Tag Archives: Testing

Unanswered Questions On NC’s Common Core SBAC Field Test

Posted on September 30, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

A few months ago, I requested information on the Common Core SBAC field tests that went on this past Spring in North Carolina. I asked twice but perhaps it was lost in the shuffle.

Fri, Jul 25, 2014 at 9:20 AM
To: Vanessa Jeter
One last question on this topic if you don’t mind?
What funds were used to implement the test pilot of SBAC tests in NC this past spring? Where can I located a breakout by school of this information?

Thank you! Have a great weekend!

AP Dillon Continue reading →

Posted in Common Core, NC DPI | Tagged , | Comments Off on Unanswered Questions On NC’s Common Core SBAC Field Test

Common Core Aligned: ACT Replacing Tests With “Aspire”

Posted on July 2, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Common Core aligned ACT and WorkKeys. Here’s a quick refresher from that article on what WorkKeys is and how this is impacting NC:
WorkKeys is developed by ACT, the college admissions testing group. WorkKeys is described like this on their site:

“ACT WorkKeys is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce. This series of tests measures foundational and soft skills and offers specialized assessments to target institutional needs.”

NC uses these ACT tests – According to the ACT site, there are four ways to find out what job is the right one (starting in 8th grade) in North Carolina: EXPLORE, PLAN, WORKKEYS, ACT.

EXPLORE is about to go Bye Bye — read what is replacing it and how Pearson is partnering to push it out. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

NC Civics Test Question On The Constitution

Posted on May 19, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

With all the crazy examples of ‘modified’ teaching of the U.S. Constitution floating around out there coupled with the fundamentally flawed and experimental Common Core Standards, parents these days have to scrutinize what is being put to their kids more than ever. Take the example sent to me from Buncombe County, North Carolina. In April, a 9th grade student in Buncombe county schools found themselves answering “E” to this question:

8. Which best demonstrates the US Constitution is a “living” document?

A. Over 20 Amendments are added to the Constitution each year.

B. Extends rights of criminals so that they can have equal justice under the law.

C. There have been 27 Amendments added to the Constitution.

D. The President, with the help of his cabinet, can make revisions to the Constitution.

Sigh. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

NC Lowers The Bar For Passing End of Course Exams

Posted on March 7, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

This morning WRAL has a story up about how the NC Board of Education, under the advisement of State Superintendent Dr. June Atkinson, about lowering the bar for end of grade test scores in NC. The article covers Read to Achieve as well, so be sure to read the whole thing. Excerpt below:

The State Board of Education voted this week to approve standards that will lower the scores needed to pass end-of-grade and end-of-course exams.

In an 8-4 vote, the board expanded the number of achievement levels from four to five for this year’s standardized exams. The change will allow school leaders to get a better sense of a student’s level of achievement, said Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION | Tagged , | 4 Comments