Dear Parents and Guardians,
As your child's spring testing window approaches, I respectfully request your help.
Every year, North Carolina administers more than two million end of grade and end of course standardized tests across our public schools. The accuracy of these results matters. They tell students and their families how student are doing, they help schools identify where students need more support, and they shape decisions made at the district, state, and federal level.
Like every state in the country, North Carolina is working through a real challenge: the technology students carry every day, including phones, smart watches, smart eyewear, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, is changing rapidly and can impact testing. We are continually advancing our systems to address security issues. Last April, we issued new guidance to every district and charter school in the state that launched unannounced monitoring visits, strengthened proctoring practices and added a step at the start of every end-of-course test where students affirm they will only use approved devices like calculators on certain math tests.
Despite these efforts, we are continuing to see cell phones and other unauthorized technology devices during testing. Snapshots of some of our tests are showing up online.
We will continue working with schools to ensure we have testing security procedures in place and that wireless devices are not permitted in the test session. We are expanding monitoring of testing environments. We are partnering with our test publisher on tools that can identify issues in real time. We are reviewing our policies to strengthen them where needed. And we plan to have an independent review done to make sure we have the strongest possible safeguards in place going forward.
As we go forward, we also need your help. Please talk with your child before testing about the importance of doing their own work and not sharing test questions and responses with others. The value of your child's diploma rests on the trust that every student earned what their transcript says they earned. That trust is built one test, one student, one moment of integrity at a time. Our strategic plan calls on us to graduate students of strong character, prepared for whatever comes next. The conversations you have with your child this week are part of how we get there together.
There is one more way you can help. Schools across North Carolina need proctors during testing sessions, and proctors make a real difference. If you are able to volunteer even part of a day at your child's school, please contact the school directly to learn more. Many employers offer paid time off for community service, and we encourage you to ask whether your employer can support you in serving in this important role. Every adult in the testing room helps protect the integrity of the experience for every student.
If you have questions, please reach out to your child's school or visit dpi.nc.gov for more information.
Thank you for partnering with us in this work, and thank you for everything you do for your children and for North Carolina's public schools.
Sincerely,
Maurice "Mo" Green, North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction