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School standards and testing

With the implementation of the ABCs of Public Education, the Excellent Schools Act, charter school legislation, and other reforms, North Carolina lawmakers have put education atop the priority list. But even after some recent progress, repeated problems with the state testing program and disappointing performance from high school students suggest more fundamental changes are needed.

Key Facts

• The state implemented the state testing program during the 1996-97 school year.
• The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) develops all end-of-grade and end-of-course tests in-house. From adoption of the curriculum to reporting test results, North Carolina has a 22-step, approximately four-year test development process.
• State tests have four levels of achievement. Achievement Level III or above is considered proficient.
• Students in grades 3-8 take end-of-grade reading and mathematics tests. Elementary and middle school students with disabilities take NCEXTEND1 and NCEXTEND2 assessments. All 5th and 8th grade students take an end-of-grade science test.
• In 2009, the State Board of Education approved a policy that allowed retests to be included in performance data for grades 3-8.
• Students in grades 9-12 take one or more end-of-course test in Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, English I, Geometry, US History, Civics and Economics, and Physical Science.
• Beginning in 2009-10, DPI eliminated end-of-course tests in chemistry and physics. The state will eliminate the end-of-course geometry test starting in 2010-11.
• The state uses three accountability measures: Performance Composite (percentage of all student test scores in a school that are at or above proficient (Achievement Level III)); Growth (expected rate of growth for a student based on two previous years of test performance); and AYP Status. (AYP, for Adequately Yearly Progress, is a federal measure that determines how subgroups — race/ethnicity, sex, disability, and socioeconomic status — performed on state tests. For a school to make AYP, all subgroups in the school must score proficient on state tests.)
• Students who enter 9th grade in 2009 will have to earn four English credits, four math credits, three science credits, three social studies credits, one health and physical education credit, and six elective credits as part of the Future-Ready Core course of study.
• North Carolina participates in the federal National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The rigorous NAEP tests are administered infrequently, however; a representative sample of students is tested in mathematics and reading every two years, while science, history, civics, and geography tests are administered every four years.
• Although the state puts a premium on licensure, advanced degrees, and National Board Certification (NBPTS), there is little evidence that these factors guarantee good teachers or raise student performance. In 2008-09, 94.3 percent of the teacher workforce had earned state certification and licensure, 25.6 percent of classroom teachers had master's degrees, and more than 12,000 teachers obtained board certification.
• DPI has initiated the Accountability and Curriculum Reform Effort (ACRE), which will completely revise the state's curriculum and testing program by 2012.

Recommendations

1. Replace the state's end-of-year and end-of-course tests with an independent, field-tested, and credible national test of student performance. Many norm-referenced tests are available for students in grades K- 12, including the Basic Achievement Skills Individual Screener (BASIS), Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT 8), and the Stanford Achievement Test Series, 10th Edition (Stanford 10).
2. Set reading and math performance goals based on reputable national tests such as the NAEP. The state should set a goal of at least half of students showing proficiency and 90 percent testing at the "basic" level as defined by the NAEP.
3. Reward teachers based on the value they add to the performance of their students. DPI should continue to measure and report growth in school and district test scores, but also place greater emphasis on measuring and reporting the performance of individual teachers.