GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 2013

H                                                                                                                                                    3

HOUSE BILL 435

Committee Substitute Favorable 4/3/13
Third Edition Engrossed 4/4/13

Short Title:        School Performance Grades.	(Public)
Sponsors:
Referred to:

March 27, 2013

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT to provide for the CALCULATION of school performance Scores and grades by the state Board of Education.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Section 7A.3(e) of S.L. 2012-142 is repealed.

SECTION 2.  Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new Part to read:

"Part 1B. School Performance.

"§ 115C-83.11.  School performance scores and grades.

(a) The State Board of Education shall award school performance scores, grades, and an indicator of student growth as required by G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., calculated as provided in this section.

(b) For schools serving students in any combination of grades third through eighth grade, the school performance score shall be calculated based on the performance composite comprised of the following:

(1) Percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for reading in grades three through eight.

(2) Percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for mathematics in grades three through eight.

(3) Percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for science in grades five and eight.

(4) Percent of proficient scores in Algebra I/Integrated I, English II, and Biology end-of-course tests.

(c) For schools serving students in any combination of grades ninth through 12th grade, the school performance score shall be the average of the following five indicators:

(1) Percent of proficient scores in Algebra I/Integrated I, English II, and Biology end-of-course tests.

(2) Percent of students who complete a higher level mathematics class with a passing grade.

(3) Percent of college readiness benchmarks met on a nationally normed test of college readiness.

(4) Percent of students who graduate within four years of entering high school.

(5) Percent of students who demonstrate workplace readiness on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.

(d) The State Board of Education shall calculate school performance scores using the State mean to set the criteria for each indicator. Each indicator will be translated to a common scale and averaged for the reporting of one school performance letter grade for each school.

(e) For schools that meet or exceed growth as determined by the Education Value-Added Assessment System (EVAAS), the final letter grade shall be increased by one grade.

(f) For schools serving students in third through eighth grade, their final letter grade shall be increased by one letter grade if the performance composite, comprising of the percent of proficient scores for reading, mathematics, and science, is at or above eighty percent (80%) for the current year and the two prior school years.

(g) For schools serving students in ninth through 12th grade, their final letter grade shall be increased by one letter grade if the performance composite, comprising of the percent of proficient scores for Algebra I/Integrated I, English II, and Biology end-of-course tests, is at or above eighty percent (80%) for the current year and the two prior school years.(h) In calculating the overall school performance score earned by schools, the State Board of Education shall proportionally adjust the scale to account for the absence of a school performance element for award of scores to a school that does not have a measure of one of the school performance elements annually assessed for the grades taught at that school.

(i) The State Board of Education shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee annually by January 15 on any adjustments to the calculation and the distribution of the school performance grades."

SECTION 3.(a)  G.S. 115C-12(9)c1. reads as rewritten:

"c1.      To issue an annual "report card" for the State and for each local school administrative unit, assessing each unit's efforts to improve student performance based on the growth in performance of the students in each school and taking into account progress over the previous years' level of performance and the State's performance in comparison with other states. This assessment shall take into account factors that have been shown to affect student performance and that the State Board considers relevant to assess the State's efforts to improve student performance. As a part of the annual "report card" for each local school administrative unit, the State Board shall awardaward, in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.11, an overall numerical school performance score on a scale of zero to 100 and a corresponding letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each school within the local school administrative unit. The school performance score and grade shall reflect student performance on annual subject-specific assessments, college and workplace readiness measures, and graduation rates. For schools serving students in any grade from kindergarten to eighth grade, separate performance scores and grades shall also be awarded based on the school performance in reading and mathematics respectively. The annual "report card" for schools serving students in third grade also shall include the number and percentage of third grade students who (i) take and pass the alternative assessment of reading comprehension; (ii) were retained in third grade for not demonstrating reading proficiency as indicated in G.S. 115C-83.7(a); and (iii) were exempt from mandatory third grade retention by category of exemption as listed in G.S. 115C-83.7(b)."

SECTION 3.(b)  G.S. 115C-47(58) reads as rewritten:

"(58)    To Inform the Public About the North Carolina School Report Cards Issued by the State Board of Education. - Each local board of education shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. Each local board of education shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade calculated in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.11 and earned by each school in the local school administrative unit for the current and previous four school years is prominently displayed on the Web site of the local school administrative unit. If any school in the local school administrative unit is awarded a grade of D or F, the local board of education shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school."

SECTION 3.(c)  G.S. 115C-238.29F(l) reads as rewritten:

"(l)        North Carolina School Report Cards. - A charter school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A charter school shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade calculated in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.11 and earned by the charter school for the current and previous four school years is prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a charter school is awarded a grade of D or F, the charter school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school."

SECTION 3.(d)  G.S. 115C-238.66(11) reads as rewritten:

"(11)    North Carolina School Report Cards. - A regional school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A regional school shall ensure that the overall school performance score and grade calculated in accordance with G.S. 115C-83.11 and earned by the regional school for the current and previous four school years is prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a regional school is awarded a grade of D or F, the regional school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school."

SECTION 4.  G.S. 115C-12(24) reads as rewritten:

"(24)    Duty to Develop Standards for Alternative Learning Programs, Provide Technical Assistance on Implementation of Programs, and Evaluate Programs. - The State Board of Education shall adopt standards for assigning students to alternative learning programs. These standards shall include (i) a description of the programs and services that are recommended to be provided in alternative learning programs and (ii) a process for ensuring that an assignment is appropriate for the student and that the student's parents are involved in the decision. The State Board also shall adopt policies that define what constitutes an alternative school and an alternative learning program.

The State Board of Education shall also adopt standards to require that local school administrative units shall use (i) the teachers allocated for students assigned to alternative learning programs pursuant to the regular teacher allotment and (ii) the teachers allocated for students assigned to alternative learning programs only to serve the needs of these students.

The State Board of Education shall provide technical support to local school administrative units to assist them in developing and implementing plans and proposals for alternative learning programs.

The State Board shall evaluate the effectiveness of alternative learning programs and, in its discretion, of any other programs funded from the Alternative Schools/At-Risk Student allotment. Local school administrative units shall report to the State Board of Education on how funds in the Alternative Schools/At-Risk Student allotment are spent and shall otherwise cooperate with the State Board of Education in evaluating the alternative learning programs. As part of its evaluation of the effectiveness of these programs, the State Board shall, through the application of the accountability system developed under G.S. 115C-83.11 and G.S. 115C-105.35, measure the educational performance and growth of students placed in alternative schools and alternative programs. If appropriate, the Board may modify this system to adapt to the specific characteristics of these schools. Also as part of its evaluation, the State Board shall evaluate its standards adopted under this subdivision and make any necessary changes to those standards based on strategies that have been proven successful in improving student achievement and shall report to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee by April 15, 2006 to determine if any changes are necessary to improve the implementation of successful alternative learning programs and alternative schools."

SECTION 5.  This section is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with the 2013-2014 school year. The State Board of Education shall issue the first annual report cards under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., as amended by this act, no earlier than August 1, 2014.