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Assessment & Accountability

 
Cherokee County Schools (CCS) is committed to student growth and academic progress. "Student growth is the amount of academic progress that students make over the course of a grade or class. Students enter grades and courses at different places; some have struggled while some have excelled. Regardless of how they enter a grade or course, students can make progress over the course of the school year" (NC Dept of Public Instruction).
 
CCS believes that EVERY student is capable of achieving at least one year's academic growth each school year. 
 
The mission of the North Carolina 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. (NCDPI).
 

Per 16 N.C. Admin Code 06D .0307–Test Administration in Public Schools, “(g) LEAs shall, at the beginning of each school year, provide information to students and parents or guardians advising them of the districtwide and State-mandated tests that students will be required to take during that school year. In addition, LEAs shall advise students and parents or guardians of the dates the tests will be administered and how the results from the tests will be used. Also, information provided to parents shall include whether the State Board of Education or the local board of education requires the test(s). (h) LEAs shall report scores resulting from the administration of State-mandated tests from the Annual Testing Program to students and parents or guardians no later than 30 days after the test is administered and along with available score interpretation information within 30 days from receipt of the scores and interpretive documentation from the NCDPI.”

N.C. Admin. Code 06G .0315 requires all public school students in membership (i.e., enrolled in a school) in grades 3 through 8 and high school courses requiring an end-of-course assessment, to participate in the Annual Testing Program. North Carolina does not allow any student to opt out of required state testing. The only exceptions granted are for a limited number of students who meet certain eligibility requirements or have extenuating circumstances related to a significant medical emergency or condition and are unable to participate in a specific test administration.


N.C. Admin Code 06D .0309 requires schools to “use results from all EOCs as a minimum of 20 percent of the student’s final grade for each respective course”. As such, a student’s grade for these courses and overall grade-point-average calculation may be negatively impacted by not taking the required end-of-course state tests.
 
 

Visit the NCDPI Accountability Services Division website.

State Tests

NC School Report Cards