DCVPA believes that an effective testing and assessment program evaluates the progress of individual students and helps ensure that educational goals and objectives are being met for every child. A testing program also assists in the continued refinement of the instructional program. In addition, data from tests and assessments provide measures of student learning that are useful for evaluating educator effectiveness.

Every effort will be made to ensure that the testing program contributes to the learning process rather than detracts from it. Efforts also will be made to use only culture-free or culture-fair tests in order to ensure that measurements are reasonably accurate.

A. Administration of Tests, Screenings, and Other Assessments

The Dean or his or her designee shall provide for the proper administration of all state-required tests, screenings, and other assessments and any state-required remedial instruction and/or retesting in accordance with all requirements established by law or the State Board of Education. The Dean or his or her designee, in consultation with the school principal, shall determine how results from such measures will be used in determining students’ final grades, provided that any applicable state requirements are met.

The Dean or his or her designee shall provide for the online administration of state-required tests to the extent required by the State Board of Education or the Department of Public Instruction, and otherwise as feasible within available resources.

Students may participate in field testing and other sample testing as designated by the State Board or the Department of Public Instruction.

The Dean or his or her designee shall develop security and administration procedures for the state testing program and other assessments that are consistent with State Board of Education requirements and relevant law. The Dean or his or her designee shall ensure that all relevant personnel are instructed in such procedures. All testing personnel, teachers, and school administrators are required to be familiar with and adhere to all applicable testing manuals, handbooks, and guides, including the Testing Code of Ethics, for state and locally-required tests. Failure to follow procedures may result in disciplinary sanctions, including termination or revocation of administrative and/or teaching licenses.

B. Minimizing Time Spent Testing

The Dean or designee shall ensure that the time students spend taking standardized state and local tests and the frequency of field testing at a particular school are minimized. Specifically, the dean shall ensure the following.

DCVPA will devote no more than two days of instructional time per year to the taking of practice tests that do not have the primary purpose of assessing current student learning. 

Students will not be subject to field tests or national tests during the two-week period preceding their school’s administration of end-of-grade tests, end-of-course tests, or regularly scheduled final exams.

DCVPA shall not participate in any more than two field tests at any one grade level during a school year.

All annual assessments of student achievement adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to G.S. 115C-174.11(c)(1) or other applicable law and all final exams for courses will be administered within the final ten instructional days of the school year for year-long courses and within the final five instructional days of the semester for semester courses. Exceptions will be permitted on an individual basis to accommodate a student’s individualized education program or Section 504 plan; for the administration of final exams for courses with national or international curricula required to be held at designated times; for make-up testing; and as otherwise permitted by the Department of Public Instruction.

Issued: July 12, 2018