None of that will happen because of this year's tests, though. Those scores will be used as a baseline to measure progress in coming years. Kids and schools won't formally be held accountable for performance on the tests until next year. Still, teachers say getting ready for PACT this year is serious business. They don't want to see kids come up short.
Parents are nervous, too.
At Belleview, where most kids come from poor families and test scores trail district averages, parents wonder how their kids will manage. It's not that Joey can't read, Terry says. He just doesn't take tests well. But state education officials say higher standards and tougher tests are long overdue in South Carolina. They also point out teachers have known for more than a year the new tests are coming and school districts have been told exactly what must be taught at each grade level to prepare students.