Testing and School Accountability

Division Mission

The mission of the Accountability Services Division is to promote the academic achievement of all North Carolina public school students and to assist stakeholders in understanding and gauging this achievement against state and national standards. The major thrust of this mission is three-fold: the design and development of reliable and valid assessment instruments, the uniform implementation of and access to suitable assessment instruments for all students; and the provision of accurate and statistically appropriate reports.

North Carolina Operational Testing Calendar 2020–21 (Updated January 5, 2021)
The North Carolina Operational Testing Calendar is published annually. The calendar provides an overview of the required state-wide assessments in grade K–12.

Two-Year Schedule for State-Required Testing and Reporting Results
By September 1 of each year, the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall publish on the Web site of the Department of Public Instruction a uniform calendar that includes schedules for State-required testing and reporting results of tests for at least the next two school years, including estimates of the average time for administering state-required standardized tests (§115C-174.12(e1).

Back to School Resources
The Back to School Resources are to provide teachers with ready-made tools that can used as needed and to obtain formative data to help guide classroom instruction.