AN ACT to modify school performance metrics and grades to better reflect school performance.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Part 1B of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes reads as rewritten:

Part 1B. School Performance.

§ 115C‑83.15.  School achievement, growth, performance scores, and grades.

(a)        School Scores and Grades. – The State Board of Education shall award school achievement, growth, and performance scores and an associated performance grade as required by G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., and calculated as provided in this section.

(b)        Calculation of the School Achievement Score. – In calculating the overall school achievement score earned by schools, the State Board of Education shall total the sum of points earned by a school as follows:

(1)        For schools serving any students in kindergarten through eighth fifth grade, the State Board shall assign points on the following measures available for that school:

a.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for mathematics in grades three through eight. five. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for mathematics shall include any mathematics course with an end‑of‑course test.

b.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for for the reading assessment given in grades three through eight.grade three.

c.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for science in grades five and eight.grade five.

d.         One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency on annual assessments in grades three through eight.five or scores at or above proficient on annual assessments for English Language Arts in grades three through five. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for English Language Arts shall include any English Language Arts course with an end‑of‑course test.

(1a)      For schools serving any students in sixth through eighth grade, the State Board shall assign points on the following measures available for that school:

a.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for mathematics in grades six through eight. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for mathematics shall include any mathematics course with an end‑of‑course test.

b.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for science in grades six through eight.

c.         One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency on annual assessments in grades five through eight.

d.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on annual assessments for English Language Arts in grades six through eight. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for English Language Arts shall include any English Language Arts course with an end‑of‑course test.

e.         One point for each percent of students in grade eight who complete a high school level course.

(2)        For schools serving any students in ninth through twelfth grade, the State Board shall assign points on the following measures available for that school:

a.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math I end‑of‑course test or, for students who completed Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth grade, another mathematics course with an end‑of‑course test.

b.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on the English II end‑of‑course test.

c.         One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient on the Biology end‑of‑course test.

d.         One point for each percent of students who complete Algebra II or Integrated Math III with a passing grade.

e.         One point for each percent of students who either (i) achieve the minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.earn a passing score on an advanced course exam, (ii) earn a passing grade in a dual enrollment course, (iii) earn at least five credits through Career and College Promise or any dual enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) earn an industry credential.

f.          Repealed by Session Laws 2019‑142, s. 1, effective July 19, 2019, and applicable to measures based on data from the 2018‑2019 school year and each school year thereafter.

g.         One point for each percent of students who graduate within four years of entering high school.

h.         One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency.

In calculating the overall school achievement score earned by schools, the State Board of Education shall (i) use a composite approach to weigh the achievement elements based on the number of students measured by any given achievement element give equal weight to each achievement element listed in each subdivision of this subsection and (ii) proportionally adjust the scale to account for the absence of a school achievement element for award of scores to a school that does not have a measure of one of the school achievement elements annually assessed for the grades taught at that school. The overall school achievement score shall be translated to a 100‑point scale and used for school reporting purposes as provided in G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8.

(c)        Calculation of the School Growth Score. – Using the Education Value‑Added Assessment System (EVAAS), the State Board shall calculate the overall growth score earned by schools. In calculating the total growth score earned by schools, the State Board of Education shall weight student growth for schools serving students in grades one through five on the achievement measures as provided in calculated under sub‑subdivisions a. and d. of subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section that have available growth values; provided that, section, for schools serving students in grades six through eight on the achievement measures calculated under sub‑subdivisions a. and c. of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, and for schools serving students in grades nine through 12, the growth score shall only include growth values for 12 on the achievement measures calculated under sub‑subdivisions a. and b. of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section. The growth score shall also include (i) the percentage of students in the lowest twenty‑five percent (25%) in English Language Arts, as identified by prior year performance on an annual assessment, and (ii) the percentage of students in the lowest twenty‑five percent (25%) in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance on an annual assessment. The numerical values used to determine whether a school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth shall be translated to a 100‑point scale and used for school reporting purposes as provided in G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8.

