidance Departments for Academic Advising
• After School Enrichment Program (ASEP)
• Summer Reading Camp for elementary students
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
• Peer Power
• Community Tutoring Partnerships
• College of the Albemarle-Dare College Liaison
• Whom to Call-First Contacts for Children with Disabilities

• Parent Teacher Organization (PTO/PTA) 
• School Improvement Team (SIT) 
• Adult Spanish Classes
• Adult English Classes
• School Volunteers
• Superintendent Advisory Councils
• Booster Clubs (Secondary)

Dare County Schools offers a variety of options for students to pursue their interests, skills at their academic level. 

Career and Technical Education (CTE):

NC has made a significant investment in developing students and programs to meet the needs of the future workforce.  Through Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, Public Schools offer opportunities for students to develop career awareness in 5th grade, explore careers in grades 6-8, and experience leadership, career development, and career-aligned content in grades 9-12.  

In Dare County Schools, students are able to experience leadership, career development, and career-aligned content from grades 9-12:

• Architecture & Construction
• Arts, A/V Technology, & Communications
• Business Management & Administration
• Health Science
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Human Services
• Information Technology
• Marketing

All program areas are not offered at all schools

For more information on CTE in NC, and to learn about Career Clusters, Pathways, and Course Information, Standards, and applicable Credentials please visit: Course Management System.

In our district, there are the following programs available that are more rigorous and challenging than the standard content for students:

Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted (AIG): 

In NC, school districts must identify and serve academically or intellectually gifted (AIG) K-12 students. These are students who are performing, or have the potential of performing, at high levels of accomplishment in intellectual and/or specific academic areas, such as reading and/or math when compared with other students of their age, or in their grade level, experience, or environment. 

The Dare County Schools Local AIG Plan outlines specific opportunities for differentiated, rigorous instruction and accelerated programs. You can find the plan at Dare County Schools Local AIG Plan.

The Dare County Schools has developed an AIG Parent Guidebook to help parents better understand the AIG program.  This describes how students will be identified and served across grades K-12.  Visit DCS’ AIG Parent Handbook for parent information.  

In Dare County Schools, students are often provided the following services:

• Differentiated curriculum and instruction with flexible student groups;
• Accelerated opportunities (subject and/or grade acceleration, credit by demonstrated mastery (CDM), AP/IB/CIE courses, dual enrollment courses;
• Enrichment experiences, which may be during the school day or beyond, and may be within the regular calendar year or may include summer opportunities; and 
• Other opportunities for extension of content standard.

Services for AIG students may be provided by AIG personnel or within the regular classroom by teachers trained to meet the needs of gifted students. 

Contact the district/school AIG Coordinator with questions: Caitlin Spruill, spruillca@daretolearn.org; 252-480-8888 ext 1954.

Honors Level Courses:

In Dare County Schools, students have access to a variety of honors level courses in high school.  These courses are available in the Program of Studies located at Current Program of Studies.

Honors level courses typically have a faster pace than standard level courses.  They offer additional rigor, complexity and creativity than standard level courses.  

Career and College Promise (CCP): 

Dare County Schools partners with The College of the Albemarle to offer dual enrollment opportunities through the CCP program. If your high school student qualifies, students may earn high school credit by completing community college coursework.  

CCP courses may be taken in the College Transfer or Career and Technical Education pathway.  These courses count for both high school and college credit.  Tuition is free for families. 

To learn more about this program, contact Denise Fallon; fallonde@daretolearn.org; 252-480-8888 ext 1928.

Additional information is available on the NCDPI CCP website.

Advanced Placement (AP) Courses: 

Advanced Placement (AP) is a program developed by the College Board to offer college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. 

In NC, 40 Advanced Placement courses are offered in public high schools. Dare County Schools offers AP courses in all high schools.

Several AP courses satisfy graduation requirements for NC students as outlined in State Board policy. 

AP exams are free for NC public high school students enrolled in these courses. 

Colleges and universities may likely offer college credit for these courses if your child scores a 3 or above on the exam. All of the colleges in the UNC System offer credit.

