General Achievement Trends: North Carolina
Author: Center on Education Policy
Date: 2009-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Grades (Scholastic),Federal Legislation,Testing Programs,Academic Achievement,Measures (Individuals),Scores,Trend Analysis,State Standards,Grade 4,Grade 8,Grade 10,Effect Size,Reading Achievement,Elementary School Students,Middle School Students,High School Students,Mathematics Achievement,Achievement Gains,Low Achievement,High Achievement,Exit Examinations,Grade 3,Grade 5,Grade 6,Grade 7

This general achievement trends profile includes information that the Center on Education Policy (CEP) and the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO) obtained from states from fall 2008 through April 2009. Included herein are: (1) Bullet points summarizing key findings about achievement trends in that state at three performance levels--basic and above, proficient and above, and advanced; (2) Background information about limitations of the state's test data and characteristics of the state's testing system, including major changes in its testing system; (3) Figures and tables with the percentages of students scoring at the proficient level and above for all years with comparable data since 1999 and for all grades tested under the No Child Left Behind Act; (4) Figures and tables with percentages of students performing at three achievement levels--basic, proficient, and advanced--for all years with comparable data and for grades 4, 8, and 10 (or adjacent grades, in the case of states that lack comparable trend data for these default grades); (5) Figures and tables with mean scale scores, standard deviations, and effect sizes for all years with comparable data and for the three grades analyzed in this study; and (6) Figures and tables with mean scale scores, standard deviations, and effect sizes for all years with comparable data and for the three grades analyzed in this study. Although North Carolina administers high school end-of-course exams in several subjects, none of these tests are administered to all high school students; instead, the state uses a formula combining results from multiple tests to determine adequate yearly progress for high schools. For that reason, the tables and figures presented here do not include any data for the high school level. At the elementary and middle school levels, comparable test data are available from 2003 through 2007 in reading. North Carolina administered new tests in reading at the elementary and middle school levels, so comparable test data are only available from 2003 through 2007. For this reason, these data are not included in the national summary counts in CEP's report on achievement trends. In math, comparable data are available for only three years, 2006 through 2008, the minimum span needed to discern a trend. In general, North Carolina students at the elementary and middle school levels made gains in math at the basic, proficient, and advanced levels. Specific results include: (1) In math, the percentage of students at the basic level and above rose at a moderate-to-large rate at the elementary and middle school levels; (2) The percentage proficient and above in math increased at a moderate-to-large rate at the elementary and middle school grades analyzed; and (3) In math, the percentage of advanced students rose at a moderate-to-large rate at both grade levels. (Contains 6 figures and 6 tables.) [This report represents an updated version of ED506203. For &quot;State Test Score Trends through 2007-08, Part I: Is the Emphasis on 'Proficiency' Shortchanging Higher- and Lower-Achieving Students?,&quot; see ED506121. For &quot;State Test Score Trends through 2007-08. Part II: Is There a Plateau Effect in Test Scores?,&quot; see ED506122.]