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North Carolina House Bill H488

North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina House Bill H488 Compare Versions

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11 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
22 SESSION 2025
3-H 1
4-HOUSE BILL 488
3+H D
4+HOUSE BILL DRH40290-NG-98
5+
56
67
78 Short Title: Modify School Performance Grades. (Public)
8-Sponsors: Representatives Riddell, Rhyne, Paré, and Johnson-Hostler (Primary Sponsors).
9-For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
10-Referred to: Education - K-12, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
11-March 25, 2025
12-*H488 -v-1*
9+Sponsors: Representative Riddell.
10+Referred to:
11+
12+*DRH40290 -NG-98*
1313 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
1414 AN ACT TO MODIFY SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADES TO PROVIDE THAT ALL 2
1515 SCHOOLS RECEIVE A GRADE FOR SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENT AND A GRADE FOR 3
1616 SCHOOL GROWTH. 4
1717 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
1818 6
1919 PART I. ESTABLISH SEPARATE ACHIEVEMENT AND GROWTH GRADES 7
2020 SECTION 1.1. G.S. 115C-12(9) reads as rewritten: 8
2121 "(9) Miscellaneous Powers and Duties. – All the powers and duties exercised by 9
2222 the State Board of Education shall be in conformity with the Constitution and 10
2323 subject to such laws as may be enacted from time to time by the General 11
2424 Assembly. Among such duties are: 12
2525 … 13
2626 c1. To issue an annual "report card" for the State and for each local school 14
2727 administrative unit, assessing each unit's efforts to improve student 15
2828 performance based on the growth in performance of the students in 16
2929 each school and taking into account progress over the previous years' 17
3030 level of performance and the State's performance in comparison with 18
3131 other states. This assessment shall take into account factors that have 19
3232 been shown to affect student performance and that the State Board 20
3333 considers relevant to assess the State's efforts to improve student 21
3434 performance. The annual "report card" for each local school 22
3535 administrative unit shall include the following: 23
3636 1. The State Board shall award, in accordance with 24
3737 G.S. 115C-83.15, an overall numerical school achievement, 25
3838 growth, and performance score on a scale of zero to 100 26
3939 achievement and school growth scores and a separate 27
4040 corresponding performance school achievement and school 28
4141 growth letter grade grades of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each 29
4242 school within the local school administrative unit. The school 30
4343 performance score and grade achievement and growth scores 31
4444 and grades shall reflect the measures required for achievement 32
4545 and growth, respectively, by G.S. 115C-83.15, in measures 33
4646 such as student performance on annual subject-specific 34
47-assessments, college and workplace readiness measures, 35 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48-Page 2 House Bill 488-First Edition
49-graduation rates, and student progress in achieving English 1
50-language proficiency. In addition, the State Board shall award 2
51-separate performance scores and grades for the following: 3
52-I. School performance achievement and school growth of 4
53-certain subgroups of students as provided in 5
54-G.S. 115C-83.15. 6
55-II. For schools serving students in any grade from 7
56-kindergarten to eighth grade, school achievement and 8
57-school growth performance in reading and mathematics 9
58-respectively. 10
59-…." 11
60-SECTION 1.2. G.S. 115C-47(58) reads as rewritten: 12
61-"(58) To Inform the Public About the North Carolina School Report Cards Issued 13
62-by the State Board of Education. – Each local board of education shall ensure 14
63-that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 15
64-distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. Each local 16
65-board of education shall ensure that the overall school performance score 17
66-achievement and growth scores and grade grades earned by each school in the 18
67-local school administrative unit for the current and previous four school years 19
68-is are prominently displayed on the Web site of the local school administrative 20
69-unit. If any school in the local school administrative unit earned an overall a 21
70-school performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the local board 22
71-of education shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or 23
72-guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 24
73-SECTION 1.3. G.S. 115C-83.15 reads as rewritten: 25
74-"§ 115C-83.15. School achievement, growth, performance scores, achievement scores, 26
75-growth scores, and grades. 27
76-(a) School Scores and Grades. – The State Board of Education shall award school 28
77-achievement, growth, and performance achievement and school growth scores and an associated 29
78-performance grade grades as required by G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., and calculated as provided in this 30
79-section. 31
80-… 32
81-(b1) Calculation of School Achievement Grades. – For all schools, the score for school 33
82-achievement, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, shall be used to determine the school 34
83-achievement grade. The school achievement grade shall be based on the following scale and shall 35
84-not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, such as a 36
85-"plus" or "minus": 37
86-(1) A score of at least 85 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of A. 38
87-(2) A score of at least 70 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of B. 39
88-(3) A score of at least 55 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of C. 40
