Staff Writer
A task force employed by the state aims to change how standardized
testing is conducted in North Carolina. The plan is for students to have four
smaller, periodic exams throughout the school year or semester instead of one final
exam at the end of each course. North Carolina would be the first state to
employ this plan if it is approved.
The aim of the new testing method is to take stress off teachers and
students for the final exams. It gives teachers an opportunity to adjust what
they teach in class in response to the results from each quarterly test. It also
gives schools a better chance of keeping students on track to move on to move
on to the next grade.
While the plan is being streamlined by the task force, it will be the
decision of the State Board of Education to move forward with any plan. The
state will also have to prove to the federal government that the results of the
four quarterly tests are equivalent to the results from a regular end-of-grade
exam. Because this testing system would be the first of its kind, this means
that the state will have to make new tests or pay a private company to do so,
which can be expensive.
School districts experimenting with the new plan may still have to take
the end-of-grade exam, and some districts have stated that they will refuse to
participate if it means imposing extra testing on students.
Members of the task force remain optimistic about the changes; however,
it is not presently clear when these changes will may be implemented.
