State Testing Updates

During the past school year the State Board of Education (SBE) and/or the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) instituted numerous changes to the state's testing program. These changes directly impact the types of assessments provided to children in grades 3-12. To help you understand the various changes and their impact on testing, we provide a summary of those changes.

Assessments Eliminated by NCDPI

• Grade 3 Pre-test (EOG)
• EOC – Chemistry
• EOC- Physics
• Computer Skills
• High School Competency
• High School Comprehensive
• NCCLAS

End of Grade Testing (EOG) – Grades 3-8

Retest 1

For standard EOG administrations, when the first test is administered, there are several versions of the same test that are handed out to the students. These are called "forms." All forms are equal and cover the same material. When a student receives a "retest" it means that the student is receiving another opportunity to take a different form of the same test because the student did not make a Level III or IV the first time. This is called Retest 1.

In April, 2009, the SBE voted to require Retest 1 for all students performing at Level II (below grade level) on the End of Grade tests in Reading and Math for grades 3-8 and for Science in grades 5 and 8. This requirement also applies to students who are taking NCExtend 1 and NCExtend 2 alternate assessments for the EOG.

The SBE ruling was implemented for last year's 2008-09 Spring administration of the EOGs and remains in effect. Therefore any student who receives a Level II on any EOG or alternate assessment of the EOG will be automatically provided with a Retest 1 . The higher of the two scores will be used for promotion consideration and for school accountability purposes. Since re-testing for Level II students is automatic, there is no requirement for the parent to take any type of action.

Students who receive a Level I are not automatically retested. Instead, parents have the opportunity to opt-in to have their child tested again on Retest 1. Letters will be sent home in advance of testing that give parents the opportunity to opt-in should their child receive a Level I . If a parent chooses to opt in, the parent must complete and sign the form and return it to the designated school personnel by the deadline date indicated in the letter in order for the child to be retested. Once the signed form is completed and received by the school, if the student has earned a Level I , at that point he/she will be automatically scheduled for a Retest 1 at the appropriate time. The higher of the two scores (original test or the retest) will be used by the principal, along with other available information, to make a determination regarding your student's promotion to the next grade. The higher of the two scores will also be used for for school accountability purposes. Remember: taking the Retest 1 does not guarantee that your child will be promoted. It only offers your child another opportunity to take the test on which s/he scored Level I.

Please understand: if your child earns a Level I score , it is not a requirement that s/he take the Retest 1 in order to be considered for a promotion decision. The principal of your school is able to make a promotion decision based on other information that has been gathered throughout the school year with regard to your child's performance and growth. Taking the Retest 1 just provides your child with another opportunity to score at Level III.

Grade 3 EOG Pre-test

This year, for budgetary purposes, NCDPI decided to eliminate the requirement of providing an EOG pre-test to all students in grade 3 at the beginning of the school year.

End of Course Testing (EOC) – Grades 9-12

Exit Standard Requirements

Successful completion of five EOC courses is required by the State in order for students to meet exit standards in order to graduate from high school. The five EOC courses are Algebra I, English I, Biology, Civics and Economics , and U.S. History . To meet the exit standard a student must score a Level III or Level IV on each of the five EOC assessments. If a student scores a Level II or Level I , there may be other options available in order to provide the student with an opportunity to meet the requirement. Those options are discussed below. The EOC flow chart, released by NCDPI, is attached to this document for your convenience. You may also find more information on NCDPI's website at http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/policies/highschoolexit . Changes to the policy (GCS-C-031) can be found at http://sbepolicy.dpi.state.nc.us/ .

Retest 1

End of Course assessments are required for Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Geometry, English I, Civics and Economics , U.S. History, and Physical Science. In April, 2009, the SBE voted to require Retest 1 for all students performing at Level II on all End of Course assessments, not just the five associated with exit standard requirements. This requirement also applies to students who are taking NCExtend1 and NCExtend2 OCS (Occupational Course of Study) alternate assessments for the EOC.

Please note, for standard EOC administrations, when the first test is administered, there are several versions of the same test that are handed out to the students. These are called "forms." All forms are equal and cover the same material. When a student receives a "retest" it means that the student is receiving another opportunity to take a different form of the same test because the student did not make a Level III or IV initially. This is called Retest 1.

The SBE ruling became effective for EOCs beginning July 1, 2009. As a result, any student who receives a Level II on any EOC or alternate assessment of the EOC will be automatically provided with a Retest 1 . The higher of the two scores will be used to calculate 25% of the student's final grade in the course as well as for school accountability purposes. Since this is an automatic process, there is no requirement for the parent to take any type of action.

If, after taking Retest 1 , the student does not make a Level III , there are options available at the school level to allow the parent and the review committee to work together to make a recommendation to the principal regarding the student's eligibility for meeting the standards for passing the course and/or meeting exit standard requirements. More specific information can be found in the attached documents and/or by visiting NCDPI's website http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/testing/eoc/ .

Students who receive a Level I are not automatically retested. Instead, parents have the opportunity to opt-in to have their child tested again on Retest 1 . Letters are sent home in advance of testing that give parents the opportunity to opt-in should their child receive a Level I . If a parent chooses to opt in, the parent must complete and sign the form and return it to the designated school personnel by the deadline indicated in the letter in order for the child to be retested. Once the signed form is completed and received by the school, if the student makes a Level I on the original EOC, he/she will be automatically scheduled for a Retest 1 at the appropriate time. The higher of the two scores (original test and the retest) will be used to calculate 25% of the student's final grade in the course. The higher of the two scores will also be used for school accountability purposes. However, taking the Retest 1 does not guarantee that your child will be earn course credit or that your child will pass the course. It only offers your child another opportunity to take the test on which s/he scored Level I .

Please understand: if your child scores at a Level I , it is not a requirement that s/he take the Retest 1 in order to be considered for a promotion and/or exit standard decision. The principal of your school is able to make a promotion and/or exit standard decision based on other information that has been gathered throughout the school year with regard to your child's performance and growth. Taking the Retest 1 merely provides your child with another opportunity to score at Level III.

Credit Recovery

Credit recovery provides students who have met the EOC achievement level of III or IV with an opportunity to earn credit for a course they are repeating. For a student to be eligible for credit recovery, the student must meet the following criteria:

• Has taken the EOC course previously; and
• Received a Level III or IV on the EOC assessment or a "Met Standard" indication; and
• Received a failing grade in the course.

Students enrolled in courses for credit recovery are not eligible to take the EOC assessment again. Instead, the score the student received on the original EOC assessment will be used as 25% of the student's final grade in the credit recovery course.

Students Who Have Made Level III or Level IV Previously and are "Repeating" A Course for Acceleration/Preparation Purposes

In Wake County we have many students who take high school level EOC courses and assessments while in middle school. Typically these students receive a Level III or IV on the assessment and pass the class. When these students begin high school, many have chosen to reenroll in the same or a similar EOC course as preparation for a higher level course (for example, Algebra I in middle school and then take Algebra I Plus at the high school). These students, will not re-take the EOC examination again since they have already met the EOC standard and the exit standard requirement. Instead, the high school seeks to enroll these students in an elective course with a teacher-made examination.