89-(4) A score of at least 40 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of D. 41
90-(5) A score of less than 40 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of F. 42
91-(c) Calculation of the School Growth Score. – Using the Education Value-Added 43
92-Assessment System (EVAAS), the State Board shall calculate the overall growth score earned 44
93-by schools. In calculating the total growth score earned by schools, the State Board of Education 45
94-shall weight student growth on the achievement measures as provided in subsection (b) of this 46
95-section that have available growth values; provided that for schools serving students in grades 47
96-nine through 12, the growth score shall only include growth values for measures calculated under 48
97-sub-subdivisions a. and b. of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section. The numerical 49
98-values used to determine whether a school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
99-House Bill 488-First Edition Page 3
100-shall be translated to a 100-point scale and used for school reporting purposes as provided in 1
101-G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 2
102-(c1) Calculation of School Growth Grades. – For all schools, the score for school growth, 3
103-as provided in subsection (c) of this section, shall be converted by the State Board of Education 4
104-to a 100-point scale and used to determine the school growth grade. The school growth grade 5
105-shall be based on the following scale and shall not be modified to add any other designation 6
106-related to other performance measures, such as a "plus" or "minus": 7
107-(1) A score of at least 90 is equivalent to a school growth grade of A. 8
108-(2) A score of at least 80 is equivalent to a school growth grade of B. 9
109-(3) A score of at least 70 is equivalent to a school growth grade of C. 10
110-(4) A score of at least 60 is equivalent to a school growth grade of D. 11
111-(5) A score of less than 60 is equivalent to a school growth grade of F. 12
112-(d) Calculation of the Overall School Performance Scores and Grades. – The State Board 13
113-of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school 14
114-achievement score, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, and the school growth score, as 15
115-determined using EVAAS as provided in subsection (c) of this section, earned by a school. The 16
116-school achievement score shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score 17
117-shall account for twenty percent (20%) of the total sum. For all schools, the total school 18
118-performance score shall be converted to a 100-point scale and used to determine an overall school 19
119-performance grade. The overall school performance grade shall be based on the following scale 20
120-and shall not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, 21
121-such as a "plus" or "minus": 22
122-(1) A school performance score of at least 85 is equivalent to an overall school 23
123-performance grade of A. 24
124-(2) A school performance score of at least 70 is equivalent to an overall school 25
125-performance grade of B. 26
126-(3) A school performance score of at least 55 is equivalent to an overall school 27
127-performance grade of C. 28
128-(4) A school performance score of at least 40 is equivalent to an overall school 29
129-performance grade of D. 30
130-(5) A school performance score of less than 40 points is equivalent to an overall 31
131-school performance grade of F. 32
132-(d1) Establishment of Subgroups of Students. – The State Board shall establish the 33
133-minimum number of students in a subgroup served by a school that is necessary to disaggregate 34
134-information on student performance and to determine a subgroup performance score achievement 35
135-and subgroup growth scores and grade associated grades for the following subgroups of students: 36
136-(1) Economically disadvantaged students. 37
137-(2) Students from major racial and ethnic groups. 38
138-(3) Children with disabilities. 39
139-(4) English learners. 40
140-(d2) Calculation of the School Performance Scores and Achievement and School Growth 41
141-Scores and Corresponding Grades for Certain Subgroups of Students Served by a School. – In 42
142-addition to the overall school performance achievement and school growth scores and 43
143-corresponding grades awarded under subsections (b) through (c1) of this section, for each school 44
144-that serves a minimum number of students in a subgroup of students listed in subsection (d1) of 45
145-this section, the State Board of Education shall calculate school performance achievement and 46
146-school growth scores and shall determine a corresponding school performance grade grades for 47
147-each subgroup using the same method as set forth in subsection (d) subsections (b) through (c1) 48
148-of this section. School performance achievement and school growth scores for subgroups of 49
149-students shall not be included in the calculation of the overall school performance achievement 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
150-Page 4 House Bill 488-First Edition
151-and school growth scores and corresponding grades under subsection (d) subsections (b) through 1
152-(c1) of this section. 2
153-(d3) Report of Subgroup Performance Scores and School Achievement and School 3
154-Growth Scores and Corresponding Grades. – The subgroup performance school achievement and 4
155-school growth scores and associated grades shall be reported separately on the annual school 5
156-report card provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 in a 6
157-way that provides the following information: 7
158-(1) For the current year and the previous two years, the achievement score for 8
159-each subgroup of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section for the 9
160-school. 10
161-(2) The statewide average achievement score for each subgroup defined in 11
162-subsection (d1) of this section. 12
163-(3) The difference between the achievement score for all students in the school 13
164-and the achievement score for each subgroup that meets the minimum number 14
165-of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section. 15
166-(4) Based on the information reported in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the 16
167-State Board shall determine and identify schools that are closing achievement 17
168-gaps, experiencing a widening of gaps, or seeing no significant gap changes. 18
169-… 19
170-(f) Indication of Growth. – In addition to awarding the overall school scores for 20
171-achievement, growth, and performance and the performance grade, achievement and growth and 21
172-associated grades, using EVAAS, the State Board shall designate that a school has met, exceeded, 22
173-or has not met expected growth. The designation of student growth shall be clearly displayed in 23
174-the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, 24
175-and 116-239.8. 25
176-(g) Access to Annual Report Card Information on the Department's Web Site. – 26
177-Beginning with data collected in the 2017-2018 school year, the State Board of Education shall 27
178-provide user-friendly access to the public on the annual report cards issued for local school 28
179-administrative units and individual schools provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 29
180-115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 through the Department of Public Instruction's Web site. The annual 30
181-report card shall be designed and organized to display the following information more 31
182-prominently than any other information: 32
183-(1) A summary for each local school administrative unit and for each individual 33
184-school of the school performance achievement and growth grades, whether 34
185-the school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and any other 35
186-information required to be provided as part of the annual report card. 36
187-(2) The percentage of schools receiving an overall a school performance 37
188-achievement letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each school located 38
189-within a local school administrative unit and statewide. 39
190-(2a) The percentage of schools receiving a school growth letter grade of A, B, C, 40
191-D, or F earned by each school located within a local school administrative unit 41
192-and statewide. 42
193-(3) The number and percentage of schools that have met, exceeded, or have not 43
194-met expected growth by each school located within a local school 44
195-administrative unit and statewide. 45
196-(4) A Web page for each individual school that prominently displays the school's 46
197-performance achievement and growth grades, whether the school has met, 47
198-exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and the school's performance 48
199-achievement and growth scores in a way that is easy for the user to read. 49
200-(5) The ability to easily compare annual report card information, including school 50
201-performance achievement and growth grades and whether schools have met, 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
202-House Bill 488-First Edition Page 5
203-exceeded, or have not met expected growth, for local school administrative 1
204-units and for individual schools for a time span of at least three years." 2
205-SECTION 1.4. G.S. 115C-83.17 reads as rewritten: 3
206-"§ 115C-83.17. Definitions. 4
207-The following definitions apply in this Part: 5
208-(1) Achievement score. – A numerical score on a scale of zero to 100 that is based 6
209-on the sum of points earned by a school or by a subgroup of students pursuant 7
210-to G.S. 115C-83.15. 8
211-(2) Growth score. – A numerical score measuring student growth calculated for a 9
212-school or for a subgroup of students pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15. 10
213-(3) Overall school performance grade. School grades. – The letter grade grades 11
214-earned by a school for achievement and growth for all students served by a 12
215-school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d).G.S. 115C-83.15(b1) and (c1). 13
216-(4) Overall school performance score. School scores. – The numerical score 14
217-scores earned by a school that is calculated by adding the school achievement 15
218-score and the school growth score earned by a school for achievement and 16
219-growth pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d).G.S. 115C-83.15(b) and (c). 17
220-(5) Subgroup performance grade. grades. – The letter grade grades earned by a 18
221-school for achievement and growth for a subgroup of students served by the 19
222-school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2). 20
223-(6) Subgroup performance score. scores. – The numerical score scores earned by 21
224-a school that is calculated by adding the for subgroup achievement score and 22
225-the subgroup growth score earned by a school that are converted to a 100-point 23
226-scale pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2)." 24
227- 25
228-PART II. CONFORMING CHANGES 26
229-SECTION 2.1. G.S. 115C-83.16 reads as rewritten: 27
230-"§ 115C-83.16. School performance indicators for the purpose of compliance with federal 28
231-law. 29
232-(a) The State Board of Education shall use the school performance achievement and 30
233-growth scores and grades as calculated required under G.S. 115C-83.15 to satisfy the federal 31
234-requirement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the 32
235-Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), P.L. 114-95, to meaningfully differentiate the performance 33
236-of schools on an annual basis. For the purpose of compliance with federal law, the State Board 34
237-of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school 35
238-achievement score and the school growth score earned by a school. The school achievement score 36
