Student Assessments in Southern States: Recent Developments

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Just three years ago, almost every state in the nation belonged to a national testing consortium, such as the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) whereas, today, barely half continue to participate in these multi-state comparative student assessments. The Southern region, in particular, has seen a shift away from the national testing consortia to state-specified student testing. As state education systems adapt to their new educational standards of college- and career-readiness, state governments continue to modify their approach to assessing student learning toward these standards.After dismissing PARCC and Smarter Balanced, several states' education systems began, and currently continue, a transition to various alternatives. This SLC Regional Resource provides an overview of the strategies that SLC member states have undertaken for student testing, as of October 1, 2015. Specifically, the analysis examines the current status of K-12 testing requirements implemented by the 15 SLC member states for their general public school populations and the experiences of these states as they seek to improve their student performance measurement systems. Further, the report focuses on the many adjustments and changes to K-12 English language arts and mathematics student assessment systems implemented by Southern states in the post-Common Core educational era, geared toward preparing college- and career-ready students.

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Content

SOUTHERN
LEGISLATIVE
CONFERENCE
OF

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS
IN SOUTHERN STATES:

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

A REGIONAL RESOURCE FROM THE SLC

THE COUNCIL
OF STATE
GOVERNMENTS
© Copyright November 2015

by Mikko Lindberg, Policy Analyst

J

ust three years ago, almost every state in the nation
belonged to a national testing consortium, such as the
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC) and Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (Smarter Balanced) whereas, today,
barely half continue to participate in these multi-state comparative student assessments.1 The Southern region, in
particular, has seen a shift away from the national testing
consortia to state-specified student testing. As state education systems adapt to their new educational standards of
college- and career-readiness, state governments continue
to modify their approach to assessing student learning toward these standards.
As the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) – last reauthorized in 2002 as the
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) – continues to be debated,
the greater student testing requirements implemented by
NCLB presumably will continue as its lasting legacy. Even
with state governments receiving increased flexibility for
their student assessment systems, it is unlikely that testing requirements will be eliminated completely. Whatever
the final outcome of the ESEA rewrite negotiations may
be, states probably will have to maintain or establish clear
guidelines to measure the performance of their students in
relation to the learning goals set by their educational governing bodies.

SERVING THE SOUTH

Photo courtesy of cybrarian77
via flickr Creative Commons License

Prior to NCLB, state governments were required to test
public school students only three times during their K-12
tenure. A primary component of NCLB, signed into law
by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002, was a
requirement that, by the 2005-06 school year, every state
would have to implement an assessment system to determine reading and mathematics skills of students every year
in grades 3-8, and once again in grade 10, 11, or 12. Further, for the general student population and by the 2007-09
school year, science skills had to be measured three times:
once in grades 3-5, again in grades 6-9, and once more in
grades 10-12. Student assessments for all other subject areas were allowed but not required.2  State implementation
of the NCLB yearly testing requirements has varied, especially given that the federal law did not dictate any specific
learning goals that states must adopt.
While the original provisions of NCLB did not dictate
any specific educational standards that states should adopt
for testing purposes, on September 23, 2011, almost four
years after NCLB’s expiration on September 30, 2007, and
continued Congressional inaction, the U.S. Department of
Education announced a plan that would offer state waivers
from its provisions. However, the waivers came with the
stipulation that states must adopt “college- and career-ready
[educational] standards for all students, [develop] differentiated accountability systems, and [undertake] reforms to support effective classroom instruction and school leadership.”3

THE SOUTHERN OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS
P.O. Box 98129 | Atlanta, Georgia 30359
ph: 404/633-1866 | fx: 404/633-4896 | www.slcatlanta.org

As of September 24, 2015, 43 states (including every SLC
member state), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
had submitted requests and were approved for NCLB waivers by the U.S. Department of Education.4
Education standards invariably are tied to student testing, and
states’ adoption of college- and career-ready standards led to
the development of student assessment systems aligned with
those standards.  In that vein, since 2011, many state education
systems have undergone drastic changes in how their collegeand career-ready standards are defined and how students are
assessed in relation to them.A For example, in Missouri, Peter
Herschend, president of the Missouri Board of Education, has
indicated that students in his state have been assessed with
“four separate testing systems over four years.”5
As the tables in the following pages depict, student assessments in the South vary greatly. After dismissing PARCC
and Smarter Balanced, several states’ education systems
began, and currently continue, a transition to various alternatives. This SLC Regional Resource provides an overview
of the strategies that SLC member states have undertaken
for student testing, as of October 1, 2015. Specifically, the
analysis examines the current status of K-12 testing requirements implemented by the 15 SLC member states for
their general public school populations and the experiences
of these states as they seek to improve their student performance measurement systems. Of note, this report does
not contain information related to state requirements for
advanced placement exams, English-language learners, special education students, home-schooled children, federal
student assessments (i.e., the National Assessment of Educational Progress), school accreditation standards, teacher
evaluation regulations, or the wide array of other education
issue areas closely related to student assessments. Rather,
the report focuses on the many adjustments and changes
to K-12 English language arts and mathematics student assessment systems implemented by Southern states in the
post-Common Core educational era, geared toward preparing college- and career-ready students.
The most significant movement, and ensuing counter-movement,
related to educational standards has been the adoption of the Common Core of State Standards, originally developed and promoted by
the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State
School Officers, by state education governing bodies. For a review
of the status of Common Core in Southern states as of December
2014, please see the SLC Regional Resource, Common Core in the South:
Where the States Stand Now at http://slcatlanta.org/Publications/
Education/CommonCore.pdf.
A

2 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Alabama
Originally a member of both PARCC and Smarter Balanced, Alabama withdrew from both national student
testing consortiums in early 2013.6 In order to continue
student testing in alignment with its College- and CareerReady Standards (CCRS), the state became the first to adopt
ACT Aspire for testing children in grades 3-8, starting in
2014.7 For the 2015-16 school year, administration of ACT
Aspire assessments will be expanded to include grade 10.
According to the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE), ACT Aspire will test student performance
in English, reading, writing, mathematics, and science.
While reading and mathematics will be tested in grades 3-8,
science will be tested in grades 5 and 7 only. In grade 10,
students will be tested on their proficiency in all of the five
aforementioned disciplines. The ACT Aspire assessments
tout several unique features: modules that allow flexibility
for testing schedules; multiple choice and written response
questions; the option of computer or paper-based formats;
and alignment with both ACT College Readiness Benchmarks and CCRS.8
In addition to ACT Aspire for grades 3-8 and 10, the state
administers The ACT with an additional writing component to students in grade 11. The ACT Plus Writing
assessment ensures that students have completed at least
one exam accepted by four-year colleges and universities
in the United States. Additionally, the state will be able to
use the assessment to track student performance with aggregate and standards-based reporting past high school;
improve the college- and career-readiness of its students;
and collect further information about the alignment of
The ACT and CCRS.9
Beginning with the 2014-15 school year, the Department
has required the administration of ACT WorkKeys in grade
12, designed to measure foundational cognitive and noncognitive skills necessary to succeed in the 21st century
workforce.10 Meanwhile, during the 2015-16 school year,
the Department will give schools and districts the option
to administer ACT QualityCore end-of-course (EOC) assessments for Algebra I and English 9 or 10.11
With regard to school entry assessments, on May 11, 2015,
ALSDE announced a partnership with the Alabama Department of Children’s Affairs to pilot a Kindergarten Entry

Overview of ACT-Aligned Student Assessments
The ACT: a curriculum- and standards-based educational and career planning tool that assesses students’ academic readiness for college.
The ACT is one of two entry exams generally required by colleges and universities in the United States to determine students’ qualifications
for admission into their institution. (The other commonly accepted college entry exam is the SAT.)
ACT Aspire: a vertically-scaled assessment suite for measuring student proficiencies in English, mathematics, reading, science and writing from grade 3 through early high school. ACT Aspire assessments are aligned to both ACT College Readiness Benchmarks and individual
state academic standards; include multiple choice, constructed response and technology-enhanced items; and can be used to predict student outcomes on The ACT and create personal needs profiles for students on an individual education plan. The ACT Aspire assessment suite
includes classroom, interim, and summative end-of-grade assessments, but states, districts, and schools primarily use the summative component to measure college- and career-readiness. References to ACT Aspire in this SLC Regional Resource are references to the summative
end-of-grade ACT Aspire assessments.
ACT Explore: a student assessment usually administered in grade 8 or 9 that tests students’ English, mathematics, reading and science
skills; queries them on academic and career-oriented interests; identifies areas of academic strength and weakness; and provides guidance
for educational and career planning. ACT is in the process of replacing ACT Explore with ACT Aspire, and only supports the assessment to the
extent required by pre-existing contractual obligations.
ACT Plan: an assessment usually administered in grade 10 to measure college-readiness and provide a strong indication of future student
scores on The ACT. ACT is in the process of replacing ACT Plan with ACT Aspire, and only supports the assessment to the extent required by
pre-existing contractual obligations.
ACT WorkKeys: a student assessment generally administered toward the end of high school that measures job-related skills such as reading, mathematics, listening, locating information, and teamwork to help students understand how they can improve their skills, increase
their wages, and succeed in the 21st century workforce. High school students who complete the three components of ACT WorkKeys earn an
ACT National Career Readiness Certificate demonstrating one of four score-based levels of proficiency.
ACT Compass: an untimed, computer-adaptive test used primarily by colleges and universities to determine if students should be placed
in credit-bearing or developmentalA courses. After a thorough analysis of customer feedback, empirical evidence and postsecondary trends,
ACT has decided to phase out ACT Compass by December 31, 2016.
ACT QualityCore: a series of end-of-course assessments designed to be administered at the completion of selected English, mathematics,
science, and U.S. history high school courses. ACT QualityCore assessments are aligned with unique, deeper and more detailed educational
standards than other ACT-aligned student assessment mechanisms.
Source: Act, Incorporated http://www.act.org/ (accessed October 13, 2015).
Developmental college courses are those designed to teach students the knowledge they must have to succeed in regular college-level coursework.
Students in developmental courses do not earn college credit.
A

Assessment program for interested schools.12  Teachers who
choose to participate in the voluntary testing program
will be able to do so in the 2015-16 school year, and will
receive a stipend, professional development training, and
an iPad. Given wide-ranging agreement, school districts,
individual schools, and teacher groups also have the option
to participate in the administration of the kindergartenreadiness assessments.13

The state also requires local education agencies (LEAs) to
assess students in grades K-2, and provides resources for
testing grades beyond the requirement. For K-2, LEAs have
the option to use one of two versions of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) or select
another formative assessment system for measuring early
literacy skills.  Student performance data for DIBELS is entered into a statewide database with support from ALSDE,

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

3

whereas schools using other assessments are not required
to report their results to the Department.14

Arkansas
Originally a member of PARCC, the state Board of Education, under the direction of Governor Asa Hutchinson,
voted in July 2015 to change the public school system’s testing provider to ACT. Although the Board originally resisted
leaving PARCC, a final report from the governor’s Council on Common Core Review and a newly reconstituted
Board voted to make the transition.15 The Common Core
State Standards remain the basis of student learning goals
for English language arts and mathematics.16
Starting with the 2015-16 school year, schools will administer ACT Aspire for students in grades 3-10, testing them
in English, reading, writing, mathematics, and science.
Students in grade 11 will have the option to take The ACT
free of charge and have the scores sent directly to colleges
and universities of their choice.17,18
Arkansas continues to use the Qualls Early Learning Inventory, a questionnaire based on teacher observations,
to measure the general knowledge, oral communication,
written language, mathematic concepts, work habits, and
attentive behavior of kindergarten students and any first
grade student who did not attend kindergarten.19,20 The state
also requires the administration of the Iowa Assessments, a
set of multiple choice reading comprehension and mathematic tests, to students in grades 1 and 2. Student performance
on these tests is compared to a reference group representing the national norm and used to identify students who
may require additional instruction in science, English language arts, or mathematics.21

Florida
From 2011 to 2014, the state used the Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test to measure student performance in relation
to the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards (NGSSS)
in reading, mathematics, and writing.22 Under the executive order of Governor Rick Scott, the state withdrew from
PARCC in September 2013.23 In February 2014, the state
Board of Education unanimously approved new Language
Arts Florida Standards (LAFS) and Mathematics Florida
Standards (MAFS).24  To replace the PARCC assessments,
the state Department of Education hired the American
Institutes for Research to develop and administer the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA).25

4 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

DIBELS in Alabama and Louisiana
The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) are
a set of procedures and measures for assessing the acquisition of
early literacy skills from kindergarten through grade 6. They are
designed to be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early literacy and early reading skills.
DIBELS comprise seven measures that function as indicators of
phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, accuracy and fluency with connected text, reading comprehension, and vocabulary.
DIBELS were designed as a means to identify children experiencing difficulty in the acquisition of basic early literacy skills in order to provide support early and prevent the occurrence of later
reading difficulties.
Source: “What are DIBELS.” Dynamic Measurement Group.
https://dibels.org/dibels.html (accessed October 13, 2015).

