NORTH CAROLINA COMPETENCY TESTS

The North Carolina High School Competency Tests are administered annually to all ninth-grade students who did not meet the standard of Achievement Level III or above on the grade 8 end-of-grade tests or who have not passed the screening on other approved measures in the public schools. Students who fail to attain the required minimum standard for graduation in the ninth grade shall be given remedial instruction and additional opportunities to take the test up to and including the last month of the twelfth grade. Students who fail to pass either of the tests shall be retested only on the test they fail.

The competency tests are aligned to the grade 8 end-of-grade tests. The year a student entered the ninth grade determines which edition of the competency test a student is required to take. For students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in 1994–95 through 2002–03, the competency test for reading is based on the 1995 North Carolina English Language Arts Standard Course of Study at grade 8. For students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in 2003–04, the competency test for reading is based on the 1999 North Carolina English Language Arts Standard Course of Study (Content Standards) at grade 8. For students who entered the ninth grade for the first time 1994–95 through 2000–01, the competency test for mathematics is based on the 1989 North Carolina Mathematics Standard Course of Study at grade 8. For students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in 2001–02 and beyond, the competency test for mathematics is based on the 1998 North Carolina Mathematics Standard Course of Study (Content Standards) at grade 8.

All public school students enrolled in the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades shall have at least one opportunity each school year to take the competency tests. School systems should schedule administration dates of the competency tests during each testing cycle (summer, fall, spring).

 

 

The competency requirement and students who are ninth graders for the first time in 2006-07 and beyond
Memo from Janice Davis and Lou Fabrizio regarding the competency requirement and students who are ninth graders for the first time in 2006-07 and beyond

Options for Meeting the Competency Requirements (pdf, 34kb)
Information on the multiple options that students in North Carolina have after grade 8 to meet the competency standard

 

Sample Test Items

• The North Carolina Competency Test Handbook (Revised August 2004) (pdf, 870kb)
  Handbook for students in ninth grade for the first time in 2001-02 and beyond that explains the competency test requirement and provides sample questions and preparation strategies

• The North Carolina Competency Test Handbook (Revised August 2003) (pdf, 758kb)
  Handbook for students who entered the ninth grade for the first time in 1994-95 through 2000-01 that explains the competency test requirement and provides sample questions and preparation strategies

 

Assessment Briefs and Other Publications
Assessment Briefs and other publications that contain information about the North Carolina Competency Tests

 

Administration Information

• Testing Calendar
• Required Tests for the North Carolina Testing Program
• Number of Items and Administration Time for Required State Tests

 

Test Development Process
Information on the test development process for state multiple-choice tests and information for potential item writers and reviewers

 

State Testing Results
Multiple reports providing testing results

 

Testing Security
North Carolina Testing Code of Ethics, Testing Security Protocol and Procedures for North Carolina School Personnel publication, and the Proctor's Guide

 

Archives: Competency Test