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District outlines within-year retesting plan; students' gains to count toward growth
Summary
Asheboro City Schools presented a plan to run end-of-year tests and within-year retests during the school year to boost participation and have any score gains count toward school growth; retesting is parent opt-in, and the district expects roughly 4,700 EOGs, 800 EOCs and 1,100 CTE exams during the 10-day window.
Asheboro City Schools’ Director of Accountability and Student Information, Dr. Kinley, told the board on May 14 that the district will run end-of-grade and end-of-course testing in a 10-day window and follow with opt-in retesting opportunities during the school year.
"Over the 10-day window, we will complete approximately 4,700 EOG assessments, approximately 800 end-of-course assessments, and 1,100 state CTE exams," Dr. Kinley said, explaining the scale of the district’s testing operation. He said the district chose within-year retesting because state guidance allows two scheduling options and because within-year testing keeps students and staff already on campus and lets improvements contribute to growth measures.
The nut of the plan, Dr. Kinley said, is that the state’s pivot from summer re-administration to within‑year retesting means growth — not only proficiency — can improve a school’s accountability profile. "With the addition of having any improvement count towards growth, we really look at that as a possibility of having a higher impact on our accountability results," he said.
Board members and staff pressed for logistics and equity details. Dr. Kinley said retesting is parent opt-in: the district sends home a notice and will follow up individually; it cannot retest a student without a signed opt-in response. He added the district has seen opt-in response rates between roughly 70% and 95% at the time of reporting.
A board member criticized the test timing: "How absurd it is that we have to start testing following a holiday weekend," the member said, arguing the schedule puts pressure on families. Dr. Kinley replied the district has limited flexibility because of the state windows and the need to complete many assessments in a short span, but staff built protected days into the schedule for end-of-year events and awards to reduce conflicts.
The district also described embedded remediation time during the testing window and a local option for counting higher course grades if a student earns a better result on a retest. Officials said these steps aim to increase participation and to give students the benefit of any improved performance.
The board did not take action on the testing plan at the May meeting; staff said they will continue outreach to families and report results after the summer.