SLC Member States: National Testing
Consortium Membership Status
State

National Testing Consortium
Membership Status

Alabama

Withdrew from PARCC and
Smarter Balanced in February 2013

Arkansas

Withdrew from PARCC in July 2015

Florida

Withdrew from PARCC in September 2013

Georgia

Withdrew from PARCC in July 2013

Kentucky

Withdrew from PARCC in January 2014

Louisiana

Partially withdrew from
PARCC in June 2015

Mississippi

Withdrew from PARCC in January 2015

Missouri

Withdrew from Smarter
Balanced in May 2015

North Carolina Affiliate Member of Smarter Balanced
Oklahoma

Withdrew from PARCC in July 2013

South Carolina

Withdrew from Smarter
Balanced in May 2014

Tennessee

Withdrew from PARCC in May 2013

Texas

Never joined PARCC or Smarter Balanced

Virginia

Never joined PARCC or Smarter Balanced

West Virginia

Governing Member of Smarter Balanced

Florida schools began to administer the FSA in the second
half of the 2014-15 school year, but experienced a challenging start due to technical malfunctions, server issues,26 and
concerns over the appropriateness of the assessments for
the state’s very heterogeneous student population.27  Due to
these issues, the Legislature enacted legislation ordering an
investigation into the validity of FSA.28 Following the order, the Department of Education hired Utah-based Alpine
Testing Solutions and Washington, D.C.-based edCount to
perform the review.29 On August 31, 2015, a final report on
the validity of FSA was issued. The report noted problems
with the administration of FSA, but also confirmed that
the assessments, in general, do follow the industry standards for best practices.30
Given the technical difficulties experienced with the first
round of assessments, Alpine Testing Solutions and edCount
also recommended a “hold harmless” policy for student-level
decisions, i.e., using the test results for any decisions that
would benefit a student, but not for any decisions with adverse effects, such as prevention of advancement to the next
grade, graduation ineligibility, or placement into a remedial
course.31 The Florida Association of District School Superintendents also raised concerns about the usage of test results
for evaluating teacher and school performance given that,
at the time of the report, sizable discrepancies still existed between FSA test questions and the LAFS and MAFS
learning objectives established by the Board of Education.32
In reaction to Seminole County Superintendent Walt Griffin
and the county School Board’s proposal to use national tests
in lieu of FSA, Senator Don Gaetz, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, and Senator John
Legg, chair of the Senate Pre-K – 12 Education Committee,
have indicated that they will file legislation to replace FSA
with The ACT or SAT during the 2016 legislative session.33
During the 2014-15 school year, the Florida student assessment system continued with a dual-testing scenario, and
both NGSSS-aligned assessments and FSA were administered. Florida Standards Assessments were utilized for
testing English language arts for grades 3-10 and mathematics for grades 3-8. In addition, students were tested
on NGSSS-aligned science proficiency in grades 5 and 8.
Florida students take FSA end-of-course assessments upon
the completion of courses aligned with Florida Standards
for Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry, generally in grades
9-11. End-of-course student assessments for Biology I, Civics, and U.S. History also continue to be administered at

the completion of the appropriate NGSSS-aligned courses.
While NGSSS-aligned EOC assessments are phased out,
students who completed an English language arts or mathematics class before the adoption of FSA, but did not pass
the associated EOC assessment, are allowed to retake assessments aligned with NGSSS until summer 2017.34,35
In addition to FSA and NGSSS-aligned assessments, Florida
schools measure early learning abilities and subsequent student development with a variety of testing instruments. In
December 2004, the Legislature passed legislation requiring
“statewide kindergarten screening to each kindergarten student … within the first 30 school days of each school year.”36
Subsequently, the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener
was implemented to measure how well children are prepared
for kindergarten by the state’s voluntary pre-kindergarten providers. The tests are aligned with the Florida Early
Learning and Developmental Standards for Four-Year-Olds.37
Public teachers also have the option to administer Florida Assessments for Instruction in Reading in grades K-12.
The assessments were developed through the collaboration
of the Florida Center for Reading Research, a multidisciplinary research center at Florida State University, and
Just Read, Florida!, a statewide reading initiative created
through the executive order of then-Governor Jeb Bush.
The tests are provided free of charge and allow teachers to
guide their instruction through screening, diagnostics, and
progress monitoring.38
Until recently, in preparation for postsecondary education,
the Department of Education required the administration
of the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test. The assessment, administered to students in public high schools and
Florida College System institutions, was used to measure a
student’s academic knowledge in mathematics, reading and
writing, and determine appropriate college-level coursework
if the student entered a postsecondary institution. Implemented in 2010, the assessment is being phased out and no
longer is required for students who entered grade 9 in the
2003-04 school year, have a high school diploma, or are on
active military duty.39

Georgia
From 2000 to 2014, Georgia administered a series of student assessments called Criterion-Referenced Competency
Tests (CRCT). After the state’s withdrawal from PARCC
in July 2013,40 in order to align student testing with newly

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

5

adopted Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) for general
courses and Georgia Standards of Excellence (GSE) for English language arts and mathematics, the Georgia Milestones
Assessment System (Georgia Milestones) was implemented
during the 2014-15 school year.41 The new system is used to
administer student assessments in English language arts,
mathematics, science, and social studies for grades 3-12.42
The Georgia Milestones EOC assessments for grades 3-8
are administered at the end of the school year and test students in the four aforementioned disciplines.  Meanwhile,
EOC assessments are administered for grades 9-12 at the
completion of 10 courses designated by the state Board
of Education.  Middle school students who take a high
school course also must complete the appropriate EOC assessment.  Students are evaluated at the completion of the
following courses, or their Board-approved substitutes: 43
»»9th Grade Literature
and Composition
»»American Literature
and Composition
»»Algebra I
»»Geometry
»»Coordinate Algebra

»»Analytic Geometry
»»Biology  
»»Physical Science
»»U.S. History
»»Economics/Business/
Free Enterprise

The state has contracted with CTB/McGraw-Hill to transition the administration of Georgia Milestones assessments
to a completely online format, with traditional paper-pencil
tests available only as back-ups. Approximately 30 percent of students in grades 3-12 took the assessments online
in its debut year. A small, undetermined number of students experienced connection issues mostly attributable to
the testing system’s delay in syncing student information
across databases and other server issues. The state Department of Education was forced to suspend testing for some
students for two days to allow the vendor to identify and
remedy the problem.44 As recompense for the failures, CTB/
McGraw-Hill offered the state several additional services
free of charge.  Valued at $4.5 million, the company will
provide $2.64 million to create and administer new mathematics EOC assessments, up to $120,000 to hire a program
manager who will serve as the primary point of contact
for coordination of assessments, up to $60,000 to contract
for an independent analysis of the online testing problems
experienced in the first year, and more than $1.6 million
in other services.45

6 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

State education officials predicted that student scores for
Georgia Milestones would decline markedly from those
earned for the CRCT, and the predictions did indeed prove
true. For example, less than 40 percent of students scored
proficient or better in English language arts and mathematics.46 However, State School Superintendent Richard
Woods noted that, “[the] previous assessment, the CRCT,
set some of the lowest expectations for student proficiency in the nation, and that [could not] continue. Georgia
Milestones sets higher standards for our students and
evens the playing field with the rest of the nation.” 47 Indeed, Honesty Gap now predicts that Georgia is well on
its way to closing its previously vast variation between
student scores on state assessments and the National Assessment of Educational Progress.B,48
As a component of its teacher evaluation system, Georgia
also requires the administration of tests measuring student progress toward Student Learning Objectives (SLOs),
developed by school districts and approved by the state Department of Education. Originally implemented in 2012 in
collaboration with the federal Race to the Top Initiative,C
the state requirements for SLOs were rolled back significantly in July 2015, through the order of the state school
superintendent.49 Previously, SLO end-of-grade assessments
were administered for all non-tested GPS and GSE subject
areas from Pre-K to grade 12, as well as all students starting
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a series
of federally required, nationally administered, periodically conducted student assessments in mathematics, reading, science, writing, the
arts, civics, economics, geography, U.S. history, and technology and
engineering literacy. Student scores on the assessments are the baseline for the federally released Nation’s Report Card, which provides
state-level comparative data about the academic achievement of elementary and secondary students in the United States. According to
Honesty Gap, states’ testing and reporting processes often yield significantly different results than the data collected and reported by
NAEP. The organization defines “honesty gap” as the discrepancy between NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card, and a state’s report of their
student performance.
B

Race to the Top was a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that created a $4.35 billion competitive grant
program designed to encourage and reward states for developing
education innovations and reforms for achieving significant improvement in student outcomes; closing achievement gaps; improving
high school graduation rates; and implementing ambitious plans in
four core education reform areas: 1) adopting college- and careerreadiness standards, 2) building data systems that measure student
growth and success, 3) increasing teachers and principal effectiveness, and 4) turning around the lowest-achieving schools.
C

An Overview of Student Testing Contractors
ACT: formerly known as American College Testing, ACT is an Iowa-based nonprofit organization that develops a vast number of student assessments for K-12 school systems. The organization also performs research and promotes education and workforce policy solutions at the
national, state, and local levels. In 2015, more than 1.9 million graduating U.S. high school students took  The ACT college-entry exam (see
page 3), approximately 59 percent of all high school graduates in the United States.
American Institutes for Research: a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization and one of the world’s largest for behavioral and
social science research and evaluation. AIR offers a full range of student assessment services, collaborating with state, district, and international clients to develop and deploy assessment programs. The organization has delivered online adaptive tests for more than 24 states,
with approximately 60 million online tests delivered during the 2014-15 school year.
CTB/McGraw-Hill: a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill Education, CTB is an Ohio-based global education organization focused on test publishing,
scoring and reporting information about educational progress. CTB offers assessments for pre-K through adult education across the United
States and the world. Customers include public, private, charter, and faith-based schools and districts, as well as special-needs programs.
Of note, on June 30, 2015, Data Recognition Corporation announced it would acquire key assets of the CTB assessment business of McGrawHill Education.
Data Recognition Corporation: a Minnesota-based privately held company serving 13 states and delivering assessments for multi-state
consortia.
Educational Testing Service: the world’s largest nonprofit educational measurement organization. New Jersey-based ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually in more than 180 countries, at more than 9,000 locations worldwide.
Measured Progress: a New Hampshire-based nonprofit organization that offers K-12 assessment options from customized individual
classroom quizzes to statewide standardized testing.
Measurement Incorporated: a North Carolina-based, full-service educational company that provides achievement tests and scoring services for state governments, other testing companies, and various organizations.
Questar Assessment Incorporated: a Minnesota-based, full-service testing company with wide-ranging services, from statewide assessments for grades 3-8, high school, English language proficiency, and alternate programs to standardized district assessments.
Pearson: a London-based for-profit media conglomerate with global operations in the education, business information and consumer
publishing markets. Its education division, Pearson Education, provides test development, processing and scoring services to governments,
educational institutions, corporations and professional bodies around the world. Pearson is the primary developer of PARCC assessments.

