FOR YOUR INFORMATION: Assessing Student Learning in Wake County

The purpose of public schools is the education of children. Whether it is knowledge for knowledge's sake or the acquisition of information and skills leading to career opportunities, schools are charged with ensuring students learn.

How we determine whether students are learning and what they are learning has always been the subject of debate. It is not enough that students spend the requisite amount of time in a school; what is vital is what they know when they leave school.

Because student learning is the most important outcome of education, this month’s Wake FYI takes a closer look at how learning is assessed in Wake County.

FAQ on Student Assessment in North Carolina

•  Who determines what students should be learning in public schools?

   

  The answer varies from state to state. In North Carolina, the State Board of Education determines the curriculum for all students in kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum is called the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

   

  In some cases the state has defined learning outcomes and topics for study at a particular grade level, in other cases they have prescribed specific courses that students must take. For instance, all North Carolina students are required to take Algebra I and U.S. History in order to receive a high school diploma (except for those pursuing the occupational course of study; review North Carolina ’s four courses of study and their graduation requirements).

  
  The state sets the core curriculum, but school districts (called local education agencies or LEAs) can implement additional requirements in the form of supplemental curriculum at any grade level or as additional credits students must earn in order to graduate.

•  How do we know that students are learning what they should be?

   

  The State of North Carolina uses its ABCs of Public Education program to assess student learning. The most well-known components of this program are the End-of-Grade tests (EOGs) in grades 3-8 and the End-of-Course tests (EOCs) in high school. These tests measure whether students have mastered the concepts for this grade/subject/course based on the N.C. Standard Course of Study.

• In what subjects are students tested in North Carolina ?

   

  N.C. schools must report student test scores in the following grades, subjects, and courses:

• How do you know if a student has passed the EOG or EOC test?

   

  Although there are different scales and cutoff scores for the EOGs and EOCs, all scores are converted to a common scale of one to four. Levels one and two are below grade level and are not passing scores. Level three is at grade level and level four is above grade level. This terminology is true for all EOGs and EOCs.

• Why aren’t science, social studies, art, or other important subjects tested in elementary and middle schools?

   

  Additional tests are being implemented in the coming years. In the 2006-07 school year, for instance, a science EOG is being piloted in the fifth- and eighth-grade to meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB requirements will be discussed later).

   

  It is cost- and time-prohibitive to test all subjects in all grade levels. The resources (including personnel) needed for creating and administering the tests would be too great. In addition, some subjects (such as music or art) do not lend themselves to standardized testing because of the differences in how these subjects may be taught in the schools, including how much time is devoted to them.

   

  There has been concern expressed by many educators, parents and policymakers that subjects which do not have a standardized test are not getting the appropriate time and resources devoted to them.

• Aren’t there other ways student learning is assessed besides standardized tests?

   

  At the local level (in an individual school or classroom) there is a wide array of student assessments utilized.

   

  Many educators employ the use of more “authentic assessments,” so named because they require students to “perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills.” It is difficult to use these types of assessments – projects, labs, performance pieces and the like – to evaluate students on a large scale because of the challenge in reviewing and scoring these types of assessments. North Carolina has more than one million students in grades 3-12.

   

  North Carolina has implemented a project as part of its graduation requirements. The project is assessed by the local school district using standards developed by the state. The project must include:

  •  A research paper written on an approved topic of the student's choice;

  •  A product related to the paper that requires significant hours of work;

  •  A portfolio that reflects the graduation project process; and,

  •  A presentation to a panel of community and school staff.

   

  Review information on the N.C. High School Exit Standards which are in full effect for students who entered the ninth grade in the 2006-07 school year.

• What is the difference between N.C.’s ABCs and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law?
  
  North Carolina began implementation of its ABCs of Public Education in the 1996-97 school year and the NCLB was signed into law by President Bush in early 2002. Both have student achievement as their goal and both measure that primarily by the standardized tests North Carolina has included as part of its ABCs plan. (Many of these tests were first implemented before the ABCs model was adopted, as early as 1992.)

The ABCs model, however, looks at growth in student performance, while NCLB looks at the percent of students who are proficient in a subject.

