This document provides a general description of the 1998-99 North Carolina
Testing Program and the tests required under the ABCs of Public Education.
The ABCs of Public Education, a plan to reorganize public education in
North Carolina, is based on the belief that all children can learn and
that the mission of the public school community is to challenge, with high
expectations, each child to learn, to achieve, and to fulfill his or her
potential. To encourage a strong emphasis on the basic academics, the ABCs
focuses the statewide testing program to target the basic academic skills
(i.e., reading, mathematics, and writing) which should be mastered by all
students.
The ABCs K-8 Accountability Model was implemented effective with the 1996-97
school year. The high school accountability model was implemented
during the 1997-98 school year. The
information below enumerates all state tests under the current North
Carolina Testing Program.
State tests that are included in the ABCs accountability programs for
the 1998-99 school year
are noted with an asterisk (*).
North Carolina Testing Program, Grades 3-8
NC Pretests* (Grade 3)
The North Carolina Grade 3 Pretests in
Reading and Mathematics are
multiple-choice tests administered to all
students at the beginning (within the first
three weeks of school) of grade 3. The
grade 3 pretests provide pre-scores for
third graders for the ABCs accountability
program because there are no test scores
from grade 2 to provide pre-data for the
growth analysis. The grade 3 pretests
measure the knowledge and skills specified
for grade 2 from the reading and
mathematics goals and objectives of the
North Carolina Standard Course of
Study.
NC End-of-Grade Tests*
(Grades 3-8)
The end-of-grade tests are multiple-choice
tests that measure the achievement of
curricular objectives described in the North
Carolina Standard Course of Study. The
tests and curricular objectives have a
strong emphasis on the application of
knowledge and skills. The curricular
objectives measured by end-of-grade tests
are closely aligned with national curriculum
standards. End-of-grade tests are
administered to all students in grades 3-8
within the final three weeks of school.
NC End-of-Grade Tests-Reading
Comprehension. This test assesses
reading by having students read authentic
passages and then answer questions
directly related to the passages.
Knowledge of vocabulary is assessed
indirectly through application and
understanding of terms within the context of
passages and questions. Passages selected
for the reading tests are chosen to reflect
reading done for various purposes: for
literary experience, to gain information, and
to perform a task.
NC End-of-Grade Tests-Mathematics.
This test assesses students' achievement in
the seven strands of the mathematics
curriculum: numeration, geometry, patterns
and pre-algebra, measurement, problem
solving, data analysis and statistics, and
computation. The test contains two parts, a
computation section and an applications
section. Students may use a ruler,
protractor, and calculator for the
applications section only.
NC Writing Assessment*
(Grades 4 and 7)
The North Carolina Writing Assessment
measures written expression (composing)
skills, such as main idea, supportive details,
organization, coherence, and the
application of grammatical conventions.
Students in grade 4 write a narrative essay
that may be personal or imaginative.
Students in grade 7 write a descriptive or
expository (clarification or point-of-view)
essay. This assessment, which consists of
one writing prompt at each grade, is
administered statewide on one NCDPI
established date.
NC Open-Ended Assessment
(Grades 4 and 8)
The North Carolina Open-Ended
Assessment broadly measures curricular
goals and commonly requires integration of
knowledge and skills from more than one
curricular goal or objective. Students must
generate responses by writing out their
thoughts. The students are required to
analyze, explain, apply, interpret, and
evaluate information in response to tasks
set forth by the assessment. Responses are
scored using a rubric scale that varies
depending upon the complexity of the task.
This assessment, which consists of 12 items
at each grade level, is administered
statewide on one NCDPI established date.
NC Tests of Computer Skills
The North Carolina Tests of Computer
Skills assess the K-8 component of the
computer skills curriculum. The assessment
consists of a multiple-choice test and a
performance test. The tests are
administered initially at grade 8. Each
student at grade 8 must have at least one
opportunity to take these tests during the
school year. The testing dates are locally
established with a maximum of one date in
the fall, one in the spring, and one in the
summer.
Computer Proficiency Requirements.
Beginning with the class of 2001, North
Carolina students must demonstrate
computer skills proficiency as a
requirement for graduation. The revised
standard (effective July 1, 1997) is a
multiple-choice scale score of at least 47
and a performance scale score of at least
49. Students who are tested during grade 8
who do not meet the proficiency standard
are to be retested during high school on the
test(s) (i.e., performance and/or
multiple-choice) that they did not pass. If
documented (e.g., Individualized Education
Program or IEP), a student with a disability
may demonstrate computer skills
proficiency through the use of portfolio
assessment.
NC Norm-Referenced Testing
Program
The North Carolina Norm-Referenced
Testing Program, which was authorized by
the North Carolina General Assembly and
the State Board of Education, permits the
comparison of academic achievement of a
representative sample of North Carolina
fifth- and eighth-graders with that of other
fifth- and eighth-graders across the nation
in the subject areas of reading,
mathematics, and language. In 1992 the
State Board of Education adopted the
Iowa Tests of Basic Skill, Form K
Survey Battery (ITBS) as the most
appropriate nationally-normed test series
for use in this testing program. The ITBS is
administered annually to a representative
sample of North Carolina's fifth- and
eighth-graders during the last two weeks of
April annually. The results from the ITBS
provide information on the educational
status of students in North Carolina relative
to 1995 national norms.