What standardized tests will my child take in elementary school in NC?
Starting in third grade, your child will begin taking standardized tests in North Carolina. What do they take and when? It all depends on the grade and school district they are in.
What standardized assessments are employed in North Carolina?
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's tests include the Beginning-of-Grade 3 Reading Test (BOG3), End-of-Grade (EOG), End-of-Course (EOC), and NCEXTEND1 assessments. Tests vary by grade and some school districts also employ additional tests.
Which standardized tests will my third grader take in North Carolina?
Public and charter school students in North Carolina will take a variety of tests starting in the third grade.
Beginning-of-Grade 3 Reading Test (BOG3)
Who takes it? Third graders take it at the beginning of the school year
What is it? Most teachers call this the BOG. The purpose is to find a baseline for your child's reading skills when they enter third grade.
Only third grade students take this. The test content is "aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) for grade 3 English Language Arts," according to the state Department of Public Instruction. It assesses a student's reading level.
Students who take this test and score a level 3 or higher are considered proficient for third grade reading. Even if your child test not proficient on the End of Grade Reading Test after third grade but they had a level 3 or higher at the beginning of the school year they will be counted as proficient.
If a student is deemed proficient on the BOG, then they have satisfied the requirements of the state's "Read to Achieve" legislation, which aims to ensure all students demonstrate appropriate grade-level reading proficiency in third grade or risk being held back. There is a specific Read to Achieve test as well, which gives your child another chance to reach proficiency.
What are scores used for? They are used to show reading proficiency and establish a baseline for students as they start third grade. Data from the BOG3 and the third grade End of Grade Reading Test are also used for "school accountability growth and student growth for teachers and administrators."
Grade 3 Read to Achieve (RtA)
Who takes it? Third graders who have not demonstrated reading proficiency on another test. So those who have scored a 3 or higher on the BOG3 or the EOG will not take it. Students who have successfully completed the Grade 3 Student Reading Portfolio (basically, the classwork) are also exempt.
What is it? This is linked to the state's Read to Achieve legislation. This is aimed at making sure students "demonstrate reading proficiency appropriate for a third grade student," according to North Carolina General Statute §115C-83.7(a). Students can avoid being held back if they demonstrate reading proficiency on another approved test like the BOG or EOG.
Any student can take the Grade 3 Read to Achieve a second time to demonstrate proficiency, including if they don't score at least 3 out of 5 on the EOG. Students who don't score at least a 3 on the EOG can either re-take the Read to Achieve test OR re-take the EOG.
Parents can opt to not have their children retested if they fail the EOG or RtA. A reading camp is offered to students who are not proficient, but parents can opt out of that too.
Will my child be held back if they fail this test? Not necessarily. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, "Students are never automatically placed back into the third grade. The principal makes the decision where to place the student for the next school year. Most students go on to the transitional third and fourth class combination or a fourth-grade accelerated class unless they are low in other content areas."
NC Check-Ins 2.0
These tests offer teachers a chance to "check in" on their students' progress before the end-of-grade tests. The tests are designed to help gauge a student's proficiency and help determine what areas the student might need to work on before the EOGs. Students take these tests more than once a year.
End-of-Grade (EOG) Tests
Students in third grade are given EOG tests in reading and math subject areas. The testing window for EOGs is the last 10 days of the school year.
Students are tested in reading for literature and informational text and language. Some of the standards for third grade include being able to recount stories and determining the central message or moral of a story. Students are also expected to compare and contrast the themes, settings and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters.
In math, third graders are expected to be able to solve problems involving multiplication and division; solve two-step problems and using place value to add and subtract; and solve problems involving measurement. Fractions and geometry are also part of the third grade curriculum.
The NCDPI estimates it will take about two hours for students to take each EOG. Students are allowed a maximum of three hours, unless they have documented special needs that require accommodations.
Students who score a level 3 or above on the EOGs are considered proficient in that subject area.
What happens if you fail an EOG? Students are given the option to re-take the test. Even if the parent chooses not to request a re-test, the principal ultimately makes the decision whether a student will be held back or advance to the next grade year based on test scores, classroom performance and other factors.
What are the test scores used for? Test results are used for school and district accountability and for federal reporting purposes.
Cognitive Abilities Test or CogAT and Iowa Test
Students take this aptitude assessment which measures their reasoning skills. Children who score above a certain number on the CogAT are invited to take the Iowa Test, which measures a students' skills in reading, language, mathematics, social studies and science.
These tests are used to determine if a child is eligible for the gifted or AIG (academically or intellectually gifted) programs at their schools.
Most school districts give the CogAT to third graders, but some, like Franklin and Guilford counties, administer it in second grade. Harnett County offers it in third and fifth grades.
Standards Based Measure of Proficiency (STAMP)
In Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools this test is given once every April to students in grades 2 through 8. This test measures language proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
See which tests your child will be taking this year
STAR Math and other assessments
Some school districts use STAR Math, which is an adaptive assessment for measuring student achievement in math. These assessments are given three times per year on a computer.
In Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools, students from kindergarten to ninth grade take a Star Math; in Wake County, students in third through eighth grades take Star Math.
TerraNova is also used by Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools to assess reading and math abilities. These tests are given to third graders once a year in November or December.
In Halifax County, i-Station is used to assess math for children in kindergarten through third grade.
Which standardized tests will my fourth grader take in North Carolina?
Fourth grade students do not take a BOG or beginning of reading assessment.
NC Check-Ins 2.0
These tests offer teachers a chance to "check in" on their students' progress before the end-of-grade tests. The tests are designed to help gauge a student's proficiency and help determine what areas the student might need to work on before the EOGs. Students take these more than once a year.
End-of-Grade (EOG) Tests
Students in fourth grade are given EOG tests in reading and math subject areas. The testing window for EOGs is the last 10 days of the school year.
Students are tested in reading for literature and informational text and language. Some of the standards for fourth grade include being able to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text and being able to compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated. Students must be able to describe characters, settings or events in a story in depth, using specific examples.
In math, fourth graders are solving two-step word problems involving the four operations as whole numbers and finding factors and multiples. They also also be analyzing patterns. Factions are also a big part of fourth grade math, as well as understanding area and perimeter and measuring angles.
The NCDPI estimates it will take about two hours for students to take each EOG. Students are allowed a maximum of three hours, unless they have documented special needs that require accommodations.
Students who score a level 3 or above on the EOGs are considered proficient in that subject area.
What happens if you fail an EOG? Students are given the option to re-take the test. Even if the parent chooses not to request a re-test, the principal ultimately makes the decision whether a student will be held back or advance to the next grade year based on test scores, classroom performance and other factors.
What are the test scores used for? Test results are used for school and district accountability and for federal reporting purposes.
mCLASS
While not state mandated, Wake and Sampson counties are among those that administer the mClass reading assessment to fourth and fifth grade students. mCLASS is designed to measure your child's reading skills. Wake County knows how confusing this can be, so they even have a guide called "Understanding Your Child's mCLASS Assessment."
STAR Math and other assessments
Some school districts use STAR Math, which is an adaptive assessment for measuring student achievement in math. These assessments are given three times per year on a computer.
In Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools, students from kindergarten to ninth grade take a Star Math and in Wake County, students in third through eighth grades take Star Math.
In Orange County, they use AimswebPlus to assess math and reading skills for all students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
In Durham County, the iReady math assessment is given to children from kindergarten through ninth grade, and the iReady reading assessment is given to fourth and fifth grade students three times a year.
Standards Based Measure of Proficiency (STAMP)
In Chapel Hill-Carrboro Schools this test is given once every April to students in grades second through eighth. This test measures language proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Which standardized tests will my fifth grader take in North Carolina?
Fifth grade students have one extra EOG test to take.
NC Check-Ins 2.0
These tests offer teachers a chance to "check in" on their students' progress before the end-of-grade tests. The tests are designed to help gauge a student's proficiency and help determine what areas the student might need to work on before the EOGs. Students take these more than once a year.
End-of-Grade (EOG) Tests
Students in fifth grade are given EOG tests in reading, math and science. The testing window for EOGs is the last 10 days of the school year.
By the end of fifth grade ELA, students are expected to be able to quote accurately from a text when explaining what a text says; compare two or more characters, settings or events in a story, using specific details in a text, and analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning or tone of the text.
In math, fifth graders will need to know how to write and interpret numerical expressions, understand place value, perform operations with multi-digit whole numbers and decimals. Fractions are also a big part of fifth grade with students learning to add and subtract fractions and multiply and divide them. Students are also learning about volume and graphing.
The NCDPI estimates it will take about two hours for students to take each EOG. Students are allowed a maximum of three hours, unless they have documented special needs that require accommodations.
Students who score a level 3 or above on the EOGs are considered proficient in that subject area.
What happens if you fail an EOG? Students are given the option to re-take the test. Even if the parent chooses not to request a re-test, the principal ultimately makes the decision whether a student will be held back or advance to the next grade year based on test scores, classroom performance and other factors.
What are the test scores used for? Test results are used for school and district accountability and for federal reporting purposes.
mCLASS
Wake and Sampson counties are among the districts that administer the mClass reading assessment to fourth and fifth grade students. mCLASS is designed to measure your child's reading skills. Wake County knows how confusing this can be, so they even have a guide called "Understanding Your Child's mCLASS Assessment."
STAR Math and other assessments
Some school districts use STAR Math, which is an adaptive assessment for measuring student achievement in math. These assessments are given three times per year on a computer.
In Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools, students from kindergarten to ninth grade take a Star Math and in Wake County, students in third through eighth grades take Star Math.
In Orange County, they use AimswebPlus to assess math and reading skills for all students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
In Durham County, the iReady math assessment is given to children from kindergarten through ninth grade and the iReady reading assessment is given to fourth and fifth grade students three times a year.