(d)       Calculation of the Overall School Performance Scores and Grades. – The State Board of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school achievement score, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, and the school growth score, as determined using EVAAS as provided in subsection (c) of this section, earned by a school. The school achievement score shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score shall account for twenty percent (20%) of the total sum. achievement metrics from each sub‑subdivision in the respective subdivisions of subsection (b) of this section to the four growth metrics listed in subsection (c) of this section, all in equal weight. For all schools, the total school performance score shall be converted to a 100‑point scale and used to determine an overall school performance grade. The overall school performance grade shall be based on the following scale and shall not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, such as a plus or minus:

(1)        A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 85 62 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of A.

(1a)      For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six or higher, a school performance score of at least 64 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of A.

(2)        A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 70 54 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of B.

(2a)      For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six or higher, a school performance score of at least 57 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of B.

(3)        A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 55 41 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of C.

(3a)      For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six or higher, a school performance score of at least 44 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of C.

(4)        A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 40 32 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of D.

(4a)      For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six or higher, a school performance score of at least 34 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of D.

(5)        A For elementary schools, a school performance score of less than 40 32 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of F.

(5a)      For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six or higher, a school performance score of less than 34 is equivalent to an overall school performance grade of F.

(d1)     Establishment of Subgroups of Students. – The State Board shall establish the minimum number of students in a subgroup served by a school that is necessary to disaggregate information on student performance and to determine a subgroup performance score and grade for the following subgroups of students:

(1)        Economically disadvantaged students.

(2)        Students from major racial and ethnic groups.

(3)        Children with disabilities.

(4)        English learners.

(d2)     Calculation of the School Performance Scores and Grades for Certain Subgroups of Students Served by a School. – In addition to the overall school performance scores and grades awarded under this section, for each school that serves a minimum number of students in a subgroup of students listed in subsection (d1) of this section, the State Board of Education shall calculate school performance scores and shall determine a corresponding school performance grade for each subgroup using the same method as set forth in subsection (d) of this section. School performance scores for subgroups of students shall not be included in the calculation of the overall school performance scores and grades under subsection (d) of this section.

(d3)     Report of Subgroup Performance Scores and Grades. – The subgroup performance scores and grades shall be reported separately on the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8 in a way that provides the following information:

(1)        For the current year and the previous two years, the achievement score for each subgroup of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section for the school.

(2)        The statewide average achievement score for each subgroup defined in subsection (d1) of this section.

(3)        The difference between the achievement score for all students in the school and the achievement score for each subgroup that meets the minimum number of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section.

(4)        Based on the information reported in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the State Board shall determine and identify schools that are closing achievement gaps, experiencing a widening of gaps, or seeing no significant gap changes.

(e)        Elementary and Middle School Reading and Math Achievement Scores. – For schools serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the school achievement scores in reading and mathematics, respectively, shall be reported separately on the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8.

(e1)      Career and College Readiness Scores. – For schools serving any students in ninth through twelfth grade, the percentage of students who either (i) achieve the minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness who either (i) earn a passing score on an advanced course exam, (ii) earn a passing grade in a dual enrollment course, (iii) earn at least five credits through Career and College Promise or any dual enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) earn an industry credential shall be reported on the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8.

(f)        Indication of Growth. – In addition to awarding the overall school scores for achievement, growth, and performance and the performance grade, using EVAAS, the State Board shall designate that a school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth. The designation of student growth shall be clearly displayed in the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8.

(g)        Access to Annual Report Card Information on the Department's Web Site. Website. – Beginning with data collected in the 2017‑2018 school year, the State Board of Education shall provide user‑friendly access to the public on the annual report cards issued for local school administrative units and individual schools provided under G.S. 115C‑12(9)c1., 115C‑218.65, 115C‑238.66, and 116‑239.8 through the Department of Public Instruction's Web site. website. The annual report card shall be designed and organized to display the following information more prominently than any other information:

(1)        A summary for each local school administrative unit and for each individual school of the school performance grades, whether the school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and any other information required to be provided as part of the annual report card.

(2)        The percentage of schools receiving an overall school performance letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each school located within a local school administrative unit and statewide.

