PART I: Executive Summary
and Recommendations
This is the annual report of the State Advisory Council on Indian Education to the State Board of Education.
As legislatively mandated, via this report, the Council is presenting a summary of American Indian student performance
outcomes in specified areas and recommendations to improve academic achievement.
Legislative Requirement
In 1988, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopted an Indian Education policy to identify Indian Education issues in
grades K-12. In that same year, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted Article 13A (NCGS § 115C-210 et seq.)
that established the State Advisory Council on Indian Education (SACIE) to advocate on behalf of American Indian
students in North Carolina. In 2015, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted SECTION 1. of NCGS § 11 5C-210.1
to modify the membership composition of the State Advisory Council on Indian Education. The 15-member SACIE
board consists of five parents of American Indian students enrolled in K-12 public schools, including charter schools,
and five American Indian K-12 public school educators. One of these members shall be a Title VI director or coordinator,
to be appointed by the State Board of Education, members of the North Carolina Senate and House of Representatives,
members from the UNC Board of Governors, and the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs (NCCIA).
The law (NCGS § 115C-201.4) requires the Council to submit to the SBE an annual report of performance outcomes
and related recommendations about the achievement of American Indian students in grades K-12. Each finding in
this report compares American Indian student performance with three peer groups: 1) White,
2) Black, and 3) Hispanic, except in the state-level findings where the highest performing racial/ethnic group and
American Indians are compared. It is important to note that a rating of "proficiency" means that students are
performing "at or above" grade-level. Conversely, "non-proficient" means that student performance falls below
grade-level. Teachers, principals, and parents are advised to consider all performance percentages.
Public School Enrollment Data
As of the 2020-21 academic year, the total enrollment of American Indian/
Alaskan Native (AI/AN) students in North Carolina's public schools was
15,953 (NC Department of Public Instruction, 2020). Of this number, 13,154
students were enrolled in 18 school districts that receive funding through
the Title VI Indian Education Act (IE A) of 1972 (see Appendices
А, В,
C, and
D). One district, Hertford County, is not a Title VI grantee but does enroll
Indian students of the Meherrin Tribe. This report provides performance
data of all students self-identified as American Indian/ Alaskan Native to
include those served by Title VI programs. Enrollment data is based on the
final Average Daily Membership (ADM) reported by the LEA for the 2020-
21 school year.
FIGURE 1: Percentage of North Carolina
American Indian Students Enrolled in
the IEA Cohort vs. the Non-IEA Cohort
15,953 or 82.45%
State-level Findings
Due to COVID-19, there is no 2019-20 EOG or EOC data to report. For the 2020-21 school year, the United States
Department of Education and the North Carolina General Assembly granted North Carolina waiversfrom school accountability
(School Performance Grades). The data reported for the 2020-21 school year is presented for educators and parents to
identify where additional support is needed as students begin the 2021-22 school year. Comparing the 2020-21 data with
any previous year's data prior to COVID is cautioned.
The SACIE has decided to include 2020 -21 data with subgroup data broken out by grade level for grades 3-8 and broken
out by gender for EOC assessments. 2020-21 data are included for ACT, SAT, AP course enrollment and performance,
6 | Source: Division of Accountability Services, NC Department of Public Instruction, 2021
