NC Required Tests

Name of Test: ACCESS/Alt. ACCESS Testing
School Level: All
Subject/Type: English Proficiency Test
Required or Optional?: Required by the state and a federal requirement. When is it Given? January 22 - March 8, 2024

Length of Test: The 4 parts are untimed to allow students to work at their own pace. Generally no one part takes more than 60 minutes and the 4 parts are not given in the same day.
Who takes it?: Students who are designated as English Learners
What is it and why is it important?:The ACCESS for ELLs is North Carolina’s required annual English language proficiency assessment that complies with Title I of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) legislation. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards and assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing.

How are the results used?

• Help Educators, parents and students understand students’ current level of English proficiency along the developmental continuum.

• To monitor students’ progress on an annual basis

• To establish when ELs have attained English language proficiency according to state criteria.

• To inform classroom instruction.

• To aid in programmatic decision making.

Name of Test: ACT
School Level: High School
Subject/Type: Standardized College Entrance Exam
Required or Optional?: Required by the state
When is it Given? Test Date 1: February 27-29, Test Date 2: March 12-15, Test Date 3: April 9-12, 2024
Length of Test: English Test - 45 minutes, Math Test - 60 minutes, Reading Test - 35 minutes, Science Test - 35 minutes. Total testing time - 175 minutes.
Who takes it?: All 11th grade students
What is it and why is it important?: The ACT College Admissions Assessment is widely accepted by college admission offices. The test consists of four areas: English, mathematics, reading and science. Colleges use the ACT for admission decisions, course placement, academic advising, loans and scholarships.
How are the results used? The UNC system of colleges and universities considers a composite score of 19 on the ACT as an indicator of a student’s college readiness. High school counselors use the results for academic advising and counseling. Schools use the results for programmatic decision making for improving overall academic performance of students in the areas of English, mathematics, reading and science. Results are also part of the NC Accountability Model for High School.

ACT.org

Free Online ACT Prep Resources

Name of Test: ACT Workkeys
School Level: High School
Subject/Type: Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Required or Optional?: Required
When is it Given? Fall: November 6-December 8, 2023, Spring: February 19 - March 15, 2024

Length of Test: Workplace Documents - 55 minutes, Applied Math - 55 minutes, Graphic Literacy - 55 minutes. Total testing time - 165 minutes.
Who takes it?: Students in grade 12 who are identified as Career and Technical Education (CTE) concentrators.
What is it and why is it important?: Students who achieve qualifying scores on the Applied Math, Graphic Literacy, and Workplace Documents assessments can earn a WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (WorkKeys NCRC) at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels of readiness.

How are the results used? The nationally recognized certificate provides employers with information on the skill levels of potential employees and aids with employment, promotion, and training decisions. The results are also included in the NC Accountability Model for High Schools.

ACT WorkKeys Sample Questions and Practice Test

Name of Test: Beginning of Grade 3 Reading Test

School Level: Elementary
Subject/Type: ELA/State Standardized
Required or Optional?: Required

When is it Given? First 15 days of the school year.
Length of Test: 40 Questions, 90 minutes standards time (180 minutes maximum)
Who takes it?: All third grade students, except those students with disabilities who, according to their IEP documentation, participate in the NCEXTEND 1 alternate assessment.
What is it and why is it important?: The BOG3 Reading Test is linked to the Read to Achieve Program which has a goal of ensuring “that every student reads at or above grade level by the end of third grade.”
How are the results used? The BOG3 serves as a baseline measure for beginning third grade students’ reading comprehension. Students scoring a level 3 or higher on the BOG are given a Good Cause Exemption for proficiency should they not score proficient on the third grade EOG. The test is also used for school accountability growth and student growth for teachers and administrators.

Beginning of Grade Test Specifications

Beginning of Grade Released Items for Practice and Review

Name of Test: End-of-Grade Tests: Reading and Mathematics Grades 3-8, Science Grade 5 and 8 School Level: Elementary and Middle
Subject/Type: English/Language Arts, Mathematics and Science Standardized State Test Required or Optional?: Required

When is it Given? Final 10 instructional days for the school year.
Length of Test: Reading Grades 3-5: 48 questions, Reading Grades 6-8: 52 questions, Mathematics Grades 3 and 4: 46 questions, Mathematics Grade 5: 48 questions, Mathematics Grades 6-8: 53, Science Grades 5 and 8: 65 questions. All tests are 120 minutes (180 maximum)
Who takes it?: All students in membership take the EOG. Those students with disabilities, who according to their IEP documentation, participate in the NCEXTEND 1, take the NCEXTEND 1 as their reading, mathematics and science EOG.

What is it and why is it important?: The EOG tests measure students’ proficiency on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for reading, mathematics and science in grades 5 and 8.
How are the results used? Results are used to measure student achievement/proficiency, as well as student growth. Test results are also used for school and district accountability in the accountability model and for federal reporting purposes.