grade 3.  Teachers were required to administer up to six SLO
assessments per year whereas, going forward, Race to the
Top school districts have the option to require teachers to
administer only two, and regular school districts have the
option to require teachers to administer only one or none
if they are teaching a course already assessed with Georgia Milestones.50
In addition to regular student assessments, the Georgia
Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills is a flexible

kindergarten student performance evaluation implemented during the 2008-09 school year. Throughout the year,
in accordance with a schedule determined by the teacher,
children are assessed on their skills in the disciplines of
English language arts, mathematics, social studies, and
science, as well as their approaches to learning, personal and social development, and motor skills. Teachers
may assess students through sample assessment activities, their own assessments, personal observation, or a
combination of methods. The teacher only is required to

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

7

record student performance into an online database by
the end of the school year so that it can be used to create customized reports for instructional planning, report
cards, and/or parents.51,52

SLC Member States: Student Testing Contractors

From 1991 to 2013, high school students were required to
pass the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT) to earn
a diploma. In March 2015, Governor Nathan Deal signed
House Bill 91, eliminating the requirement.53 The new law
also allows students who failed the GHSWT in prior years
to petition local school systems for a retroactive high school
diploma, if they have fulfilled all other graduation requirements. The GHSWT no longer is administered.54

Kentucky
Starting with the 2011-12 school year, the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP) replaced
the Kentucky Core Content Test. The commonwealth withdrew from PARCC in January 2014,55 and contracted with
Pearson56 for the provision of assessments for grades 3-8 and
high school writing.57,58 The Kentucky Academic Standards
serve as the learning objectives measured by the assessments.
During the most recent 2014-15 school year, the commonwealth administered K-PREP student assessments for the
following proficiencies:59
»»English Language Arts: grades 3-8
»»Mathematics: grades 3-8
»»Science: grades 4 and 7
»»Social Studies: grades 5 and 8
»»Language Mechanics: grades 4 and 6
»»On-Demand Writing: grades 5, 6, 8, 10, and 11
In addition to these regular assessments, the commonwealth
administers several ACT-developed student assessments
to determine students’ college- and career-readiness and
measure individual school performance.D Since the 2011-12
school year, ACT QualityCore EOC assessments also have
been required for English II, Algebra II, Biology and U.S.
History, generally completed in high school.  Meanwhile,
ACT Explore is administered to students in grade 8,60 and
ACT Plan is administered to students in grade 10. In grade
11, students take a customized, four-component ACT assessment, providing a third and final indicator of college- and
career-readiness. The four components comprise:
Please see page 3 for a text box addressing ACT-aligned student
assessments.
D

8 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

State

Primary Student Testing Contractor

Alabama

ACT

Arkansas

ACT

Florida

American Institutes for Research

Georgia

CTB/McGraw-Hill

Kentucky

Pearson

Louisiana

Data Recognition Corporation
(contract expired June 30, 2015)

Mississippi

Questar Assessment Incorporated

Missouri

Pending as of October 5, 2015;
previously, CTB/McGraw-Hill

North Carolina

Technical Outreach for Public Schools,
North Carolina State University*

Oklahoma

Measured Progress

South Carolina

ACT

Tennessee

Measurement Incorporated /
American Institutes for Research

Texas

Educational Testing Service

Virginia

Pearson

West Virginia

American Institutes for Research

North Carolina is one of two states in the nation that contracts with
an in-state university to develop and administer student assessments,
per a November 2012 report on state spending on K-12 assessments by
Matthew M. Chingos at the Brookings Institution. The state appears to
be continuing the practice, with sizable cost savings.
*

»»Tests of Educational Development: this component is the
customary ACT assessment in English language arts, reading, mathematics, and science. Student ability in reasoning,
analysis, problem solving, and integration of diverging information is assessed.
»»Course/Grade Information Section: this component
serves as the student’s high school transcript.
»»Student Profile Section: this component includes information provided by students regarding their educational
plans, interests, needs, financial aid, and demographics.
»»The ACT Interest Inventory: this component comprises
a 72-item survey used to identify occupations and majors
that may align with a student’s academic and personal
interests.61
ACT Compass assessments are administered in grade 12 to
students who do not meet the scoring benchmarks set by
the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE)
for the Tests of Educational Development component of

Market Share of 2012 State K-12 Student Testing Contracts ($USD)

Source: Chingos, Matthew M. Strength in Numbers: State Spending on K-12 Assessment Systems. Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings.
November 2012. http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2012/11/29%20cost%20of%20assessment%20chingos/11_assessment_
chingos_final.pdf (accessed October 27, 2015).

commonwealth’s ACT assessment. Meeting the benchmark
requirements for ACT Compass allows students to enter
credit-bearing college courses and avoid remedial education.62   In addition, for students planning to enter a college
or university in Kentucky, but not meeting CPE benchmarks, the Kentucky Online Testing placement testing
system, offered free of charge through a partnership between the University of Kentucky and North Kentucky
University, gives students one more opportunity to demonstrate college-readiness and avoid remedial coursework.63
Kentucky also administers assessments for students in career and technical education programs. ACT WorkKeys
is one of two tests that students must take to demonstrate
their academic readiness for the workforce. Students who
pass the series of three tests (in applied math, locating information, and reading for information) included in the ACT
WorkKeys are awarded an ACT National Career Readiness
Certificate.64 Alternatively, students can take the Armed
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to fulfill the academic
skills accreditation requirement.  The Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards Assessment is given to students studying
one of 26 career pathways, and utilized to demonstrate
technical career-readiness.  Students are awarded Kentucky

Occupational Skill Standards Certificates upon passing an
industry-specific assessment.65 A student also may demonstrate his or her technical career-readiness through the
acquisition of private industry certification.66
For school entry, the BRIGANCE Early Childhood Kindergarten Screen III is employed to measure a child’s stage
of development in five areas upon entry into kindergarten. The assessment allows teachers and schools to plan
their instruction based on the early identification of students’ strengths and weaknesses.67 Kentucky also requires
the assessment of reading and mathematics skills of students in grade 1. Teachers and schools are allowed to select
their own testing mechanisms as long as they are 1) developmentally appropriate, reliable, and valid; 2) utilize best
practices in early childhood assessment; and 3) align with
the Kentucky Academic Standards and Kentucky Early
Childhood Standards.68

Louisiana
Student assessments developed by PARCC were administered during the 2014-15 school year. However, legislation
signed by Governor Bobby Jindal on June 29, 2015, stipulates that PARCC-developed material may comprise no more

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

9

Pre-K –12 Early Learning, Subject Area, and Other Student Assessments in SLC Member States*
State

K-12 English
Language Arts Early Learning
Assessments
and Math
Standards

Alabama†

College- and
Career-Ready
Standards

Arkansas

Qualls Early
Learning Inventory
Common Core
(grades K-1)
State Standards
Iowa Assessments
(grades 1-2)

Florida

Language
Arts Florida
Standards
Mathematics
Florida
Standards

Georgia

Kentucky

Louisiana

Mississippi

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Dynamic Indicators of
Basic Early Literacy Reading
Skills or district
Math
choice (grades K-2)

Reading
Math

Reading
Math
Science

Reading
Math

Reading
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

Florida Kindergarten
Readiness Screener
(grade K)

English
Math

English
Math

English
Math
Science

English
Math

English
Math

Georgia
Standards of
Excellence

Georgia Kindergarten
Inventory of
Developing Skills
(grade K)
Student Learning
Objectives§
(grades Pre-K – 12)

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§

Kentucky
Academic
Standards

BRIGANCE Early
Childhood
Kindergarten
English
Screen III (grade K)
Math
Teacher-selected
reading and math
assessments (grade 1)

English Language
Arts/Literacy
Dynamic Indicators of
Standards
Basic Early Literacy
Standards for
Skills (grades K-3)
Mathematical
Practice
Kindergarten
Mississippi
Readiness Assessment
College- and
(grade K)
Career-Ready
STAR Early Literacy
Standards
(grades K-3)

English
English
Math
Math
On-Demand
Science
Writing
Language
Social
Mechanics
Studies

English
Math
English
On-Demand
Math
Writing
Science
Language
Mechanics

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Reading

English
Math

English
Math
Science

English
Math

English
Math

Due to many state-specific particularities, information is provided as fully, yet concisely, as practicable. For complete details, please see specific
state sections.
*

10 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Grade 8

Reading
Math

 

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English
Math
Science

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
Student
Learning
Objectives§
English
Math
On-Demand
Writing
Social
Studies
ACT Explore
English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
ACT Explore
English
Math
Science

§

Grade 9

English

Student
Learning
Objectives§

 

ACT Explore

 

Grade 10
English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science
English
Reading
Writing
Math
Science

English

Grade 11

Grade 12

End-of-Course Assessments
(generally administered
in grades 9-12)

The ACT Plus
Writing

ACT WorkKeys

English 9/10 (not state-mandated)
Algebra I (not state-mandated)

The ACT
(not statemandated)

 

 

 

Algebra I
Algebra II
Geometry
Biology I
Civics
U.S. History

 

Student
Learning
Objectives§

Student
Learning
Objectives§

Student
Learning
Objectives§

9th Grade Literature and Composition
American Literature and Composition
Algebra I
Geometry
Coordinate Algebra
Analytic Geometry
Biology
Physical Science
U.S. History
Economics/Business/Free Enterprise

On-Demand
Writing
ACT Plan

On-Demand
Writing
The ACT
(customized)

ACT Compass
(limited use)
ACT WorkKeys
(CTE students
only)

English II
Algebra II
Biology
U.S. History

ACT Plan

The ACT
ACT WorkKeys
(not statemandated)

 

English II
English III
Algebra
Geometry
Biology
U.S. History

The ACT

Mississippi Career
Planning and
Assessment
System (CTE
students only)

English II
Algebra I
Biology I
U.S. History

 

Based on information available as of October 5, 2015.
The state testing requirements for Student Learning Objectives vary by school.

