NC to do away with more standardized testing

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislators have reached a compromise on doing away with more standardized testing in public schools.

The House and Senate hammered out an agreement between competing bills and scheduled final votes on the measure on Monday evening. If approved, the agreement would go to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk.

The legislation would end more than 20 end-of-course exams covering mostly high school subjects next school year. State law currently doesn’t require these “North Carolina Final Exams,” which had been used to comply with previous federal mandates.

The bill directs school districts to review local testing requirements periodically and reduce them if they exceed the statewide average. And local boards can’t require students to complete graduation projects unless they agree to reimburse disadvantaged students up to $75 of project expenses.