Grade 3-8 Mathematics Test Specifications

Grade 3-8 Reading Test Specifications

Grade 5 & 8 Science Test Specifications

Released Tests for Practice and Review

Name of Test: End-Of-Course Tests: Biology, English II, NC Math 1, and NC Math 3
School Level: Primarily High School (Math 1 is given at the middle school level to select students)

Subject/Type: English/Language Arts, Mathematics and Science Standardized State Test
Length of Test: Biology EOC - 120 minutes (180 maximum), English 2 - 150 minutes (240 maximum), Math 1 and Math 3 - 180 minutes (240 maximum)
Required or Optional?: Required
When is it Given? Final 5 instructional days of the semester or the final 10 instructional days for yearlong courses.
Who takes it?: All students in membership in each course must take the EOC. Those students with disabilities, who according to their IEP documentation, participate in the NCEXTEND 1, take the NCEXTEND 1 as their Biology, English II and Math 1 EOC.
What is it and why is it important?: The EOC tests are used to sample a student’s knowledge of subject-related concepts as specified in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study for English II, NC Math 1 and Math 3 and the North Carolina Essential Standards for Biology to provide a global estimate of the student’s mastery of the material in the content area.
How are the results used? Results are used to measure student achievement/proficiency, as well as student growth. Test results are also used for school and district accountability in the accountability model and for federal reporting purposes. 16 N.C. Admin Code 06D.0309 states that “public schools shall use results from all operational EOC tests as a minimum of twenty percent (20%) of the student’s final grade for each respective course.”

Biology Test Specifications

English II Test Specifications

Math 1 and Math 3 Specifications

Released Forms of EOCs for Practice and Review

Name of Test: PreACT
School Level: High School
Subject/Type: Standardized College Entrance Exam
Length of Test: English Test - 30 minutes, Math Test - 40 minutes, Reading Test - 30 minutes, Science Test - 30 minutes. Total testing time - 130 minutes.
Required or Optional?: Required
When is it Given? October 9 - November 17, 2023
Who takes it?: All tenth grade students.
What is it and why is it important?: The PreACT simulates The ACT testing experience within a shorter test on all four subjects of The ACT: English, reading, math, and science. The multiple choice test predicts future success aligned to The ACT test and provides both current achievement and projected future ACT test scores.
How are the results used? Detailed Results and Item Responses help to identify specific areas of strength and weakness. Additional reporting insights on STEM, Career Readiness and Understanding Complex Texts are provided.

Free PreACT Practice Test

Name of Test: Read to Achieve Test for Grade 3
School Level: Elementary
Subject/Type: ELA/Reading State Standardized assessment Length of Test: 120 minutes (180 maximum)

Required or Optional?: Optional
When is it Given? 3 windows within the year: Fall 2023 (for students in 3/4 transition classroom), Final 10 instructional days of the year, and in the Summer of 2024 after Reading Camp.
Who takes it?: Third grade students that are not proficient on the 3rd grade Reading EOG and do not have a Good Cause Exemption may take the Read to Achieve assessment as an approved alternative reading assessment.
What is it and why is it important?: General Statute §115C-83.7(a) states that the State Board of Education (SBE) “shall require that a student be retained in the third grade if the student fails to demonstrate reading proficiency appropriate for a third-grade student as demonstrated on a State-approved standardized test of reading comprehension administered to third-grade students.” Students may, however, be exempt from mandatory retention in third grade for good cause by demonstrating reading proficiency appropriate for third-grade students on an alternative assessment approved by the SBE. The Read to Achieve Test is a valid and reliable standardized alternative assessment of reading comprehension that has been approved for good cause by the SBE.
How are the results used? The results are used as a valid indicator of third grade reading proficiency.

Read to Achieve Test Specifications

RtA Portfolio Released Items for Practice and Review

Name of Test: WIDA Screener
School Level: Elementary, Middle and High
Subject/Type: State designated EL proficiency identification test.
Length of Test: 4 part; Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing. Each part is approximately 30 minutes.
Required or Optional?: Required
When is it Given? Within 30 calendar days of enrollment.
Who takes it?: All students whose Home Language Survey indicates a language other than English.

What is it and why is it important?: State designated EL proficiency identification test. This screener identifies students whose primary language is something other than English as possibly being an English Learner.
How are the results used? Once the composite score is calculated and students are determined to be English Learners, the students are eligible to receive EL services. The scores are used to determine the level of services the students receive and also act as a baseline for measuring their English language growth after their first year.

Name of Test: NC Check-Ins 2.0
School Level: Elementary, Middle and High
Subject/Type: Reading, Math, Science (5th/8th), Biology, English 2, Math 1 and Math 3
Length of Test: The length of the tests vary but most can be given in a typical class period.

Required or Optional?: Optional by the state but Vance County Schools requires these for its students.
When is it Given? At various points throughout the school year.
Who takes it?: All students enrolled in grades 3-8, Biology, English 2, Math 1 and/or Math 3.
What is it and why is it important?: NC Check-Ins 2.0 are formative interim assessments developed by the NC Department of Public Instruction and are aligned to North Carolina grade-level content standards.
How are the results used? The results provide students, teachers, and parents or guardians with immediate in-depth data and a reliable estimate of students’ current performance on selected subsets of content standards. The results allow teachers to differentiate instruction for students in order to accelerate for those that have mastered the standards and remediate for those that have not yet mastered the standards.

NC Check-ins 2.0 Resources