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

11

Pre-K –12 Early Learning, Subject Area, and Other Student Assessments in SLC Member States*
State

K-12 English
Language
Arts and
Math
Standards

Early Learning
Assessments

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Missouri

Missouri
Learning
Standards

Desired Results
Developmental
Profile (Pre-K, not
state-mandated)

English
Math

English
Math

English
Math
Science

English
Math

English
Math

North
Carolina

North
Carolina
Standard
Course of
Study

English: K-2 Literacy
Assessment (grades K-2)
Math: Formative
Instructional and
Assessment Tasks
(grades K-2)
(School districts may
administer state-designed
English language arts
and math assessments
or develop their own)

English
Math
Reading

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

Oklahoma

Priority
Academic
Student Skills

School districts must
administer one of 13 stateEnglish
approved reading and
Math
English comprehension
assessments (grades K-3)

English
Math

English
Math
English
Writing
Math
Science
U.S. History

English
Math
Geography

South
Carolina

School districts must
administer one of three
South Carolina
state-approved formative
College- and
assessments (Pre-K)
Career-Ready
Developmental Reading
Standards
Assessment 2nd Edition
PLUS (grade K)

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Math

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

Due to many state-specific particularities, information is provided as fully, yet concisely, as practicable. For complete details, please see specific
state sections.
*

than half of the questions on future student assessments.69
During the 2015-16 school year, the state will continue
testing students in grades 3-8 in English language arts,
mathematics, science, and social studies.70  Social studies assessments will be in the field-test stage during this year to
allow alignment to updated educational standards by the
2016-17 school year.71  The educational standards that guide
student testing include: English Language Arts/Literacy
Standards; Standards for Mathematical Practice; and (science and social studies) Grade-Level Expectations.
Louisiana students take EOC assessments in English II, English
III, Algebra, Geometry, Biology and U.S. History, generally

12 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

completed in high school. Additionally, a series of assessments developed by ACT is required for students in middle
and high school.E  Students in grades 8 and 9 take ACT Explore; ACT Plan is administered in grade 10; and The ACT is
required for students in grade 11.72  Starting with spring 2015,
the state also began to offer, but not require, ACT WorkKeys assessments for students pursuing a career-oriented
high school diploma. Students who earn a sufficient score
on ACT WorkKeys can qualify for the state’s postsecondary
scholarship program, Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, to pursue further career and technical credentials.73
Please see page 3 for a text box addressing ACT-aligned student
assessments.
E

Grade 8

English
Math
Science

English
Math
Science
Social
Studies
ACT Explore

English
Math
Writing
Science
U.S. History
English
Math
Science
Social
Studies

Grade 9

 

 

 

 

Grade 10

 

ACT Plan

Grade 11

The ACT

The ACT

Grade 12

End-of-Course Assessments
(generally administered in grades 9-12)

 

English II
Algebra I
Algebra II
(accelerated students)

Biology
Government
Personal Finance

ACT WorkKeys

English I
English II
English III
English IV
Math I
Math II
Math III
Advanced Functions
and Modeling
Discrete Mathematics
Precalculus

Physical Science
Environmental Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
American History:
The Founding
Principles, Civics
and Economics
World History
American History I
American History II

 

English II
English III
Algebra I
Algebra II

Geometry
Biology I
U.S. History

 

 

 

The ACT
 
ACT WorkKeys

Like Alabama, in early learning classrooms, Louisiana utilizes DIBELS. The assessment is required for children in
grades K-3 and administered three times per year. Sponsored
by the state, DIBELS is used by local education agencies to
measure students’ progression in reading skills and identify those who may need intervention.  School districts may
apply for a waiver of the testing requirement if they have
identified another assessment tool better suited for their
school settings.74

Mississippi
In January 2015, the Mississippi Department of Education announced the state was withdrawing from PARCC

English 1
Algebra 1/Math for the Technologies 2
Biology 1/Applied Biology 2
U.S. History and the Constitution

and would begin to seek bids for new student assessments
aligned to its Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS).  During the transition, PARCC assessments
remained the testing mechanism for English language arts
and mathematics in grades 3-8 for the 2014-15 school year.75
In April 2015, the Board of Education approved a 10-year,
$110.9 million testing contract with Questar Assessment,
Incorporated, for the development of MCCRS-aligned English language arts and mathematics assessments for grades
3-8; EOC assessments for Algebra I and English II, and an
optional Geometry and/or Algebra II assessment. The new
assessments are scheduled to be implemented during the
2015-16 school year.76

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

13

Pre-K –12 Early Learning, Subject Area, and Other Student Assessments in SLC Member States*
K-12 English
Language Arts
and Math
Standards

Early Learning
Assessments

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

Grade 6

Grade 7

Tennessee

Tennessee’s State
Standards

Reading
Math
(grades K-2, not
state-mandated)

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies

Texas

Texas Essential
Knowledge
and Skills

Texas Primary Reading
Inventory or other
state-approved reading
diagnostic instrument
(grades K-2)

English
Math

English
Math
Writing

English
Math
Science

English
Math

English
Math
Writing

Virginia

Standards of
Learning

Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening
(grades K-3, not
state-mandated)

English
Math
Science†
History†

English
Math

English
Math
Science
Writing†

English
Math

English
Math

West
Virginia

Early Learning Scale (Pre-K)
Next Generation
English
Content Standards Teacher-selected formative
Math
assessments (grade K)
and Objectives

English
Math
Science

English
Math

English
Math
Science

English
Math

State

Due to many state-specific particularities, information is provided as fully, yet concisely, as practicable. For complete details, please see specific
state sections.
*

The state also administers a 3rd Grade Reading Summative
Assessment, which requires a minimum level of competency in reading for student advancement to grade 4.77
Meanwhile, assessments aligned with the 2010 Mississippi Science Framework are administered to students in
grades 5 and 8.78 Since 1999, for grades 9-12, the state has
required the administration of EOC assessments upon completion of Algebra I, Biology I, U.S. History, and English II.79
All students in grade 11 also were administered The ACT
beginning with the 2014-15 school year.80  Finally, secondary students in career and technical education programs must complete an occupation-specific portion of
the Mississippi Career Planning and Assessment System to
demonstrate proficiency in technical skills.81
For school entry assessments, Mississippi utilizes the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment to measure how well

14 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

children are prepared for kindergarten by Pre-K programs
in relation to the Mississippi Early Learning Standards for
Classrooms Serving Four-Year-Old Children.82 In grades
K-3, the STAR Early Literacy assessment, developed by Renaissance Learning,F has been selected by the Department
of Education for early literacy and numeracy screening,
and the identification of students who require supplemental instruction and intensive intervention.83

Missouri
Missouri is one of three SLC member states that – along with
North Carolina and West Virginia – originally participated
in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. However, on May 8, 2015, Governor Jay Nixon signed into
Renaissance Learning, Incorporated is a Wisconsin-based educational assessment and learning analytics company focused on cloud-based
educational software for use in grades K-12.
F 

Grade 8

Grade 9

English
Writing
Math
Science
Social
Studies
ACT Explore
English
Math
Science
Social
Studies



Grade 10

ACT Plan

 

 

Grade 11

The ACT
or SAT

 

Grade 12

End-of-Course Assessments
(generally administered in grades 9-12)

 

English I
English II
English III
Algebra I
Algebra II
Geometry

Biology I
Chemistry
U.S. History

 

English I
English II
English III
(not statemandated)

Algebra I
Algebra II
(not state-mandated)
Biology
U.S. History

 

Reading
Writing
Algebra I
Algebra II
Geometry
Earth Science
Biology
Chemistry
Virginia Studies

Civics & Economics
World History &
Geography to 1500
World History &
Geography 1500-Present
World Geography
Virginia & U.S. History
U.S. History to 1865†
U.S. History: 1865 to the Present†

English
Math
Science
Writing

 

 

 

English
Math

English
Math

English
Math
Science

English
Math
 
ACT Compass

 

District-developed alternative assessment.

law an appropriations bill that eliminated $4.2 million
of state funding previously reserved to pay for Smarter
Balanced assessments.84 The legislation also directed the
state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop a plan for new student assessments
by February 1, 2016, and appropriated $7 million toward
that purpose.85 In June 2015, DESE indicated it would not
be able to develop new assessments by the 2015-16 school
year, and that the state will have to purchase English language arts and mathematics tests from an outside vendor.86
During the 2014-15 school year, to measure their proficiency in the Missouri Learning Standards, students in grades
3-8 were administered assessments in English language
arts and mathematics, and students in grades 5 and 8 also
were tested in science.87 End-of-course assessments were
administered at the completion of Algebra I, Algebra II for

accelerated students, English II, Biology, and Government.
Students in grade 11 were administered The ACT, and DESE
has indicated this practice will continue into 2016.88 Additionally, as a graduation requirement, Missouri administers
a Personal Finance assessment, although students taking a
complete stand-alone personal finance course are exempt
from the requirement.89 Missouri is the only SLC member
state requiring the administration of a personal finance
assesment, indicating a strong commitment by the state
toward ensuring that students understand the basics of disposable income; money management; spending and credit;
and saving and investing.
After the completion of a year-long pilot program testing three different school entry readiness assessments, the
state Board of Education recommended that school districts
adopt the Desired Results Developmental Profile to assess

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

15

the development of children in pre-kindergarten. The testing instrument is aligned with the Missouri Early Learning
Goals and its usage is optional.90

North Carolina
As of September 24, 2015, North Carolina remains an
affiliate member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium.91 During the 2014-15 school year, student
assessments in English language arts and mathematics, aligned with the North Carolina Standard Course of
Study (NCSCS) adopted in June 2010, were administered
to students in grades 3-8.92,93  The state also continued the
administration of a Beginning-of-Grade 3 English Language Arts/Reading Test, which serves as a baseline measure
for the English language arts and reading abilities of students starting grade 3.94  Students who do not meet the
proficiency cut-score for the end-of-year English language
arts assessment for grade 3 have the option to retake the
test, take the state’s Read to Achieve Test,G or complete
a Grade 3 Student Reading Portfolio to demonstrate the
appropriate level of reading comprehension required for
promotion to grade 4.  The Read to Achieve Test also is
utilized for mid-year promotion of students who were retained due to an insufficient reading proficiency. 95  Student
assessments for science, aligned with Essential Standards
adopted in February 2009, were administered to students
in grades 5 and 8.96  End-of-course tests were administered
for Math I, Biology, and English II, generally completed in
high school.97  The EOC assessments were aligned with the
same standards as those for grades 3-8.
In 2010, nearly $400 million in federal Race to the Top competitive grants assisted North Carolina in the remodeling
of its public education system.98 With those changes, a new
Educator Effectiveness Model required the addition of several student assessments to those for English language arts,
mathematics, and science.99 These assessments, the North
Carolina Final Exams, are EOC tests required in addition to
the aforementioned student assessments and are scheduled
for the following courses during the 2015-16 school year: 100
The North Carolina Read to Achieve Test is a reference to the
state’s Read to Achieve legislative initiative, a part of the Excellent
Public Schools Act, to ensure that every student reads at grade level
by the end of grade 3.
G

»»English I
»»English III
»»English IV
»»4th Grade Social Studies
»»5th Grade Social Studies
»»6th Grade Social Studies
»»7th Grade Social Studies
»»8th Grade Social Studies
»»American History:
The Founding Principles,
Civics, and Economics
»»World History
»»American History I
»»American History II

»»4th Grade Science
»»6th Grade Science
»»7th Grade Science
»»Physical Science
»»Earth/
Environmental Science
»»Chemistry
»»Physics
»»Math II
»»Math III
»»Advanced Functions
and Modeling
»»Discrete Mathematics
»»Precalculus

During the 2015-16 school year, North Carolina also will
continue to administer a series of ACT-aligned assessments: H
students in grade 8 will be administered ACT Explore;
students in grade 10, ACT Plan; students in grade 11, The
ACT; and students in grade 12, ACT WorkKeys.101   The ACT
WorkKeys assessments allow students to earn both a State
Career Readiness Certificate, as well as an ACT National
Career Readiness Certificate.102
North Carolina also gives school districts the option to
implement Credit by Demonstrated Mastery Assessments
(CDM), providing students an opportunity to bypass fullsemester high school courses. These assessments give
students one chance to gain credit for any number of high
school courses by demonstrating mastery in the subject
area through successful completion of a test and the presentation of a real-world “artifact” – potentially acceptable
items range from three-dimensional objects to research
papers to oral presentations to science projects and more
– created through the application of skills and knowledge
expected for the course. If a student fails to show mastery
in the subject area, the full-semester course must be completed to earn the necessary credit. Courses excluded from
CDM are: 103
»»Career and Technical Education (CTE) work-based learning
»»CTE courses that have a clinical setting as a requirement
»»CTE Advanced Studies
»»Courses designed for English language learners
»»Healthful Living
»»Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate
Please see page 3 for a text box addressing ACT-aligned student
assessments.
H

