1. North Carolina Leads the Nation in Public School Accountability
2. The Standards at a Glance
3. Policy Provides Re-test Options
4. Policy Requires Intervention Strategies
5. Financial Resources
6. Public School Graduates Ready to Compete

North Carolina Leads the Nation in Public School Accountability

Initially, North Carolina school districts were held accountable for the academic achievements of their students. Implementation of the ABCs of Public Education in 1996 - 97 shifted that focus from the district level to the individual school level. Passage of the Student Accountability Standards continues the natural progression of the state's school accountability efforts by including students and parents. For the first time, North Carolina K-12 students have clear performance expectations. These standards will ensure that students can be identified when they have problems and receive appropriate and timely help, if necessary, to accelerate their skills to grade level.

The Standards at a Glance

The Student Accountability Standards are expectations for student achievement in all North Carolina public schools. There are two elementary standards, one middle school standard and one high school standard. They are broken down into Gateways.
Here are the Gateways -

Gateway 1 - Grade 3 - Students must:

• Meet local promotion requirements.
• Demonstrate grade-level proficiency by scoring at Level III or above on state end-of-grade tests in reading and mathematics.

Gateway 2 - Grade 5 - Students must:

• Meet local promotion requirements.
• Score at Level III or above on state end-of- grade tests in reading and mathematics.
• Score at or above proficiency level on the grade 4 writing assessment. (Students who do not will be given intervention and assistance.)

Gateway 3 - Grade 8  - Students must:

• Meet local promotion requirements.
• Score at Level III or above on state end-of-grade tests in reading and mathematics.
• Score at or above proficiency level on the grade 7 writing assessment. (Students who do not will be given intervention and assistance.)

Gateway 4 - High School - Students must:

• Meet existing local and state graduation requirements.
• Demonstrate computer proficiency.
• Pass a reading and math competency test (excluding occupational diploma).
• Complete requirements for your diploma pathway. Diploma types are: 1) college/university prep; 2) college/tech prep; 3) career prep; or 4) occupation.
• Students entering grade 9 for the first time in 2006-2007 will also need to completed a graduation project and score proficient on five End-of-Course exams: Algebra I, English I, Biology, Civics and Economics, and U.S. History. This does not apply to students following an occupational course of study.

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Policy Provides Re-test Options

For students who do not meet gateway requirements, the student accountability standards include procedures for re-testing, as well as a formal review process. If the student has not reached Level III after the second or third testing, teachers or parents may request a formal review to determine if the student should be promoted to the next grade. The teacher will submit documentation of the student's work to a review committee comprised of central office staff, teachers and principals from other schools. The committee will review the request and make a recommendation to the student's principal about promotion. Parents are non-voting participants on this committee and can speak on behalf of their child.

Based on the experiences of school districts around the state that have already implemented similar standards, educators generally expect that the percentage of students likely to be retained could increase by 3 to 6 percentage points.

However, after the first year, the retention rate would likely drop because more students would receive the help they need to reach grade-level proficiency. The policy also provides special exemptions for students with disabilities and for those who have limited English proficiency which prevents them from participating in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. Although exempted, these students will continue to be challenged through targeted curricula with their progress evaluated either through a portfolio or an Individualized Education Program.

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Policy Requires Intervention Strategies

Superintendents and local boards of education will be responsible for designing the strategies to help students reach the state standards. These strategies typically involve more time for students to learn the skills and smaller class sizes.

Additionally they will provide the leadership to ensure that all educators, students, parents and community members understand and/or participate in implementing the Student Accountability Standards. The decision to promote a student to the next grade remains the principal's, but must be based upon statewide Student Accountability Standards at grades 3, 5, 8 and high school. And, just as with graduation requirements and other standards, local boards of education can establish higher standards than those of the state.

School districts must report annually to the State Board of Education the number of students not performing at grade level who are retained, as well as the number of students who are promoted upon recommendation of the review committee.

Financial Resources

In order to successfully implement the new standards, education leaders know that additional funds will be needed. Based on estimates from the eight local districts that have implemented local student accountability standards, implementation of the Student Accountability Standards will cost about an additional $36 per student. These costs cover expanded intervention programs for students and professional development for teachers and others.

Local school boards and superintendents have been asked to look at how they're currently spending their money and to redirect funds to ensure that students meet the new standards. The state is taking the lead by seeking new resources and by redirecting as many federal funds and other funds as possible to help local school systems meet this challenge. Getting students to grade level should be the number one goal and the first place to focus resources.

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Public School Graduates Ready to Compete

The Student Accountability Standards Policy is designed to bring every student possible to grade level. Adoption of this clear standard provides students with a more realistic assessment of their skills and where they need to be. Successful implementation of the Student Accountability Standards depends on doing whatever it takes -- from additional days in school to one-on-one tutoring -- to accelerate the skills of students so they are achieving at grade level and continuing to progress in school. It's about producing graduates who can compete in the workplace and/or continuing education programs. It's about ensuring the success of our children.

For more information, contact:
Department of Public Instruction
301 N. Wilmington Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-2885

or visit their website at: http://www.ncpublicschools.org
click on "Student Accountability Standards"

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