A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the state board of education to Place a Moratorium on State‑Mandated High‑Stakes Standardized Testing in North Carolina.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the State Board of Education is directed to place a one‑year moratorium on any State law requirement to attach high‑stakes consequences to standardized tests for prekindergarten through grade 12 students. This moratorium shall apply to the attachment of any direct consequences to standardized student test results, including assigning school performance scores and letter grades in the annual report card required under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., retaining a student in a grade level solely on the basis of a standardized test result, such as provided in G.S. 115C‑83.7, and the use of student test results to determine a portion of a teacher's pay or determining a financial award. The purpose of this moratorium is to allow local school administrative units time to adequately adjust to and fully implement dramatic changes in curriculum and teaching methods during the State's transition from the Standard Course of Study to the Common Core State and North Carolina Essential Standards. For the purposes of this act, "high‑stakes" means real‑world, direct consequences resulting from a student's performance on a test or assessment.
SECTION 2.  The moratorium imposed by Section 1 of this act shall not apply to (i) testing and assessment measures required by federal law or as a condition of a federal grant or (ii) pilot programs that began operating prior to the 2013‑2014 school year that incorporate the use of standardized student test results.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.