A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO IMPROVE THE TRANSPARENCY OF TESTING IN NORTH CAROLINA.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

PART I. NATIONAL STANDARDIZED TESTING REPORT
SECTION 1.  The State Superintendent of Public Instruction shall study and make recommendations regarding the extent to which the SAT and ACT tests align with the English language arts and mathematics portions of the Standard Course of Study. By February 1, 2018, the Superintendent shall report findings and recommendations to the Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee.

PART II. TESTING SCHEDULES PUBLISHED ONLINE
SECTION 2.  G.S. 115C‑174.12 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑174.12.  Responsibilities of agencies.
…
(d)	By September 1 of each year, each local board of education shall notify the State Board of Education of any local testing to be administered to students by the local school administrative unit in its schools and the calendar for administering those tests. The local board of education shall include the following information:
(1)	The source of funds supporting the local testing program.
(2)	The time allotted to administer each test.
(3)	Whether the test is a computer‑based test or a paper‑based test.
(4)	The grade level or subject area associated with the test.
(5)	The date the test results are expected to be available to teachers and parents.
(6)	The type of test, the purpose of the test, and the use of the test results.
(7)	Estimates of average time for administering tests required by the local board of education or the State, by grade level.
The local board of education shall meet the requirements of this subsection by inputting the information into the uniform calendar published by the Department of Public Instruction pursuant to subsection (e1) of this section.
(e)	By October 15 of each year, the State Board of Education shall submit a report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee containing information regarding the statewide administration of the testing program, including the number and type of tests and the testing schedule, and a summary of any local testing programs reported by local boards of education to the State Board of Education in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(e1)	By October 15 of each year, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall publish on the Web site of the Department of Public Instruction a uniform calendar that includes schedules for testing and reporting results of tests for at least the next two school years. The uniform calendar shall be provided to local boards of education in an electronic format that allows each local board of education to populate the calendar with, at a minimum, the information required by subsection (d) of this section. The uniform calendar shall denote whether a test on the calendar is required by the State or required by a local board of education."

PART III. REPORTING STUDENT PERFORMANCE
SECTION 3.  Part 2 of Article 10A of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding two new sections to read:
"§ 115C‑174.15.  Report student performance on local tests.
(a)	A local board of education shall provide a student's results on tests required by the local board to the following persons and according to the following time lines:
(1)	To the student's teachers no later than one week after the test is administered.
(2)	To the student's parents no later than 30 days after the test is administered. 
(b)	If the superintendent of the local school administrative unit determines in writing that extenuating circumstances exist and reports those circumstances to the local board of education, the local board may extend the above time lines in the discretion of the local board of education.
"§ 115C‑174.16.  Report student performance on statewide, standardized tests.
A local board of education shall report a student's results on all statewide, standardized tests in the subjects of English language arts and mathematics to the student's applicable teacher in a timely manner and in an easy‑to‑read and understandable format. Before the beginning of the upcoming school year, the local board of education shall report these results to the applicable teacher assigned to the student in the upcoming school year. These reports shall include all of the following information:
(1)	A clear explanation of the student's performance on the applicable statewide, standardized tests.
(2)	Information identifying the student's areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.
(3)	Specific actions that may be taken, and the available resources that may be used, by the student's parent or legal guardian to assist the student based on the student's areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.
(4)	Longitudinal information, if available, on the student's progress in each subject area based on previous statewide, standardized test data.
(5)	Comparative information showing the student's score compared to other students in the school district, in the State, or, if available, in other states.
(6)	Predictive information, if available, showing the linkage between the scores attained by the student on the statewide, standardized tests and the scores he or she may potentially attain on nationally recognized college entrance examinations."

PART IV. COMPETENCY‑BASED PROMOTION
SECTION 4.  G.S. 115C‑81(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	The Basic Education Program shall include course requirements and descriptions similar in format to materials previously contained in the standard course of study, and it shall provide all of the following:
(1)	A core curriculum for all students that takes into account the special needs of children.
(2)	A set of competencies, by grade level, for each curriculum area.
(3)	A list of textbooks for use in providing the curriculum.
(4)	Standards for student performance and promotion based on the mastery of competencies, including standards for graduation, that take into account children with disabilities and, in particular, include appropriate modifications. These standards shall permit promotion based on mastery of competencies, at a minimum, in the following subject areas and grade levels:
a.	For English language arts, at least grades three through eight.
b.	For mathematics, at least grades three through 10.
(5)	A program of remedial education.
(6)	Required support programs.
(7)	A definition of the instructional day.
(8)	Class size recommendations and requirements.
(9)	Prescribed staffing allotment ratios.
(10)	Material and equipment allotment ratios.
(11)	Facilities guidelines that reflect educational program appropriateness, long‑term cost efficiency, and safety considerations.
(12)	Any other information the Board considers appropriate and necessary.
The State Board shall not adopt or enforce any rule that requires Algebra I as a graduation standard or as a requirement for a high school diploma for any student whose individualized education program (i) identifies the student as learning disabled in the area of mathematics and (ii) states that this learning disability will prevent the student from mastering Algebra I.
The State Board shall not require any student to prepare a high school graduation project as a condition of graduation from high school; local boards of education may, however, require their students to complete a high school graduation project."

PART V. EFFECTIVE DATE
SECTION 5.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2018‑2019 school year.