New Data Gives Glimpse Of Pandemic Impact On NC Students

State education officials are expected to release new testing data on Wednesday. It will provide more information about how North Carolina's public school students are performing academically amid the pandemic.  

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, a majority of high school students didn't pass state end-of-course exams also known as EOCs in the fall.

More than 66% were not proficient in Math 1 compared to last school year. Lower scores were also reported in Math 3 and biology.

A brighter spot was the performance in English 2. The percentage of high school students not proficient in that subject was around 41%, only a slight decrease from the previous year.

As for younger students, a majority of third-graders scored at the lowest levels, and three-quarters aren't proficient in reading.

But state education officials say not all students have been tested and other factors need to be assessed before any conclusions can be drawn.

States are mandated to conduct the testing but were granted some flexibility by the federal government.  That includes extending the testing window.

In North Carolina, end-of-course and end-of-grade tests are allowed through July 5. Testing for third-grade reading is scheduled to close later this month.

Many school systems say they're also reviewing information they've collected on student performance and looking at several ways to help get kids who need it get caught up.

Last week, the statehouse passed a bill that requires school districts to offer in-person summer school for at-risk children who are struggling because of the pandemic. That measure now heads to the Senate.

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