Davie County expands in-school retesting for grades 3–12 after positive pilot results

At the Davie County Schools board meeting, accountability coordinator Michael Pruitt outlined a decision to offer in-school retesting for students in grades 3–12 in reading and math who meet eligibility criteria.

Pruitt said districts now may use a higher retest score for achievement calculations and growth analysis and that end-of-course retest scores may count toward the required 20% of a student’s final grade. "If the retest score is higher than the initial test score, it will be used for achievement calculations and growth analysis for the school," he told the board.

The retesting opportunity will be offered to students who passed the course but scored not proficient on the initial administration and are within five scale points of proficiency, or who are flagged by school-level data as likely to reach proficiency with another attempt. Participation will be voluntary and requires positive parental consent, the presenter said.

Pruitt reviewed results from last year’s program: 81 more students reached proficiency in reading after the retest (an approximate 3.5 percentage-point increase districtwide), and 60 more students reached proficiency in math (about a 2.21 percentage-point increase), which the presentation credited with improving school accountability measures.

Board members thanked Pruitt’s accountability team for navigating technical changes in the state accountability model. Questions from the board centered on implementation logistics and parent consent procedures. District staff told the board they will proceed with in-school retesting this year and monitor participation and outcomes.