DURHAM -- Year round school begins for more than 3,000 Durham County students Monday. They'll be the first group of students in the area to experience a new curriculum that will be implemented this school year.

The new "common core curriculum" encourages math and language arts teachers to take a different approach to teaching their lesson plans. The principal at Rogers-Herr Middle School says it will ultimately demand more critical thinking, writing and better reading skills.

North Carolina, along with 45 other states, are on board with this new style of learning. Though teachers have had about five weeks to make this transition since the end of the last school year, they think students are ready to make the big switch.

"Kids are resilient," said Michael Fuga, the principal of Rogers-Herr Middle School. "When you have the correct teachers in place the correct structure in place. The kids are going to learn and they're going to be successful."

As for students on the traditional calendar, they'll go back to school on Aug. 27.

Fayetteville also starts year-round schools Monday.