Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE)

North Carolina's Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort - also known as ACRE - is our state's comprehensive initiative to redefine the Standard Course of Study for K-12 students, the student assessment program and the school accountability model. In undertaking this ambitious work, North Carolina education leaders are the first in the nation to address learning standards, student assessments and school accountability simultaneously.

In stages over five years (2008-2013) the ACRE initiative will

• identify the most critical knowledge and skills that students need to learn - filtering the "must have" elements of the curriculum from the "nice to have" elements;
• create new student tests for grades 3-8 and high school courses that use more open-ended questions, more technology and more real-world applications of what students learn; and
• provide a new model for measuring school success that gives parents and educators more relevant information about how well schools are preparing students for college, work and adulthood.

You can access the history of ACRE, its development and implementation, timelines and documents, and resources guiding these efforts through this link.