NCLB requires that students be tested in specific subjects and grade levels but does not mandate specific tests that must be used. Each state adopts its own tests. North Carolina has used the tests it created as part of the ABCs and is developing additional tests as needed for NCLB compliance.

One of the largest differences is NCLB sets a specific deadline for when students must be proficient; 100 percent of students must be academically proficient by the end of the 2013-2014 school year.

Each program does examine other aspects of school quality, such as on-time graduation rates, dropout rates, and the characteristics of teachers. Funding is tied to both programs as well. In the ABCs program successful schools receive bonuses; in NCLB chronically failing schools and districts risk the loss of federal funds.

• How can a school do well on the ABCs program but be considered failing on NCLB when the same tests are used for both? 
  
  The simple answer is that under NCLB student growth must be demonstrated not just for the school overall but also in up to 10 sub-groups of students. These subgroups include race, special education, low-income and second-language learners. If a school does not meet its growth target in even one of those sub-groups, then the entire school does not meet AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) and is considered a failing school that year.

Comparison of District Performance in the ABCs and NCLB: 2005-06

FAQs on Student Assessment in Wake County

• Why does Wake County test students so often?
  
  The Wake County Public School System, like all school systems in North Carolina, is required by law to take part in the ABCs and NCLB programs including all of the mandated tests. It is not possible for Wake County to opt out of the testing requirements. The decisions on the core curriculum, testing and standards for passing are state-level decisions.

• What does Wake County do to assess student learning in addition to the requirements from the state?
  
  Wake County’s schools offer many additional opportunities for students to demonstrate their knowledge and skill, although not all of them are summative assessments as an EOG or EOC are. A summative assessment, like the EOG or EOC, comes at the end of a school year or the end of a course and evaluates the learning after it has concluded. A formative assessment occurs during the unit, course or grade level and helps inform the learning as it is taking place.
  
  As an example, many authentic assessments are built into the magnet programs. The International Baccalaureate Organization has the following information on its website about how students should be assessed in International Baccalaureate (IB) schools (which Wake County has at the elementary, middle and high school levels):
  
  Teachers are responsible for structuring varied and valid assessment tasks that allow students to demonstrate achievement according to the required objectives within each subject group. These may include:
  • open-ended, problem-solving activities and investigations
  • organized debates
  • hands-on experimentation
  • analysis
  • reflection
    

  Assessment strategies, both quantitative and qualitative, provide feedback on the thinking processes as well as the finished piece of work. There is also an emphasis on self-assessment and peer-assessment within the program.
  
  Learn more about one school’s IB program, including the research symposium it holds for students in its “Diploma Programme.”

• What is Goal 2008 and what does it have to do with student learning?
  
  In 1998 the Wake County Public School System became one of the first school systems in the United States to set a specific academic goal for the entire school district. This initiative, Goal 2003, resulted in tremendous academic growth in the five years it was pursued. In 2003 the Wake County Board of Education approved Goal 2008. This goal expanded on its predecessor in several ways.

• WCPSS recently announced it would have an outside firm do an curriculum audit of its instructional programs. What does that mean?
  
  Dr. Del Burns, Superintendent of WCPSS, called for a curriculum audit earlier this year. According to WCPSS the audit should answer these two questions:

1. Does the Wake County Public School System have a properly managed instructional program or curriculum that is planned, executed, and assessed in accordance with generally accepted principles and standards?
2. Does the Wake County Public School System conform to the standards of quality in instructional organization which include the following:
• adequacy, specificity, and scope of board policies and planning?
• sufficient quality in direction for teaching and learning?
• consistency and equity in schools and program implementation?
• effectiveness of program and process monitoring and assessment?
• use and allocations of budget and resources for productivity and quality improvement?

The audit will be conducted by the International Curriculum Audit Center of Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK). PDK has conducted similar academic audits for districts such as Fulton County, Ga. (Atlanta ); Columbus, Ohio ; Indianapolis, Ind.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Baltimore, Md.; and Virginia Beach, Va.

For More Information on Assessing Student Learning

• Join us at the Wake Regional Education Roundtable on April 4 to learn more from Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens. Registration required by March 23.

• Learn more about the ABCs of Public Education, including individual school results.

• Review your school’s North Carolina School Report Card.

• Read an FAQ on No Child Left Behind and find out what the options are for students at schools that do not meet AYP.