ACCOUNTABILITY SERVICES

CONTACT :: Tammy L. Howard, Ph.D., Director of Accountability Operations

DIVISION MISSION :: The mission of the Accountability Services Division is to promote the academic achievement of all North Carolina public school students and to assist stakeholders in understanding and gauging this achievement against state and national standards. The major thrust of this mission is three-fold: the design and development of reliable and valid assessment instruments, the uniform implementation of and access to suitable assessment instruments for all students; and the provision of accurate and statistically appropriate reports.
(Revised September 2005)

HOT TOPICS

ACT North Carolina State Testing Website
North Carolina will begin administering three new assessments (the ACT, PLAN, and WorkKeys) in 2011-12 in preparation for the state's new accountability model and to provide additional diagnostic tools for students and their teachers. For more information about these assessments, please visit the ACT website.

ACT and PLAN FAQ (pdf, 178kb)

Elimination of the Grade 10 Writing Assessment for the 2011-12 School Year
The NCDPI has received notification of approval from the United States Department of Education (USED) to eliminate the grade 10 writing test for the 2011-12 school year. The continued use of the North Carolina End-of-Course Test of English I in 2011-12 is sufficient to meet the ESEA assessment requirements for high school reading/language arts. See the memo from the USED for additional information. (pdf, 57kb)

North Carolina State Testing ACT—Accommodations Webinar (Recorded on December 5, 2011) (mov, 36.2mb)

Webinar Presentation Slides (pdf, 749kb)
Webinar Transcript (pdf, 125kb)

PLAN Informational Webinar (Presented on November 9 & 10, 2011) (mov, 32.1mb)

Webinar Presentation Slides (pdf, 3.2mb)

North Carolina State Testing ACT & PLAN Implementation Webinar (Recorded on October 3, 2011) (mov, 25.2mb)

Webinar Presentation Slides (pdf, 1.2mb)

2010-11 ABCs/AYP Report (pdf, 391kb)
ABCs/AYP Report presented to the State Board of Education on August 4, 2011.

Preliminary 2010-11 EOG and EOC Test Results Report (xls, 639kb)
Preliminary results released in conjunction with the ABCs/AYP results presented to the State Board of Education on August 4, 2011.

Test Specifications for the Next Generation of Assessments
Specifications for the Next Generation of Assessments aligned to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and the North Carolina Essential Standards for Science are now available. Information on the prioritization of the standards, cognitive rigor, item complexity, item types, and assessment delivery modes is included.

2011-12 Field Tests and Special Studies Calendar (pdf, 23kb)

2010-2011 NCEXTEND1 Audit Report (pdf, 177kb)
This report documents the entire NCEXTEND1 audit process and includes a discussion of the findings.

The 2011-12 North Carolina Testing Program Operational Calendar (August 1, 2011)
(pdf, 36kb)

Preliminary Results of Student Performance on the North Carolina Writing Assessment at
Grade 10 2010-11 (June 1, 2011) (pdf, 420kb)

The North Carolina 2011 SAT Report
2011 report on the nation, the state, the public school systems, charter schools, North Carolina School of the Arts, and North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

The Proctor's Guide (pdf, 314kb)
The Proctor's Guide outlines the responsibilities of proctors and what they are permitted to do during a test administration.

August 1, 2011 Memo - Request for Testing Exceptions Based on Significant Medical
Emergencies and/or Conditions (pdf, 449kb)
The Request for Testing Exceptions Based on Significant Medical Emergencies and/or Conditions memo from Rebecca Garland and Angela Quick outlines policies and procedures concerning requests for testing exceptions based on significant medical emergencies.

Elimination of Competency and Computer Skills Graduation Requirement
To comply with Senate Bill 202/S.L. 2009-451, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) eliminated, effective July 1, 2009, the Competency Tests in Reading and Mathematics and the Computer Skills Tests and their alternate assessments. Because there are students who have failed to meet the competency and/or computer skills proficiency standards, a Transition Plan for Competency and Computer Skills and supplemental information were developed by the NCDPI to address the graduation requirements for these students.

Reasons for the Elimination of State Tests
A Web page containing detailed information on the reasons some state tests were eliminated.

The ABCs of Public Education
The 2009-2010 ABCs/AYP reports

Framework for Change Update (September 4, 2008) (pdf, 25kb)
The information within this document provides an update on the progress made in implementing the action steps for immediate improvement and development of the next generation of standards, assessments, and accountability that the State Board of Education (SBE) approved June 5, 2008, and is directing the Department of Public Instruction to implement.