UPDATES

= 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.