NC Check-Ins 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions

2024–25

1.  Are schools required to give NC Check-Ins 2.0?
   Participation in the NC Check-Ins 2.0 is voluntary. 
2. What standards are assessed on NC Check-Ins 2.0?
   Assessed standards are published in the NC Check-Ins 2.0 test specifications documents located on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) website.
3. Can NC Check-Ins 2.0 be used as a progress indicator? 
   The primary purpose of NC Check-Ins 2.0 is to provide teachers with immediate formative data to support classroom instruction.
4. How will NC Check-Ins 2.0 inform End-of-Grade (EOG) tests? 
   EOG tests have been redesigned from parallel fixed forms to multistage fixed adaptive forms with up to three levels to increase overall reliability across the grade achievement level scale without increasing test length. To better inform the multistage levels, student performance data from at least two NC Check-Ins 2.0 interims will be applied in a statistical model to determine the EOG tests for each student that will maximize the precision/reliability of reported scores.
5. What is the benefit of using NC Check-Ins 2.0 to assign students’ test forms? 
   Using data from NC Check-Ins 2.0 allows students to benefit from the full range of measurement enhancements offered by the multistage adaptive design of the EOG. Students will be assigned to a form that allows for an improved testing experience by presenting them with enough items targeted around their expected performance. However, each form will have the minimum number of items needed to report a reliable score for any of the four academic achievement levels.
6. Will students who completed NC Check-Ins 2.0 in a school other than the one where the multistage adaptive EOG is administered be assigned a form based on their NC Check-Ins 2.0 scores? 
   Yes, all students’ test scores for NC Check-Ins 2.0 will be used even if administered at multiple schools. All scores must be finalized in NCTest Admin by the date the PSU Test Coordinator completes the test window scheduler for EOG test administrations.
7. Will participating in the NC Check-Ins 2.0 ensure students perform higher than previously on EOGs? 
   No, participating in any interim or benchmark test does not in and of itself ensure student learning will increase. The purpose of NC Check-Ins 2.0 is to provide additional formative data to inform and support instruction. Using the information provided from this review may contribute to students’ learning the content standards and then improving their performance on the EOG.
8. How will NC Check-Ins 2.0 inform end-of-course (EOC) tests? 
   The NC Check-Ins 2.0 for Biology, NC Math 1, NC Math 3, and English II are not part of the North Carolina Personalized Assessment Tool (NCPAT). The main purpose of NC Check-In 2.0 for EOC is to provide formative data to support classroom instruction. The EOC tests are still fixed forms that are not directly connected with NC Check-Ins 2.0.
9. Must all NC Check-Ins 2.0 be administered for each subject?
   Only students who complete at least two NC Check-Ins 2.0 in the same content area prior to EOG administrations will participate in the full levels of the multistage adaptive EOG test. Students without at least two NC Check-Ins 2.0 test scores will be randomly assigned to EOG forms equivalent to the middle level of the multistage form. It is not a disadvantage for any student because all students are assessed on the same content standards and measured on the same scale regardless of the test form administered.
10. Can teachers give an NC Check-In 2.0 that is not on grade-level?
    No, NC Check-Ins 2.0 are designed to measure grade level specific content standards. Purposes, uses, and interpretation of NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports and data are grade level specific. Off grade interpretation of NC Check-Ins 2.0 scores and reports is not supported. Teachers will be responsible to provide adequate validity evidence to support off grade uses.
11. What types of information are available in NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports? 
    Each NC Check-In 2.0 will generate student-level reports for teachers indicating the number of questions correct by domain, content standard, and question type. Student answers and test questions are available to teachers to guide instruction. School-level reports will provide summaries with similar information. District-level reports and a data extract are available to public school unit-level staff to support schools and teachers. Schools have the option to provide individual student reports with qualitative data. Students will not receive achievement levels for the NC Check-Ins 2.0.
12. When are NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports available?
    Reports are processed overnight and are typically available online the day after an NC Check-In 2.0 administration.
13. Who may access NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports? 
    NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports are designed to be accessed by teachers to support classroom instruction. PSU and school test coordinators have access to these reports. Additional school level and public school unit-level staff may be granted access to review reports by the public school unit test coordinator.
14. How are NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports accessed?
    NC Check-Ins 2.0 reports are accessed through the online reporting system in NCTest Admin.  Teachers and all other school personnel who review reports must have an active NC Education account linked to the email in the NC Student Information System for the user.
15. Are PSUs required to provide an NC Check-Ins 2.0 Individual Student Report (ISR) to parents? 
    No, it is optional for PSUs to provide an ISR for an NC Check-In 2.0. PSUs providing ISRs are encouraged to issue the reports within thirty days of the administration. PSUs are strongly encouraged to explain the purposes and the uses of the data with parents. Parents should be provided with information about their student’s performance, so they know how their student is progressing throughout the school year. PSUs may upload ISRs to the parent portal in the NC Student Information System.
16. Where can schools access a sample of the NC Check-Ins 2.0 ISRs? 
    Sample ISRs are available online on the Individual Student Report page.
17. Are NC Check-Ins 2.0 scores used in accountability or teacher evaluations? 
    No, NC Check-Ins 2.0 are classroom resources to support formative classroom practices, and student level results should not be used for district or state accountability as a metric for teacher evaluations.