16 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

North Carolina currently is implementing a new K-3
Formative Assessment Process I to meet the requirements
of legislation passed by the General Assembly, as well as a
federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant.104
A Kindergarten Entry Assessment – creating a snapshot of
a child’s approaches to learning; cognitive abilities;
emotional-social skills; language and communication;
and health and physical abilities – was piloted during the
2014-15 school year and is scheduled for full implementation during the 2015-16 school year.105,106 Assessment instruments for grades K-3 still are in the preliminary stages of
development.
While the K-3 Formative Assessment Process rolls out,
North Carolina continues to require formative and summative assessments for children in grades K-2.  In accordance
with legislative and state Board of Education requirements
for K-2 mathematics, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) provides state-developed Formative
Instructional and Assessment Tasks and guidance on summative assessments to school districts to test mathematical
understanding aligned with NCSCS. Individual school districts may choose to use the state-developed Tasks, adapt
them, or utilize alternative assessment instruments.107 For
K-2 assessments in English language arts, NCDPI created
the K-2 Literacy Assessment to serve as a tool for fulfilling
state formative and summative assessment requirements.108

Oklahoma
Oklahoma withdrew from PARCC in July 2013, and subsequently began a search for a new statewide student
assessment provider.109  The state originally contracted with
CTB/McGraw-Hill, but after a series of technological issues
with online testing and problematic contract negotiations,
on October 17, 2014, the state hired Measured Progress as
its testing service provider.110  Presently, the state administers Oklahoma Core Curriculum Tests to students in grades
3-8 and at the completion of seven high school courses.111
In grades 3-8, English language arts and mathematics are
tested in alignment with the state’s educational standards,
The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction formative assessments used by teachers and students during instruction provide
feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to help students improve their achievement of intended instructional outcomes. These
assessments occur minute-to-minute or in short cycles and include
tasks such as: questioning, discussions, learning activities, feedback, and student reflections. In contrast, summative assessments
are those administered at the end of a project, unit, course, semester, program, or school year.
I

Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS), last revised in 2010
and 2009, J respectively.  Student assessments for science,
aligned with PASS revised in 2011, are administered in grades
5 and 8.112  Students in grades 5 and 8 also must complete a
writing assessment that measures their ability to compose
a narrative text, informative text, or an opinion.113  Student
assessments – aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards adopted in 2014 – for U.S. history are administered
in grades 5 and 8, and for geography in grade 7.114
In addition to end-of-grade assessments, Oklahoma also
administers EOC assessments at the completion of the following high school courses: Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry,
English II, English III, Biology I, and U.S. History.115 In order to earn a high school diploma, students must pass the
tests for English II and Algebra I, plus any two of the other
subjects, or demonstrate mastery of state academic content
standards through an alternative testing mechanism approved by the state Board of Education.116
Oklahoma’s Reading Sufficiency Act requires assessments at
the beginning and end of the school year for grades K-3
that measure students’ ability to distinguish phonemes (i.e.,
the distinct sounds associated with letters), reading fluency,
vocabulary, and comprehension. The state Board of Education is charged with reviewing and selecting appropriate
screening instruments, and has approved 13 formative assessments for grades K-3 that school districts may use to
measure reading and English comprehension. Students in
grade 3 must demonstrate reading proficiency to move on
to grade 4.117,118

South Carolina
On May 30, 2014, Governor Nicki Haley signed legislation
officially ending South Carolina’s participation in the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, prohibiting the use of
Smarter Balanced assessments in the state, and requiring
new English language arts and mathematics standards for
the 2015-16 school year, to replace the Common Core State
Standards.119 In accordance, on March 11, 2015, the state Board
of Education unanimously approved new South Carolina
College- and Career-Ready Standards for English Language
Arts and South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards for Math.120 Following the ban on Smarter Balanced
assessments, the South Carolina Budget and Control Board
Oklahoma officially dropped its Common Core State Standards
(CCSS) on June 5, 2014, and subsequently reverted to its pre-CCSS
educational standards.
J

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

17

contracted with ACT for the administration of assessments
in English language arts and mathematics. However, on
March 25, 2015, the state Procurement Review Panel confirmed that the original five-year contract with ACT is
valid for only one year and a new bidding process for state
testing proposals will be required after its expiration.121 A
request for proposal was issued by the Budget and Control
Board in August 2015 for the administration, scoring, and
reporting of English language arts and mathematics student assessments for grades 3-11.122
Testing for English language arts and mathematics for grades
3-8 with ACT Aspire was implemented during the latter half
of the 2014-15 school year.123 Meanwhile, the South Carolina
Palmetto Assessment of State Standards was administered
for grades 4-8 to measure student proficiency vis-à-vis the
South Carolina Academic Standards for science and social
studies.124 End-of-course assessments were required for the
following courses, typically completed in high school: 125
»»Algebra 1/Math for the Technologies 2
»»English 1
»»U.S. History and the Constitution
»»Biology 1/Applied Biology 2
ACT WorkKeys and The ACT were administered to students
in grade 11.126,K Until 2014, South Carolina administered a
High School Assessment Program that required students to
pass a high school exit exam to earn a diploma. Much like
the state of Georgia, in April 2014, Governor Nikki Haley signed legislation that eliminated the program and its
requirements. Further, former high school students who
failed to pass the exam, but fulfilled all other graduation
requirements, now may petition their local school boards
for a high school diploma.127
Following the passage of the General Appropriations Act of 2014,
South Carolina requires publicly-funded pre-kindergarten
and kindergarten students to be tested at the beginning of
the school year on early language learning and literacy.128
In June 2015, the state Board of Education approved three
formative assessments – Phonological Awareness Literacy
Screening; Individual Growth and Development Indicators;
and Teaching Strategies GOLD – for pre-kindergarten and
one for kindergarten, the Developmental Reading Assessment 2nd Edition PLUS.129
Please see page 3 for a text box addressing ACT-aligned student
assessments.
K

18 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Tennessee
On May 13, 2014, Governor Bill Haslam signed into law legislation mandating the administration of the state-developed
Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) to
assess English language arts and mathematics proficiency
in grades 3-8 during the 2014-15 school year. The legislation also required a competitive bidding process for the
state contract to administer the student assessments during
the 2015-16 school year.  Shortly thereafter, the governor,
commissioner of education, and chair of the state Board of
Education composed a joint letter informing PARCC about
Tennessee’s complete withdrawal from the consortium.130  In
November 2014, the state finalized a five-year, $108 million
testing contract with Measurement Incorporated. According to the nonprofit news organization, Chalkbeat Tennessee,
Measurement Incorporated will be subcontracting with the
American Institutes for Research, the testing provider for
Florida and Utah.131
The new assessments for English language arts and mathematics, called TNReady, are being deployed with the 2015-16
school year for grades 3-11. The assessments are aligned
with Tennessee’s State Standards, adopted in 2010 and implemented during the 2013-14 school year.132 Depending on
their school schedule, students in grades 3-8 will take the
assessments for English language arts and mathematics in
two or four parts during the school year.133 The English
language arts assessments include a writing section that
requires students to compose two essays, with each graded
on four rubrics: development, focus/organization, language,
and conventions.134
Science and social studies also will continue to be tested
in grades 3-8 as part of TCAP. In addition, Tennessee continues to administer EOC assessments, generally during
high school, upon the completion of English I, English II,
English III, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry,L U.S. History, Biology I, and Chemistry.135 Tennessee also continues
to require a series of ACT-aligned student assessments.
Students in grade 8 take ACT Explore; ACT Plan is administered in grade 10; and The ACT or SAT is required
for students in grade 11.
For grades K-2, to measure students’ potential future success in later grades, the state Department of Education
Alternative mathematics assessments (Integrated Math I, II, and II)
are available for schools that teach integrated mathematics.
L

provides school districts an optional norm-referencedM
basic reading and mathematics assessment, related to components of the Stanford Achievement Test 10.136 Additionally,
Tennessee is moving toward the full implementation of a
Response to Instruction and Intervention framework that
requires school districts to administer universal screeners
and progress-monitoring assessments in grades 1-12. The
framework utilizes specifically directed teacher observations (or “screeners”) of student responses to instruction to
identify those who require quick instructional intervention.  Progress-monitoring assessments will determine the
effectiveness of those interventions.137
Effective student assessment continues to receive much
attention from several fronts in Tennessee. On March
2, 2015, Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen
formed the Tennessee Task Force on Student Testing
and Assessment and gave the 18-member Task Force
six-months to “(1) identify and study best practices in
student assessment, (2) ensure local school districts and
the state are appropriately using assessments to improve
student achievement, and (3) better inform stakeholders
about the state assessment program.”138 In September
2015, the Task Force issued its final report, including
16 recommendations for improving student testing in
Tennessee. Most notably, the Task Force recommended
“elimination of the kindergarten and first-grade annual
standardized tests; elimination of the mandatory [ACT
Explore assessment for grade 8] and [ACT Plan assessment for grade 10] tests; continued requirement of the
ACT or SAT for [students in grade 10], but not the adoption of [ACT Aspire] or SAT’s companion test.”139 State
officials likely will respond to the recommendations of
the Task Force in the coming months.

Texas
Texas never joined PARCC or Smarter Balanced and has
continued to administer student assessments through the
State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR)
program implemented during the 2011-12 school year.
English language arts and mathematics proficiencies are
assessed in grades 3-8; writing in grades 4 and 7; science
in grades 5 and 8; and social studies in grade 8. The state
also administers EOC assessments at the completion of
Norm-referenced refers to standardized tests that are designed to compare and rank test takers in relation to one another.  Norm-referenced
tests report whether test takers performed better or worse than a
hypothetical average student. (The Glossary of Education Reform)
M

English I, English II, Algebra I, Biology, and U.S History,
generally taken in high school; EOC English III and Algebra II assessments will be offered to school districts as an
option at the end of the 2015-16 school year.  All state assessments are aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge
and Skills educational standards.140
For 15 years, Pearson was the principal provider of testing
services for the state.  However, on May 18, 2015, the Texas
Education Agency (TEA) announced that it had given preliminary approval for a four-year, $280 million contract to
Educational Testing Service for the administration of the
STAAR program.141,142 Pearson also was contracted for $60
million to administer the state’s alternative testing for students with cognitive disabilities, English language learners,
and residual assessments for the nearly defunct Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills program.143
For school entry assessments and beyond, school districts
may choose one of 15 TEA-approved early reading assessments to administer to kindergarten students at the
beginning of the year. Assessment data provided to TEA’s
Early Childhood Data System informs stakeholders on the
effectiveness of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and other
early childhood programs within the state. Districts also
have the option to choose an alternative to the 15 TEA-approved reading assessments.144
Additionally, school districts are required to administer
reading assessments in grades K-2. The state commissioner
of education is charged with selecting reading diagnostic
instruments that are “based on valid and reliable scientific research and that measure reading skills identified
by state and national experts as essential for reading development.”145 School districts must administer one or
more of the instruments identified on the Commissioner’s
List of Reading Instruments for Texas Public Schools and Charter Schools, but must ensure that phonemic awareness,
word recognition, and text comprehension are assessed.146
The Texas Primary Reading Inventory is the most widely used assessment.147

Virginia
Virginia never joined PARCC or Smarter Balanced.  Instead,
the Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools,
established by the state Board of Education, guide student
assessments for the majority of subject areas taught in K-12
public schools.148 In alignment with SOL, students in grades

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

19

3-8 are assessed for their proficiencies in English language
arts and mathematics. Additionally, students in grades 5
are tested on their proficiency in science, and students in
grade 8 are tested on science and writing skills.  During the
2014-15 school year, Virginia continued using SOL-aligned
tests developed and administered through Pearson, with a
limited number of students experiencing disruptions while
taking the online assessments.149
In high school, EOC assessments are required in the following subject areas: 150
»»ReadingN
»»WritingO
»»Algebra I
»»Algebra II
»»Geometry
»»Earth Science
»»Biology
»»Chemistry

