Some end-of-course tests may be cut
RALEIGH — The House voted Thursday to do away with end-of-course tests for several high school subjects, including geometry, U.S. history, physical science, economics and civics.
Lawmakers cast the vote on a pair of amendments to the state’s $18.9 billion budget, which the House gave tentative approval Thursday. A final House vote was expected to come this morning just after midnight.
House and Senate budget writers will next have to negotiate a final compromise between the two budgets they’ve produced, and there’s no guarantee the $2.6 million cut will be included in the final budget package.
“I taught U.S. History and I taught civics,” said Rep. Bryan Holloway, a King Republican who represents parts of Rockingham County. “To me, it’s just wrong to teach kids that history is about memorizing as many facts as you can for 200 years, then hoping a test might ask you some questions where you might be able to regurgitate an answer.”
The money saved by cutting the tests would be put toward purchasing instructional supplies for classrooms under the House version of the budget.
Holloway twice tried to put forward similar changes when the $18.9 billion budget bill was vetted by budget-writing committees. Both times he was rebuffed by the Democratic majorities who control those committees.
But on the floor of the House on Thursday, Democrats ran their own amendment doing away with the geometry tests. Holloway’s amendment eliminated the U.S. history, physical science, economics and civics end-of-course tests, and he got help from several Democrats who joined with the bulk of Republicans.
“This stuff is an absolute, complete waste,” said Rep. Bill Faison, a Cedar Grove Democrat who recounted his own children’s experience with the tests.
Other Democrats, including Rick Glazier of Fayetteville, said the move represented a dramatic shift in policy and could hurt the state’s standing in a long-running court case over low-performing schools.
Holloway’s amendment does not do away with end-of-grade tests that track students’ progress on math and reading and are required by the federal No Child Left Behind law.
“These are tests we can eliminate without getting into any debate with the feds,” Holloway said.
However, state leaders with the Department of Public Instruction said the House-passed measure was a bad idea.
“We’re extremely disappointed and dismayed,” said Rebecca Garland, chief academic officer for the state. “Testing is a part of instruction. If you don’t assess students, you don’t know how they’re doing.”
In addition to tracking student performance, she said, data from the tests help schools, teachers and the colleges that train them improve.
As well, she said, some teachers might dwell on certain parts of a curriculum while giving short shrift to others if there aren’t tests to ensure students have to know the entire prescribed course of student.
“It’s a way to ensure the standards are being taught,” Garland said.
Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com
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