More information is available on the NCDPI AP website.

Accelerated Access

NCVPS:

North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) is NC’s state supplemental program and leader in online education, providing inclusive learning opportunities for students across the state. Founded in 2007, with a strong commitment to ensuring quality education for all students, regardless of location, NCVPS has over 16 years of experience serving diverse learners.

Students may enroll in NCVPS courses for a variety of reasons.  Work with your school counselor if you are interested in taking NCVPS courses.

Credit by Demonstrated Mastery (CDM):

Dare County Schools offers opportunities for students to earn credit for a high school course without enrolling in the course.  All high school courses, with a few exceptions as noted by the state, are available for students to try to CDM.  There are two phases of assessments that a student must go through to earn credit for the course.

DCS Board Policy 3460 Graduation Requirements

Contact your child’s school counselor for more information. 

Governor’s School:

Each summer, NC Governor’s School offers a unique opportunity for high-achieving rising juniors and seniors to learn with their peers from across the state in an 4-week residential program at two college campus sites. 

For more information on eligibility and the application process, contact Steve Blackstock; blackstockst@daretolearn.org; 252-480-8888 ext 1927 or visit the Governor's School website, www.ncgovschool.org.

Students in public school districts are assigned to certain schools based on a local assignment plan approved by the Local Board of Education.

There are other options for families to choose for their education:

Nonpublic Education and Scholarship Grants

Nonpublic education is overseen by the NC Department of Administration.

For a list of private schools, visit this NC Private Schools.

For information on how to start a homeschool visit: Homeschool Information

Scholarship grant programs/voucher information is available via the NC State Education Assistance Authority.

Discretionary Admission/Attendance Zone Transfer

• DCS Board Policy 4130 Discretionary Admission
• DCS Board Regulation 4130-R Dare County Schools Discretionary Admission Regulations
• DCS Board Policy 4150 School Assignment
• DCS Board Regulation 4150-R Attendance Area Transfers

For students suspected of or identified with a disability by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the following links provide important information regarding the procedural safeguards available to ensure a free, appropriate, public education.

• Parent Rights Handbook
• Parent Rights Handbook (Spanish)
• IDEA Dispute Resolution
• Special Education Surrogate Parents
• Project Child Find
• DCS Exceptional Children Information

Information on required health assessments and immunizations for students are available through the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)

Immunizations

Health Assessment

Annual Health Assessment and Immunization Compliance Reporting

The following are statutory school entry requirements, this includes required immunizations:

Admission requirements: GS_115C-364.pdf (ncleg.gov)

• Immunization records: GS_130A-155.pdf (ncleg.gov)
• Immunization requirements: GS_130A-152.pdf (ncleg.gov) (*this law was amended but is not reflected on the current GA page; see SL2023-134.pdf (ncleg.gov), Section 5.8(e) on page 64”)

NCDHHS Immunizations Resources

• Recommended Immunization Schedules
  • Kindergarten Entry Vaccine Requirements
  • Seventh Grade Entry Vaccine Requirements
  • Twelfth Grade Entry Vaccine Requirements

Local Information:

• DCS School Health Information
• DCS Board Policy 4100 Age Requirements for Initial Entry
• DCS Board Policy 4110 Immunization and Health Requirements for School Admission
• DCS Board Policy 4120 Domicile or Residence Requirements

Children & Youth Partnership for Dare County

Services: Parenting Enrichment Program, Trip P (Positive Parenting Program), childcare resources and referrals, child day care assistance program, diaper drives, Reach out and Read, and Raising a Reader programs.

(252) 441-0614
534 Ananias Dare Street, Manteo, NC 27959
cypobx@darekids.org
Website

Department of Health and Human Services

Services: Health insurance coverage assistance, periodic well child checkups, specialized medical services, dental care, age appropriate immunizations, transportation, and Women, Infants, & Children (WIC).  

Contact: 

(252) 475-5003
109 Exeter Street, Manteo, NC 27954
Website