(3)        The number of schools that have met, exceeded, or have not met expected growth by each school located within a local school administrative unit and statewide.

(4)        A Web page website for each individual school that prominently displays the school's performance grades, whether the school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and the school's performance and growth scores in a way that is easy for the user to read.

(5)        The ability to easily compare annual report card information, including school performance grades and whether schools have met, exceeded, or have not met expected growth, for local school administrative units and for individual schools for a time span of at least three years.

§ 115C‑83.16.  School performance indicators for the purpose of compliance with federal law.

(a)        The State Board of Education shall use the school performance scores and grades as calculated under G.S. 115C‑83.15 to satisfy the federal requirement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), P.L. 114‑95, to meaningfully differentiate the performance of schools on an annual basis. For the purpose of compliance with federal law, the indicators shall be defined as follows:

(1)        For schools serving any students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the State Board shall define the indicators as follows:

a.         Academic indicators. –

1.         The academic achievement indicator shall include the following measures:

I.          Proficiency on annual assessments for mathematics in grades three through eight.

II.        Proficiency on annual assessments for reading in grades three through eight.

2.         The other academic indicator shall include the following measures:

I.          Proficiency on annual assessments for science in grade five.

II.        Proficiency on annual assessments for science in grade eight.

3.         The English language proficiency indicator shall be the percentage of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency on annual assessments in grades three through eight.

b.         School quality and student success indicator. – The measure of school quality and student success shall be the growth score earned by schools.

(2)        For schools serving any students in ninth through twelfth grade, the State Board shall define the indicators as follows:

a.         Academic indicators. –

1.         The academic achievement indicator shall include the following measures:

I.          Proficiency on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math I end‑of‑course test or, for students who completed Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth grade, another mathematics course with an end‑of‑course test.

II.        Proficiency on the English II end‑of‑course test.

III.       The growth score earned by schools.

2.         Repealed by Session Laws 2017‑206, s. 1(b), effective August 30, 2017, and applicable beginning with the 2017‑2018 school year.

3.         The graduation rate indicator shall be the percentage of students who graduate within four years of entering high school.

4.         The English language proficiency indicator shall be the percentage of students who progress in achieving English language proficiency.

b.         School quality and student success indicator. – The school quality and student success indicator shall be made up of the following measures:

1.         Proficiency on the Biology end‑of‑course test.

2.         The percentage of students who complete Algebra II or Integrated Math III with a passing grade.

3.         The percentage of students who either (i) achieve the minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.who either (i) earn a passing score on an advanced course exam, (ii) earn a passing grade in a dual enrollment course, (iii) earn at least five credits through Career and College Promise or any dual enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services Qualification Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) earn an industry credential.

4.         Repealed by Session Laws 2019‑142, s. 2, effective July 19, 2019, and applicable to measures based on data from the 2018‑2019 school year and each school year thereafter.

(b)        Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and only for the purpose of conforming with ESSA, the State Board may label measures as indicators different from those described in subsection (a) of this section; provided that each measure shall be calculated in accordance with the requirements of G.S. 115C‑83.15.

§ 115C‑83.17.  Definitions.

The following definitions apply in this Part:

(1)        Achievement score. – A numerical score on a scale of zero to 100 that is based on the sum of points earned by a school or by a subgroup of students pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15.

(1a)      Advanced course exam. – An examination given at the conclusion of an associated Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Advanced International Certificate of Education course.

(2)        Growth score. – A numerical score measuring student growth calculated for a school or for a subgroup of students pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15.

(3)        Overall school performance grade. – The letter grade earned by a school for all students served by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15(d).

(4)        Overall school performance score. – The numerical score earned by a school that is calculated by adding the school achievement score and the school growth score earned by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15(d).

(5)        Subgroup performance grade. – The letter grade earned by a school for a subgroup of students served by the school pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15(d2).

(6)        Subgroup performance score. – The numerical score earned by a school that is calculated by adding the subgroup achievement score and the subgroup growth score earned by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C‑83.15(d2).

SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to school performance grades and metrics based on data from the 2025‑2026 school year.