Parent Guide to Student Achievement

What students learn is driven by the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. These are standards approved by our State Board of Education that all students across the state learn in each grade and content area. Our CCS Curriculum Overviews provide parents with information on which standards are being taught and the order of the standards. They also contain additional resources for parents aligned to the unit of study. For parents of high school students, the course catalog provides the options of courses offered at our high schools, graduation requirements, and descriptions for each course.  

• Course Catalog

• Graduation Requirements

• Curriculum Programs

  1. CCS Learning Framework 

  2. Elementary Curriculum

  3. Middle School Curriculum

  4. High School Curriculum 

• Library Records

• Family Life Homepage

• North Carolina Standard Course of Study

Curriculum Policies

• 3200 Selection of Instructional Materials

• 3210 Parental Inspection of and Objection to Instructional Materials

Learning Options - CLICK HERE To learn more about: 

• Honors/Advanced Course Sequence

• Advanced Placement Courses

• Dual Enrollment

Specialty Programs

• Columbus County Schools Academically and Intellectually Gifted Program

• Multilingual-Learners Brochure (English-Spanish)

• North Carolina Virtual Public School 

• District Specialty Programs

For Middle and High School Families

• Course Catalog

• Curriculum Overviews

• Portrait of a Graduate - The Portrait of a Graduate outlines our community's goals for what skills our students should have after high school. It focuses on preparing them with the knowledge and abilities needed for a fast-paced, complex world.

• Major Clarity- Major Clarity, designed for middle and high schoolers, supports students from all walks of life in planning their futures. It encourages self-discovery and equips each student with the tools for their own success.

• NC Careers - Within NCcareers.org, users identify their skills/interests; explore occupations and local job/employer needs; identify education and training opportunities and prepare to enter/re-enter the job market. The system provides clear, consistent information about North Carolina’s current and future job needs and education/training offerings to all, starting with students in middle school and continuing through adulthood. 

Parents have the right to review statewide standardized assessment results as part of the State Report Card. 

Each school in Columbus County Schools shares progress of students through a variety of ways, including quarterly report cards, progress reports, and assignment/test feedback.

In NC, all students take end-of-grade assessments for reading and math in grades 3-8. Students take end-of-grade science assessments in grades 5 and 8. In high school, students take end-of-course assessments in English II, Biology, NC Math 1, and NC Math 3

School Calendars - Report card and interim report dates can be found on the school calendars. 

Policy

• 3420 Student Promotion and Accountability

• 3400 Evaluation of Student Progress

• 3400-R Evaluation of Students Performance Regulations - Elementary

• 3400-R Evaluation of Students Performance Regulations - Secondary Year Long

• 3400-R Evaluation of Students Performance Regulations - High School

• 3460 Graduation Requirements

• 3405: Students at Risk of Academic Failure

These resources support parents in partnership with our schools. We know that students do best when parents talk to their children about what they are learning in school. The curriculum guides have resources aligned to the units of study in our core curriculum resources so you know what your child is learning in class. Additionally, we invite all parents to join their student's google classroom to access daily instructional materials and information. 

• Literacy at Home

• Curriculum Overview

• North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Parent Corner

• Child Nutrition

• Teacher licensure  (Department of Public Instruction)

Qualifications of my child's teachers, including licensure status: 

• 1. 1. 1. Look up your student's teacher's licensure status: Teacher licensure  (Department of Public Instruction)

        2. Columbus County Schools' policy regarding recruitment and selection of personnel: Policy 7100

        3. Columbus County Schools' policy regarding teacher licensure: Policy 7130

• Enrollment

• Immunization (Policy 4110)

• School District Report Cards

• Language Instruction Education Plan (Multilingual Learners)

• Early Literacy Plan (K-3 Reading)

• Literacy Intervention Plan (Support for Early Reading)

Citizenship and Character Education: Every school has programs and activities to help students develop good character and citizenship, including programs to help students understand, assess and take responsibility for their behavior and learning, as well as how to act responsibly towards others. School staff members ensure that positive behavior is practiced, demonstrated, modeled, and reinforced within an environment of mutual respect, caring, and dignity. For more information see Board Policy: 3530 Citizenship and Character Education.

Counseling Program: Our school counseling programs support students in their personal and social development and help them transition from school to higher education or a career. School counselors are available at each school as the first point of contact if a student has needs and families are unsure where to start.  See Board Policy 3610 regarding the Counseling Program.

 Name Change Request Form

Pronoun Change Request Form

 School Social Work: The Columbus County  Schools Social Work Program provides services to strengthen and facilitate the educational process by identifying, modifying, and removing barriers to learning while promoting wellness and student success. School Social Workers are the vital link between the school, home, and community. Available Community Services Guide. 

Special Education and Related Services: Columbus County Schools provides special education and related services to students identified with a disability according to the Individual with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and N.C. Public School Law Article 9. For additional information on special education services see the following resources;

• www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/classroom-resources/exceptional-children

• CCS EC Program Descriptions

• Special Needs Registry for Emergency Management

• Vocational Rehabilitation Services

• Parent Rights and Responsibilities in Special Education (NC Procedural Safeguards)

• Policy 1730: Nondiscrimination of the Basis of Disabilities

We value parents as critical partners in our endeavor to support a child's education from Pre-K up through high school graduation.  We outline parental actions that can help strengthen a child's citizenship and social skills in our policies aimed at outlining parental involvement. (1310/4002)  Additionally, we believe that parents can be critical partners in helping students grow in their capacity to set high expectations for success, including setting lifelong learning goals.  Our CCS Learning Framework outlines our blueprint for supporting life-long learning in our organization.  Policy 4341 outlines how parents can be actively involved in supporting and growing student social and behavioral skills. 

• REMIND - Emails, texts and phone calls from your school.

• School Websites - Find your school's website here. Links to their social media can be found on their websites at the bottom.

• CTE Advisory (2670) - Parent Committee

• Major Clarity Parent Brochure (English) (Spanish)

• How to become a Volunteer - To become a volunteer in your school visit this website and complete the CCS Volunteer Application. 

• Community Services Available