As North Carolina moves away from state-created tests in favor of national standardized competency tests for reading and mathematics in public high schools, a bill sponsored by Rep. Alex Warner, D-Cumberland, attempts to mitigate the effects of more rigorous testing on certain students.
According to the bill, it would “modify the state competency testing program to ensure that high school students who do not pass the competency test are given an opportunity to take an alternate test.”
Rep. Marvin Lucas, D-Cumberland, is cosponsor of the measure. The bill passed the House on its second and third readings April 30. The Senate Education Committee approved the legislation last week with little debate and despite vague language in the bill. Few committee members questioned the wisdom that ninth-grade students need another chance to pass standardized competency tests in reading and math.
The bill modifies existing laws on competency tests, changing the option to retest students or to give alternate tests into a mandate. Current law provides that the State Board of Education may “develop and validate alternate means and standards for demonstrating minimum competence.” Current standards for alternate tests must be more difficult than standard reading and mathematics tests. The House bill would make alternate tests less difficult and provide more opportunities for retesting.
If the bill is approved by the full Senate, students who cannot pass competency tests in the ninth grade will be given unlimited additional chances to retake the tests “up to and including the last month of the twelfth grade.” Additionally, some students enrolled in special education may be excluded from any testing or would take unspecified alternate tests.
Students who fail either portion of the tests would also be eligible for additional remedial instruction before retaking the tests. They will be retested only on the parts of the test they fail, making it possible to take the test in smaller sections.
Warner said the bill was designed to exempt special-education students, especially those who are autistic and need alternative testing formats, from standardized competency tests. Some legislators in the House Education subcommittee last week debated whether the bill should identify students eligible for alternate testing. No specific language, however, was added to the bill.
The bill mandates that the alternate tests must be “as difficult as the [standard] tests.” However, the bill sets no guidelines for the creation or format of alternate tests. Deputy Superintendent of Schools Brad Sneeden said the Board of Education would develop whatever format of tests would be necessary for the students to pass.
Funds for creating alternate tests and additional remedial instruction for failing ninth-graders will presumably come from the existing education budget.
Ashley is an editorial intern at Carolina Journal.