»»Virginia Studies
»»Civics & Economics
»»World History &
Geography to 1500
»»World History &
Geography 1500-Present
»»World Geography
»»Virginia & U.S. History

In 2014, the General Assembly enacted, and the governor
signed, legislation eliminating five SOL assessments administered in elementary and middle school – Grade-3 History/
Social Science; Grade-3 Science; Grade-5 Writing; U.S. History to 1865; and U.S. History: 1865 to the Present.  In lieu of
these assessments, local school divisions must administer
alternative assessments for each eliminated SOL assessment.  School divisions are not required to report student
scores on alternative assessments; however, they must certify their tests measure student proficiency in the associated
SOL and follow guidelines established by the commonwealth’s Board of Education.151
Since 2000, the University of Virginia has been contracted for the provision of optional Phonological Awareness
Literacy Screening assessments to school divisions wishing to identify students in grades K-3 who may require
reading intervention.152 Although use of the screening instrument is voluntary, 99 percent of school divisions utilize
the service, which is funded by Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative.153
End-of-course SOL assessments for reading and writing generally
are administered at the completion of English in grade 11. However,
a school division may select an English curriculum that incorporates
the necessary SOL components at a faster pace and, therefore, also
administer the assessment after English in grade 10.
N

20 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

West Virginia
As a current governing member of the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium, West Virginia remains the only
SLC member state maintaining full membership in either
PARCC or Smarter Balanced.154 During the 2014-15 school
year, the state implemented a new testing platform, the West
Virginia General Summative Assessment, which includes
the Smarter Balanced assessments for English language arts
and mathematics. The state contracted with the American
Institutes for Research for the provision of the General
Summative Assessment computer platform, test scoring,
and the reporting system for students, parents, teachers
and schools.155
The Next Generation Content Standards and Objectives, a
variation of Common Core State Standards customized by
the Board of Education, guides student assessments.  Summative assessments for English language arts, mathematics,
science, and social studies for grades 3-11 originally were
scheduled for all students; however, in February 2015, the
state Department of Education received a waiver from the
state Board of Education that authorized a reduction in the
number of tests.156 The state also previously required the
administration of ACT Explore and ACT PlanO (during
the 2013-14 school year), but eliminated these assessments
from the West Virginia General Summative Assessment
program. Ultimately, students in grades 3-11 were administered a two-section test for English language arts and
mathematics; the first section comprised a computer adaptive test,P followed by a second section with writing tasks
and multi-step problems for measuring critical thinking,
problem solving, and real world skills. Students in grades
4, 6, and 10 were given fixed-form science tests.157
On April 10, 2013, Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed into
law Senate Bill 359, which created a college- and careerreadiness initiative requiring the adoption of “uniform and
specific college- and career-readiness standards for English
language arts and math” and a “comprehensive statewide
student assessment program in grade [11] … to determine
whether a student [meets the standards].”  The legislation
Please see page 3 for a text box addressing ACT-aligned student
assessments.
O

Computer adaptive tests are those that adapt to student proficiency
by increasing or decreasing the difficulty of future questions based
on a student’s ability to answer current questions correctly.
P

also required the “state Board [to] develop a twelfth-grade
transitional course for both English language arts and
mathematics for those students who are not on track to
be college- and career-ready based on the assessment.” In
response, the state Board of Education adopted the required
standards and approved ACT Compass as the grade 11 assessment mechanism for English language arts and mathematics.
Scores on the test determine if students are enrolled in transitional courses in grade 12. Students in these transitional
courses must retake ACT Compass unless they attain scores
on The ACT or SAT that meet placement standard(s).158,159,160
In accordance with state Board of Education policies, the
West Virginia Pre-K Child Assessment System Reporting
Platform is utilized by teachers to report the progress of
Pre-K students vis-à-vis an Early Learning Scale developed
by the National Institute for Early Education Research.Q,161
Teachers must administer formative assessments for
10 skills within three domains – math/science, socialemotional/social studies, and language and literacy – and
report the results at the beginning, middle, and end of the
school year, which allows county collaborative early childhood teams to measure the growth of Pre-K cohorts.162
In kindergarten, teachers must use developmentally appropriate practices for formative assessments and enter
individual student results into the West Virginia Early
Learning Reporting System semiannually.163

As of late October 2015, with the rewrite of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act still underway, and
regulations for state accountability systems still undetermined, it remains to be seen if vast changes to state student
assessment systems will occur in the near future. However,
clear pressure on Congress to limit student testing to some
degree continues, as evidenced by a recent announcement by
the administration that student testing should take no more
than 2 percent of a student’s classroom time.164  If sweeping new federal regulations are not enacted, incremental
changes likely will continue in the states, especially in relation to the growing trend toward decreasing the amount
of public school testing. Student assessments that have any
affiliation with the Common Core of State Standards also
likely will be phased out and replaced with other collegeand career-ready testing alternatives.
State and federal student assessment policies generally are
directed at four primary objectives: 1) identifying at-risk students for intervention; 2) monitoring student performance
to ensure adequate progress in learning; 3) collecting information about student strengths and weaknesses to guide
instruction; and 4) determining if instruction provided was
effective toward meeting standards of learning.  Even with
the federal ESEA rewrite still outstanding, state legislatures
will continue to experiment with multiple strategies geared
toward attaining these educational objectives.

Conclusion
Southern states have adopted widely varying strategies for
testing the performance of their students and continue to
adjust their systems for optimal efficiency.  After the rigorous student testing requirements for grades 3-8 mandated
by NCLB, a discernible trend toward the elimination of additional testing, or at least the introduction of flexibility
for testing requirements, is emerging.  Meanwhile, with the
new national focus on college- and career-readiness, a few
Southern states recently have implemented student assessments, such as those developed by ACT, to measure these
capacities more accurately and further prepare students for
postsecondary education or the workforce.
A unit of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, the National
Institute for Early Education Research conducts and communicates
research to support high-quality, effective, early childhood education
for all young children. The Institute offers independent researchbased advice and technical assistance to policymakers, journalists,
researchers, and educators.
Q

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

21

Endnotes
1) DeNisco, Alison. “New School Year Brings Testing Changes.”
District Administration Magazine. September 2015.
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/new-schoolyear-brings-testing-changes (accessed September 1, 2015).
2) “Testing: Frequently Asked Questions.”
U.S. Department of Labor. (October 13, 2012).
http://www2.ed.gov/nclb/accountability/ayp/testingfaq.html (accessed September 24, 2015).2015
3) “Obama Administration Sets High Bar for Flexibility from No
Child Left Behind in Order to Advance Equity and Support
Reform.” U.S. Department of Education. (September 23, 2011).
http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/
obama-administration-sets-high-bar-flexibility-no-childleft-behind-order-advance-equity-and-support-reform
(accessed September 24, 2015).
4) “ESEA Flexibility.” U.S. Department of Education. (February
25, 2015). http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/guid/eseaflexibility/index.html (accessed September 24, 2015).
5) Crouch, Elisa. “Missouri Legislature Throws Common Core
Test out the Window.” St. Louis Post Dispatch. June 4, 2015.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/education/
missouri-legislature-throws-common-core-test-out-thewindow/article_09441f40-b77a-5f0d-ae9f-7678a30d551a.
html (accessed June 3, 2015).
6) Gewertz, Catherine. “Alabama Withdraws From Both Testing
Consortia.” Education Week - Curriculum Matters.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2013/02/
alabama_withdraws_from_both_te.html?cmp=SOCSHR-FB (accessed September 2, 2015).
7) Tew, Joana. “The Influence of the Online ACT
Aspire in Alabama | Edutopia.” February 14, 2015.
http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/influence-onlineact-aspire-alabama (accessed September 2, 2015).
8) “Student Assessment > ACT Aspire Information​​​​​​​​​​​​​.” Alabama
State Department of Education. https://www.alsde.edu/sec/
sa/Pages/assessmentdetails.aspx?AssessmentName=ACT%20
Aspire&navtext=ACT%20Aspire (accessed September 2, 2015).
9) “Student Assessment > ACT Plus Writing Information​​​​​​​​​​​​​.”
Alabama State Department of Education.
https://www.alsde.edu/sec/sa/Pages/
assessmentdetails.aspx?AssessmentName=ACT%20
Plus%20Writing&navtext=ACT%20Plus%20
Writing (accessed September 2, 2015).
10) “Student Assessment > ACT WorkKeys Information.”
Alabama State Department of Education.
https://www.alsde.edu/sec/sa/Pages/
assessmentdetails.aspx?AssessmentName=ACT%20
WorkKeys&navtext=ACT%20WorkKeys
(accessed September 2, 2015).
11) “ACT QualityCore: 2015-2016.” Alabama State Department of
Education. https://www.alsde.edu/sec/sa/Testing/ACT%20
QualityCore%20v%202.pdf (accessed September 2, 2015).

22 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

12) State Superintendent of Education Thomas B. Rice.
“Memorandum to City and County Superintendents of
Education” May 11, 2015. https://www.alsde.edu/sites/memos/
Memoranda/FY15-3037.pdf (accessed September 14, 2015).
13) Ibid.
14) “Memorandum to City and County Superintendents.”
Deputy State Superintendent of Education Sherrill W.
Parris. March 17, 2015. https://www.alsde.edu/sites/memos/
Memoranda/FY15-2049.pdf (accessed September 16, 2015).
15) “Education Board Passes Switch to ACT.” Arkansas Online.
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ed-board-parcc-act/ (accessed July 14, 2015).
16) “Common Core State Standards.” State Board of Education |
Arkansas Department of Education. http://www.arkansased.
gov/divisions/learning-services/curriculum-and-instruction/
common-core-state-standards (accessed October 21, 2015).
17) “ACT Aspire.” Arkansas Department of Education.
http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/
assessment/act-aspire (accessed September 4, 2015).
18) “The ACT.” Arkansas Department of Education.
http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/
assessment/the-act (accessed September 4, 2015).
19) “Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) Helps Students Start
Kindergarten Ready.” Arkansas Research Center.
https://arc.arkansas.gov/arc_web/resources/publications/
ABC_Qualls_Report.pdf (accessed September 4, 2015).
20) “K-2 Assessment.” Arkansas Department of Education.
http://www.arkansased.gov/divisions/learning-services/
assessment/k-2-assessment (accessed September 4, 2015).
21) “Arkansas Comprehensive Testing, Assessment, and
Accountability Program: A Note to Parents.” Arkansas
Department of Education. http://www.arkansased.gov/public/
userfiles/Learning_Services/Student%20Assessment/2015/
Iowa_Note_To_Parents.pdf (accessed September 4, 2015).
22) “About the FSAs.” Florida Department of Education.
http://fsassessments.org/about-thefsas/ (accessed September 8, 2015).
23) Vander Hart, Shane. “Rick Scott Pulls Florida Out of PARCC.”
Truth in American Education. September 23, 2013.
http://truthinamericaneducation.com/
common-core-assessments/rick-scott-pulls-floridaout-of-parcc/ (accessed October 5, 2015).
24) “Florida Standards.” Florida Department of Education.
http://www.fldoe.org/academics/standards/floridastandards/ (accessed September 8, 2015).
25) McGrory, Kathleen. “Florida Education Department Gives
Nonprofit $220 Million Contract to Replace the FCAT.”
Tampa Bay Times. March 17, 2014. http://www.tampabay.
com/news/education/k12/florida-education-departmentselects-new-state-tests/2170571 (accessed September 8, 2015).
26) Nielsen, Allison. “FSA Server Issue Leaves Students Unable
to Take Tests Statewide.” Sunshine State News | Florida Political
News. April 19, 2015. http://www.sunshinestatenews.
com/story/fsa-server-issue-leaves-students-unabletake-tests-statewide (accessed September 8, 2015).

