EOC English II Test Specifications

End-of-Course English II Test North Carolina Test Specifications

Purpose of the Test

The English II End-of-Course (EOC) Test measures students’ reading proficiency on the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (NCSCOS) for English Language Arts, adopted by the North Carolina State Board of Education in June 2017.

North Carolina State Board of Education Policy Requirements Regarding End-of-Course Assessments (TEST-003) directs schools to use the results from all operational EOC assessments as at least twenty percent (20%) of the student’s final course grade.

Test results will be used for school accountability under the accountability model and for federal reporting purposes.

Curriculum Cycle

April 2017: North Carolina State Board of Education adoption of the NCSCOS for English Language Arts

2017–2018: Item development for the EOC English II Test

2018–2019: Administration of embedded field test items for the EOC English II Test

2019–2020: First operational administration of the EOC English II Test (Edition 5)

Developing Tests

North Carolina educators were recruited and trained to write new items. The diversity among item writers and their knowledge of the current standards was addressed during recruitment. Trained North Carolina educators also review items and suggest improvements, if necessary. The use of North Carolina educators to develop and review items strengthens evidence of content validity of the EOC assessment.

For an in-depth explanation of the test development process see State Board Policy Multiple-Choice Test Development (TEST-013) or reference the Test Development Process: Item, Selection, and Form Development document.

Prioritization of Standards

Members of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)’s Test Development Section invited North Carolina educators to collaborate and develop recommendations for a prioritization of standards indicating the relative importance of each standard, the anticipated instructional time, and the appropriateness of the standard for test design.

Subsequently, Academic Standards and Test Development staff from the NCDPI met to review the recommendations from the teacher panels and adopt final weight distributions across the domains for the course.

Tables 1 and 2 describe the range of total items by domain and Depth of Knowledge (DOK) that will appear on the EOC English II Test. The EOC only assesses reading standards. Table 3 shows the standards that are assessed on the EOC English II Test.

Table 1. EOC English II domain weight distributions.

Table 2. EOC English II item by DOK distribution.

Table 3. EOC English II assessed standards.

Cognitive Rigor and Item Complexity

Test items for the EOC English II Test have been designed, developed, and classified to ensure that the cognitive rigor of the operational test forms align to the cognitive complexity and demands of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge and the NCSCOS for English Language Arts reading standards. Items on the EOC English II Test cover the full breadth and depth of course-level cognitive expectation that can be assessed using the current test format.

Testing Structure and Test Administration

Table 4 provides the number of selections, items by selection, and number of operational and field test items for the EOC English II Test. Included in the total item counts are embedded field test items that will not be included as part of students’ final scores but will be used for purposes of developing items for future test forms.

Table 4. EOC English II total number of selections and items.

The EOC English II Test will consist of four-response-option multiple-choice items, technology-enhanced items, and constructed response items. Multiple-choice and technology-enhanced items are worth one point each.

The EOC English II Test will include four constructed response items. One constructed response item is an embedded field test item and will not be included in the student’s score but will be used for purposes of developing future test forms. Three constructed response items are operational and will be included in the student’s score.

The EOC English II constructed response items will be short answer and can typically be answered well in a paragraph or less. These short answer items will be worth two points each. In online mode, students will have a 1,000-character limit for their responses. In paper/pencil mode, students will write their responses on the lines provided on the answer sheet. Students must not write beyond the end of the lines or in the margins. Words written in the margins or unlined areas of the answer sheet will not be scored. Students must not add more lines to the answer sheet. Words written on extra lines will not be scored. Scorers review for only the specific criteria as stated in the item. Additional information not required in the answer does not increase the student’s score.

Based on analysis from item-completion timing data, the NCDPI estimates it will take 150 minutes for most students to complete the EOC English II Test. The NCDPI requires all students be allowed ample opportunity to complete the test. The maximum amount of time allowed is 240 minutes, except for students with documented special needs requiring accommodations, such as Scheduled Extended Time. Refer to the North Carolina Test Coordinators’ Policies and Procedures Handbook for additional information.

Test Cycle and Delivery Mode

The EOC English II Test must be administered during the last five days (4x4/semester courses/summer school) or the last ten days (traditional yearlong schedule) of the instructional period.

According to North Carolina State Board of Education Policy Requirements Regarding End-of-Course Assessments (TEST-003), students who are enrolled for credit in courses in which EOC assessments are required shall take the appropriate assessment at the completion of the course. Refer to the North Carolina Test Coordinators’ Policies and Procedures Handbook on the Testing Policy and Operations webpage for additional information.

The EOC English II Test is provided only in English. Native language translation versions are not available. North Carolina G.S.§115C-81.45(a) requires all teachers and principals to conduct all classes other than foreign language classes in English.

The EOC English II Test will be required to be administered in online administrations.

Online tests are provided through NCTest, the NCDPI’s online testing platform. Schools must ensure every student participating in an online test for the North Carolina Testing Program completes the Online Assessment Tutorial for the associated test at least once at the school before test day. The tutorial provides students the opportunity to practice the mechanics of navigating through the testing platform, to become familiar with the tools, and to respond to the sample items. Refer to the North Carolina Test Coordinators’ Policies and Procedures Handbook on the Testing Policy and Operations webpage for additional information.

Paper versions of all online tests, including required online administrations, are available for students with disabilities who need to test in the paper mode for accessibility.

Supplemental Materials and Additional Resources

All students must be provided scratch paper and a writing utensil.

A released form is available on the EOC webpage and through NCTest, the NCDPI’s online testing platform. The released form for the EOC English II Tests is built using the same operational test specifications. A single released form may not reflect the full depth and breadth of course level assessed standards, but it reflects the range of difficulty found on any EOC operational test form. At this time, the released form for the EOC English II Test may not include all reading selections for print due to copyright permissions. The NCDPI has obtained copyright permissions only of web viewing for some selections.

Released items may be used by public school units to acquaint students with items. These materials must not be used for personal or financial gain, are copyrighted to the NCDPI, and cannot be uploaded into third party applications. Released items may be accessed via NCTest by clicking on the released items icon.

Achievement Level Descriptors for the Edition 5 EOC English II Test were adopted by the NC State Board of Education in September 2020 and are available on the EOC webpage.

A sample Individual Student Report for the Edition 5 EOC English II Test is available on the Individual Student Reports (ISRs) webpage.