27) O’Connor, John. “Meet Florida’s New Statewide Test.”
StateImpact Florida. November 24, 2014.
https://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2014/11/24/meetfloridas-new-statewide-test/ (accessed September 8, 2015).
28) Nielsen, Allison. “Rick Scott Signs Bill to Cut Back
on Standardized Testing.” Sunshine State News |
Florida Political News. April 13, 2015. http://www.
sunshinestatenews.com/story/rick-scott-signs-bill-cutback-standardized-testing (accessed September 8, 2015).
29) Nielsen, Allison. “Panel Picks Utah Contractor to Validate
Florida Standards Assessment.” Sunshine State News | Florida
Political News. May 30, 2015. http://sunshinestatenews.
com/story/panel-picks-utah-contractor-validate-floridastandards-assessment (accessed September 8, 2015).
30) Nielsen, Allison. “Independent Study: Florida Standards
Assessment Is Valid.” Sunshine State News | Florida Political
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com/story/independent-study-florida-standardsassessment-valid (accessed September 3, 2015).
31)  Independent Verification of the Psychometric Validity
for the Florida Standards Assessment. Alpine Testing
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32) O’Connor, John. “Test Review Raises Questions About Florida
Standards Assessments Results.” StateImpact Florida. September
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test-review-raises-questions-about-florida-standardsassessments-results/ (accessed September 8, 2015).
33) Postal, Leslie. “Key State Lawmakers like Idea of Dumping
State Exams.” OrlandoSentinel.com. August 26, 2015.
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education/os-florida-fsa-national-tests-lawmakers20150826-story.html (accessed August 31, 2015).
34) “End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments.” Florida Department
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35) “2014-2015 FSA and FCAT/FCAT 2.0/ NGSSS EOC
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36) Florida State Statutes. Title XLVIII, §1002-69.
37) “Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS).” Florida
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39) “Common Placement Testing.” Florida Department
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40) “Georgia Withdrawing from the Partnership for Assessment
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take fewer tests.” Georgia Department of Education.
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(accessed September 10, 2015).

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23

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52) “A Parent’s Guide to the Georgia Kindergarten Inventory of
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53) “Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT).”
Georgia Department of Education. https://www.
gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/
Assessment/Pages/Georgia-High-School-WritingTest.aspx (accessed September 10, 2015).
54) Davis, Janel. “New Law Lets Thousands Get What
They Missed in High School: A...” The Atlanta JournalConstitution. May 17, 2015. http://www.myajc.com/news/
news/local-education/new-law-lets-thousands-get-whatthey-missed-in-hig/nmHNk/ (accessed May 18, 2015).
55) Gewertz, Catherine. “Kentucky Withdraws From PARCC
Testing Consortium.” Education Week - Curriculum Matters.
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html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB (accessed September 11, 2015).
56) Hu, Adrienne. “Shares of The Testing Market | Green And
Write – Education Policy Research Insights.” College of
Education, Michigan State University. (May 5, 2015).
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57) “PARCC | Home.” http://parcc.pearson.com/
(accessed September 11, 2015).
58) “Kentucky Department of Education : K-PREP.”
http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/
K-PREP.aspx (accessed September 11, 2015).
59) “2015 K-PREP Number of Items and Testing Times.”
Kentucky Department of Education.
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60) “ACT Explore.” Kentucky Department of Education.
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EXPLORE.aspx (accessed September 14, 2015).
61) “ACT.” Kentucky Department of Education.
http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/
ACT.aspx (accessed September 14, 2015).
62) “Compass.” Kentucky Department of Education.
http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/
COMPASS.aspx (accessed September 14, 2015).
63) “KYOTE.” Kentucky Department of Education. September 1, 2015.
http://education.ky.gov/AA/Assessments/Pages/
KYOTE.aspx (accessed September 14, 2015).
64) “DESCRIPTION OF CAREER MEASURES.” Kentucky
Department of Education. http://education.ky.gov/KBE/meet/
documents/June%202011%20Workkeys%20KOSSA%20Ind%20
Descrip%20Attach%20B.pdf (accessed September 14, 2015).

24 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

65) “Kentucky Occupational Skill Standards and Assessments:
Frequently Asked Questions.” Madison County Schools.
http://www.madison.k12.ky.us/userfiles/2/Assessment/
KOSSA_FAQ.pdf (accessed September 14, 2015).
66) “DESCRIPTION OF CAREER MEASURES.” (see endnote 64.)
67) “Kentucky Department of Education : Common Kindergarten
Entry Screener.” http://education.ky.gov/curriculum/
conpro/prim-pre/Pages/Common-KindergartenEntry-Screener.aspx (accessed September 14, 2015).
68) “Primary Diagnostic Guidelines.” Kentucky Department
of Education. August 2015. http://education.ky.gov/
curriculum/conpro/prim-pre/Documents/Primary%20
Diagnostic%20Guidelines.doc (accessed September 14, 2015).
69) Williams, Jessica. “Bobby Jindal Signs Common
Core Compromise, Touts Local Control.” The TimesPicayune. June 29, 2015. http://www.nola.com/
education/index.ssf/2015/06/bobby_jindal_signs_
common_core.html (accessed September 15, 2015).
70) “2015-2016 Assessments.” Louisiana Department of
Education. https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/
default-source/assessment/2015-2016-assessmentchanges.pdf?sfvrsn=4 (accessed September 15, 2015).
71) “Louisiana Social Studies Updates.” Louisiana Department
of Education. https://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/
default-source/links-for-newsletters/05-26-15-social-studiesupdate-timeline.pdf?sfvrsn=2 (accessed September 15, 2015).
72) “EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT, WORKKEYS.”
http://www.louisianabelieves.com/assessment/exploreplan-act-workkeys (accessed September 16, 2015).
73) “JUMP START STUDENTS PURSUE WORKKEYS TEST,
TOPS TECH AWARDS.” Louisiana Department of Education.
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news-releases/2014/12/09/jump-start-students-pursueworkkeys-test-tops-tech-awards (accessed September 16, 2015).
74) “DIBELS Next.” https://www.louisianabelieves.com/
assessment/dibels-next (accessed September 16, 2015).
75) “Mississippi to Withdraw from PARCC Consortium.”
(Mississippi Department of Education. January 16, 2015).
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mississippi-to-withdraw-from-parccconsortium (accessed September 17, 2015).
76) “State Board Approves Statewide Assessment Contract
with Questar Assessment Inc.” Mississippi Department of
Education. http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/TD/news/2015/04/16/
state-board-approves-statewide-assessment-contract-withquestar-assessment-inc- (accessed October 21, 2015).
77) “3rd Grade Reading Summative Assessment.” Mississippi
Department of Education. http://www.mde.k12.
ms.us/OSA/RSA (accessed September 17, 2015).
78) “Mississippi Science Test (MST2) Grades 5 & 8.”
Mississippi Department of Education. http://www.mde.
k12.ms.us/OSA/MST2 (accessed September 17, 2015).
79) “Student Assessment SATP2.” Mississippi Department
of Education. http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/OSA/
SATP2 (accessed September 17, 2015).

80) “ACT State Testing.” (Mississippi Department
of Education). http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/
OSA/ACT (accessed September 17, 2015).
81) “Assessment.” Mississippi State University. http://www.rcu.
msstate.edu/Assessment.aspx (accessed September 18, 2015).
82) “K-Readiness Assessment” (Mississippi Department
of Education). http://www.mde.k12.ms.us/
OSA/KRA (accessed September 17, 2015).
83) “Universal Screener and Diagnostic Assessment.”
Mississippi Department of Education.
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84) Flanigan, Tom. House Bill 2. 2015. http://www.house.mo.gov/
billsummary.aspx?bill=HB2 (accessed September 18, 2015).
85) “Letter to Mr. Tony Albert, Executive Director, Smarter
Balanced Assessment Consortium.” Missouri Assistant
Commissioner Sharon Helwig. July 8, 2015. http://www.
missourifreedom.com/sites/default/files/smarter_balanced_
assessment_letter.pdf (accessed September 18, 2015).
86) Ujifusa, Andrew. “Missouri Drops Smarter Balanced
Common-Core Exam.” Education Week - State EdWatch.
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balanced_common-core_exam.html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB
(accessed September 18, 2015).2015
87) LEA Guide to the Missouri Assessment Program 20152016 v1. Missouri Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education. http://dese.mo.gov/sites/
default/files/asmt-guide-to-missouri-assessmentprogram-1516-v1.pdf (accessed September 22, 2015).
88) “Missouri Assessment Program.” Missouri Learning Standards.
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89)  LEA Guide (see endnote 87).
90) “School Readiness Tool.” Missouri Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education. http://dese.mo.gov/quality-schools/
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91) “Member States.” Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium.
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92) “NC Standard Course of Study (NCSCS) for English
Language Arts.” North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction. March 20, 2015. http://www.ncpublicschools.
org/docs/accountability/testing/technotes/
elatestspecs15.pdf (accessed September 24, 2015).
93) “NC Standard Course of Study (NCSCS) for Mathematics.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
March 10, 2015. http://www.ncpublicschools.
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mathtestspecs15.pdf (accessed September 24, 2015).
94) “North Carolina READY Beginning-of-Grade 3 English
Language Arts/Reading Test.” North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction. November 3, 2014. http://www.
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assessbriefs/bog3ab14b.pdf (accessed September 24, 2015).

95) “North Carolina Testing Program Operational Calendar.”
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96) “North Carolina Essential Standards for Science.” North
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97) “North Carolina End-of-Course Tests.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
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98) “NC Race to the Top.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
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99) Guindon, Micah, et al. How Much Testing is Taking Place in North
Carolina Schools at Grades K-12? Financial and Business Services
Internship Program, North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction. August 2014. http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/docs/internresearch/reports/testing2014.pdf (accessed September 24, 2015).
100) “North Carolina Final Exams for 2015-16.”
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
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101) “North Carolina Testing Program: Required Testing 2015-16.”
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http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/
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102) Smith, Storie. “WorkKeys : Career and Technical Education.”
Cumberland County Schools. (February 27, 2015).
http://cte.ccs.k12.nc.us/workkeys/
(accessed September 25, 2015).
103) North Carolina’s Implementation Guide for Credit by
Demonstrated Mastery (CDM). State Board of Education,
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. October 2013.
http://cdm.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/file/view/CDM.
DPIGuidelines.FINAL.10.13.pdf (accessed September 25, 2015).
104) Guindon, Micah, et. al. (see endnote 99.)
105) “NC K-3 FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS:
KINDERGARTEN ENTRY.” North Carolina Department
of Public Instruction. http://keapilot.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/
file/view/KEA_document_6.25.14.pdf/514928990/KEA_
document_6.25.14.pdf (accessed September 25, 2015).
106) Dunn, Andrew. “Kindergarten Students in NC to
Face New Standardized Test next Year.” The Charlotte
Observer. March 21, 2015. http://www.charlotteobserver.
com/news/local/education/your-schools-blog/
article15519185.html (accessed September 25, 2015).
107) “K-2 Formative Instructional and Assessment
Tasks for the Common Core State Standards in
Mathematics.” North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction. http://commoncoretasks.ncdpi.
wikispaces.net/home (accessed September 25, 2015).

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

25

108) “English Language Arts FAQ
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/
languagearts/faq/#elem1 (accessed September 25, 2015).
109) Eger, Andrea. “State Pulling out of Standardized Testing
through Consortium.” Tulsa World. July 1, 2013.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/state-pullingout-of-standardized-testing-through-consortium/
article_89fdf0f8-c35b-5398-9936-671f5545166e.
html (accessed September 29, 2015).
110) Cavanagh, Sean. “Under Pressure, Okla. Hires Measured
Progress to Oversee Winter Tests.” Education Week Marketplace K-12. October 18, 2014. http://blogs.edweek.
org/edweek/marketplacek12/2014/10/under_pressure_
okla_hires_measured_progress_to_oversee_winter_tests.
html?cmp=SOC-SHR-FB (accessed September 29, 2015).
111) “State Testing Resources.” Oklahoma State Department of
Education. http://ok.gov/sde/assessment-administratorresources-administrators (accessed September 29, 2015).
112) “Oklahoma Academic Standards.” Oklahoma State
Department of Education. http://ok.gov/sde/oklahomaacademic-standards (accessed September 29, 2015).
113) “Oklahoma School Testing Program (OSTP) Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQ) v01.09.15.pdf” Measured Progress.
http://www2.measuredprogress.org/static/OK/materials/
Oklahoma%20School%20Testing%20Program%20
%28OSTP%29%20Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20
%28FAQ%29%20v01.09.15.pdf (accessed September 29, 2015).
114) “Oklahoma Academic Standards.” (see endnote 112.)
115) “Assessment Materials.” Oklahoma State Department of
Education. http://ok.gov/sde/documents/2013-09-05/blueprints-plds-item-specs (accessed September 29, 2015).
116)  Oklahoma School Testing Program: 2013-2014 Test Preparation
Manual. Oklahoma State Department of Education.
http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/
documents/files/2705543-W_tpm_w13OK.
pdf (accessed September 29, 2015).
117) Oklahoma Administrative Code. “Section 210:15-27-1.
Reading Sufficiency Plans and Summer Academy Reading
Programs.” http://ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/
RSA_Rules_July2015.pdf (accessed September 30, 2015).
118) “Oklahoma State Board Approved K-3 Formative
Assessments.” Oklahoma State Department of Education.
http://www.ok.gov/sde/sites/ok.gov.sde/files/documents/
files/RSA-K-3ApprovedFormativeAssessments_2.
pdf (accessed October 20, 2015).
119) House Bill 3893 of 2013.
http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess120_2013-2014/
bills/3893.htm (accessed September 30, 2015).
120) “New Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics.”
South Carolina Department of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/
instruction/standards-learning/new-standards-for-englishlanguage-arts-and-mathematics/ (accessed October 21, 2015).

26 STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

121) Kerr, Amanda. “South Carolina Panel Upholds Ruling to End
ACT Contract after One Year.” Post and Courier. March 25, 2015.
http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150325/
PC16/150329541 (accessed September 30, 2015).
122) “Assessment.” South Carolina Department of Education.
https://ed.sc.gov/agency/ac/Assessment/
(accessed September 30, 2015).
123) “ACT Aspire.” South Carolina Department of Education.
https://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/214/
index.cfm (accessed September 30, 2015).
124) “SC Palmetto Assessment of State Standards (SCPASS).” South
Carolina Department of Education.
https://ed.sc.gov/agency/programs-services/45/
index.cfm (accessed September 30, 2015).
125) “End-of-Course Examination Program.” South Carolina
Department of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/agency/programsservices/41/index.cfm (accessed September 30, 2015).
126) “State Assessments.” South Carolina Department
of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/data/stateassessments/ (accessed September 30, 2015).
127) “High School Assessment Program (HSAP).” South Carolina
Department of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/agency/programsservices/43/index.cfm (accessed September 30, 2015).
128) “State Assessments.” (see endnote 126.)
129) “Readiness Assessment Program.” South Carolina
Department of Education. https://ed.sc.gov/tests/
elementary/pre-k-and-kindergarten-readinessassessments/ (accessed September 30, 2015).
130) Gewertz, Catherine. “Tennessee Quits PARCC, Leaving 15
Members.” Education Week - Curriculum Matters. June 20, 2014.
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2014/06/
tennessee_quits_parcc.html (accessed October 1, 2015).
131) Tatter, Grace. “Measurement Inc. Inks $108 Million Testing
Contract.” Chalkbeat Tennessee. November 12, 2014.
http://tn.chalkbeat.org/2014/11/12/measurement-inc-inks108-million-testing-contract/ (accessed October 1, 2015).
132) “TN Core | About TN Standards.” Tennessee
Department of Education. http://tncore.org/about_
tn_standards.aspx (accessed October 1, 2015).
133) “2015-16 Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program
Calendar.” Tennessee Department of Education.
http://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/education/
attachments/tst_tcap_assessment_calendar_2015-16.
pdf (accessed October 1, 2015).
134) “Writing Assessment - TN.Gov.” Tennessee Department
of Education. http://www.tn.gov/education/topic/
Writing-Assessment (accessed October 1, 2015).
135) “2015-16 Testing Dates - TN.Gov.” Tennessee
Department of Education. http://www.tn.gov/education/
topic/testing-dates (accessed October 1, 2015).
136) “K-2 Assessment Information - TN.Gov.” Tennessee
Department of Education. https://www.tn.gov/education/
topic/grades-k-2-assessment (accessed October 1, 2015).

137) Final Report: Tennessee Task Force on Student Testing
and Assessment. Tennessee Department of Education.
September 2015. https://assets.documentcloud.org/
documents/2423255/final-tn-task-force-on-studenttesting-and.pdf (accessed October 1, 2015).
138) Ibid.
139) “Assessment Task Force - TN.Gov.” Tennessee
Department of Education. http://tn.gov/education/
topic/assessment-task-force (accessed October 1, 2015).
140) “STAAR Resources.” Texas Education Agency.
http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/
staar/ (accessed October 2, 2015).
141) Hu, Adrienne. “Shares of The Testing Market | Green
And Write – Education Policy Research Insights.”
142) McGaughy, Lauren. “Texas Set to Switch Testing Vendor,
Reducing Role of British Education Giant.” Houston Chronicle.
May 19, 2015. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/
houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-set-to-switch-testingvendor-drops-6271843.php (accessed October 5, 2015).
143) Weiss, Jeffrey. “Pearson Loses Texas Contract for Standardized
Exams.” May 19, 2015. http://www.dallasnews.com/news/
education/headlines/20150518-pearson-loses-texas-contractfor-standardized-exams.ece (accessed October 5, 2015).
144) “Early Childhood Data System (ECDS) and Compliance
with Kindergarten Reading Assessment Data Submission.”
Texas Education Agency. http://tea.texas.gov/About_TEA/
News_and_Multimedia/Correspondence/TAA_Letters/
Early_Childhood_Data_System_(ECDS)_and_Compliance_
with_Kindergarten_Reading_Assessment_Data_Submission/
(accessed October 5, 2015).
145) “2014-2018 Commissioner’s List of Reading Instruments
for Texas Public Schools and Charter Schools.” Texas
Education Agency. http://tea.texas.gov/uploadedFiles/
Curriculum/English_-_Language_Arts/attachments/
Commissioner’s%20List%20of%20Reading%20
Instruments%202014-2015.pdf (accessed October 7, 2015).
146) Ibid.
147) “Early Reading Instruments (ERI) Reimbursement
Information and Form.” http://tea.texas.gov/WorkArea/
linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=25769807890
&libID=25769807892 (accessed October 7, 2015).
148) “VDOE :: Standards of Learning (SOL) and Testing.” Virginia
Department of Education. http://www.doe.virginia.
gov/testing/index.shtml (accessed October 6, 2015).
149) Strong, Ted. “Computer Problems Disrupt Virginia’s
SOL Testing for Third Time.” The Roanoke Times. May
21, 2015. http://www.roanoke.com/news/education/
computer-problems-disrupt-virginia-s-sol-testing-forthird-time/article_bbead2a5-aee0-575c-b121-8a0d34f8f799.
html (accessed October 21, 2015).
150) “SOL Test Results for Schools, School Divisions and the
Commonwealth: 2014-2015 Test Administration.”
Virginia Department of Education. http://www.doe.virginia.gov/
statistics_reports/accreditation_federal_reports/sol_test_results_
pass_rates/2014-15_state_test.xlsx (accessed October 6, 2015).

151) “VDOE :: Locally Developed Assessments.” Virginia
Department of Education.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/local_
assessments/index.shtml (accessed October 6, 2015).
152) “VDOE :: Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI).”
Virginia Department of Education.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/
english/elementary/reading/early_intervention_
reading.shtml (accessed October 6, 2015).
153) “Background of PALS.” University of Virginia.
https://pals.virginia.edu/rd-background.
html (accessed October 6, 2015).
154) “Member States.” Smarter Balanced Assessment
Consortium. http://www.smarterbalanced.org/
about/member-states/ (accessed October 7, 2015).
155) “Data Privacy: West Virginia General Summative
Assessment.” West Virginia Board of Education.
http://static.k12.wv.us/superintendent/doc/
dataprivacy_flyer.pdf (accessed October 21, 2015).
156) “West Virginia Board of Education Waiver Approval.” West
Virginia Board of Education. February 12, 2015.
http://files.k12.wv.us/bjj/ordan/9b3b2g5vkkws4o/Policy%20
2340%20Waiver%20Approval.pdf (accessed October 7, 2015).
157) “West Virginia State Assessments Overview.” National
Parents Teacher Association. http://wv.portal.airast.org/
wp-content/uploads/2015/04/WV-State-AssessmentsOverview.pptx (accessed October 7, 2015).
158)  West Virginia Compass User Guide: 2014-2015.
West Virginia Department of Education.
https://goo.gl/lPJi5C (accessed October 8, 2015).
159) West Virginia State Board of Education Policy
2340. https://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/policy.
php?p=2340&alt=1 (accessed October 8, 2015).
160) “ACT Compass.” https://www.act.org/products/highereducation-act-compass/ (accessed October 8, 2015).
161) Riley-Ayers, Shannon, et al. Early Learning Scale Technical
Report. National Institute for Early Education Research.
September 2010. http://nieer.org/pdf/Early_learning_scale_
tech_report_Sept_2010.pdf (accessed October 7, 2015).
162)  West Virginia School Readiness Profile 2014. West
Virginia Board of Education. https://wvde.state.
wv.us/ready-set-go/doc/2014-school-readinessprofile.pdf (accessed October 8, 2015).
163)  West Virginia Early Learning Readiness: Kindergarten
Resource Guide. West Virginia Department of
Education. Spring 2014. https://wvde.state.wv.us/oel/
docs/workbook2.pdf (accessed October 8, 2015).
164) “Fact Sheet: Testing Action Plan.” U.S. Department
of Education. October 24, 2015. http://www.
ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-testingaction-plan (accessed October 27, 2015).

STUDENT ASSESSMENTS IN SOUTHERN STATES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

27

THE SOUTHERN OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS

REGIONAL VIEW NATIONAL REACH

T

his report was prepared by Mikko Lindberg,
Policy Analyst for the Education Committee of the Southern Legislative Conference
(SLC) of The Council of State Governments
(CSG), under the chairmanship of Senator
Dolores Gresham of Tennessee. This report reflects the
body of policy research made available to appointed and
elected officials by the Southern Office.
The Southern Office of The Council of State Governments,
located in Atlanta, Georgia, fosters and encourages intergovernmental cooperation among its 15 member states.
In large measure, this is achieved through the ongoing
work of the standing committees of its Southern Legislative
Conference. Through member outreach in state capitols,
policy research, international member delegations, staff exchange programs, meetings and fly-ins, staff support state

policymakers and legislative staff in their work to build
a stronger region.
Founded in 1947, the SLC is a member-driven organization
and the largest of four regional legislative groups operating
under CSG and comprises the states of Alabama, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri,
North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
The SLC’s six standing committees provide a forum which
allows policymakers to share knowledge in their area of expertise with colleagues from across the South. By working
together within the SLC and participating on its committees, Southern state legislative leaders are able to speak in
a distinctive, unified voice while addressing issues that affect their states and the entire region.

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