239-shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score shall account for twenty 37
240-percent (20%) of the total sum. Additionally, the indicators shall be defined as follows: 38
241-… 39
242-(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and only for the purpose of conforming 40
243-with ESSA, the State Board may label measures as indicators different from those described in 41
244-subsection (a) of this section; provided that each measure shall be calculated in accordance with 42
245-the requirements of G.S. 115C-83.15.section." 43
246-SECTION 2.2. G.S. 115C-105.37 reads as rewritten: 44
247-"§ 115C-105.37. Identification of low-performing schools. 45
248-(a) Identification of Low-Performing Schools. – The State Board of Education shall 46
249-identify low-performing schools on an annual basis. Low-performing schools are those that earn 47
250-an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met 48
251-expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by G.S. 115C-83.15. 49
252-(a1) Plan for Improvement of Low-Performing Schools. – If a school has been identified 50
253-as low-performing as provided in this section and the school is not located in a local school 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
254-Page 6 House Bill 488-First Edition
255-administrative unit identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C-105.39A, the following 1
256-actions shall be taken: 2
257-(1) The superintendent shall proceed under G.S. 115C-105.39. 3
258-(2) Within 30 days of the initial identification of a school as low-performing by 4
259-the State Board, the superintendent shall submit to the local board of education 5
260-a preliminary plan for improving both the school performance grade and 6
261-school growth score, grades, including how the superintendent and other 7
262-central office administrators will work with the school and monitor the 8
263-school's progress. 9
264-… 10
265-(b) Parental Notice of Low-Performing School Status. – Each school that the State Board 11
266-identifies as low-performing shall provide written notification to the parents and guardians of 12
267-students attending that school within 30 days of the identification that includes the following 13
268-information: 14
269-(1) A statement that the State Board of Education has found that the school has 15
270-earned an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a 16
271-school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" 17
272-and has been identified as a low-performing school as defined by 18
273-G.S. 115C-105.37. this section. The statement shall include an explanation of 19
274-the school performance grades and growth scores.achievement and growth 20
275-scores and grades. 21
276-(2) The school performance grade and growth score achievement and growth 22
277-scores and grades earned. 23
278-(3) Information about the preliminary plan developed under subsection (a1) of 24
279-this section and the availability of the final plan on the local school 25
280-administrative unit's Web site. 26
281-(4) The meeting date for when the preliminary plan will be considered by the local 27
282-board of education. 28
283-(5) A description of any additional steps the school is taking to improve student 29
284-performance." 30
285-SECTION 2.3. G.S. 115C-105.39A reads as rewritten: 31
286-"§ 115C-105.39A. Identification of low-performing local school administrative units. 32
287-(a) Identification of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Units. – The State 33
288-Board of Education shall identify low-performing local school administrative units on an annual 34
289-basis. A low-performing local school administrative unit is a unit in which the majority of the 35
290-schools in that unit that earned an overall school performance grade and school growth score 36
291-achievement and growth scores and grades as provided in G.S. 115C-83.15 have been identified 37
292-as low-performing schools, as provided in G.S. 115C-105.37. 38
293-(b) Plan for Improvement of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Units. – Once 39
294-a local school administrative unit has been identified as low-performing under this section, the 40
295-following actions shall be taken: 41
296-(1) The superintendent shall proceed under G.S. 115C-105.39. 42
297-(2) Within 30 days of the identification of a local school administrative unit as 43
298-low-performing by the State Board, the superintendent shall submit to the 44
299-local board of education a preliminary plan for improving both the school 45
300-performance grade and school growth score achievement and growth scores 46
301-and grades of each low-performing school in the unit, including how the 47
302-superintendent and other central office administrators will work with each 48
303-low-performing school and monitor the low-performing school's progress and 49
304-how current local school administrative unit policy should be changed to 50
305-improve student achievement throughout the local school administrative unit. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
306-House Bill 488-First Edition Page 7
307-The plan shall also include specific strategies to improve early childhood 1
308-learning along with measurable goals. 2
309-… 3
310-(c) Parental Notice of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Unit Status. – Each 4
311-local school administrative unit that the State Board identifies as low-performing shall provide 5
312-written notification to the parents and guardians of all students attending any school in the local 6
313-school administrative unit within 30 days of the identification that includes the following 7
314-information: 8
315-(1) A statement that the State Board of Education has found that a majority of the 9
316-schools in the local school administrative unit have earned an overall a school 10
317-performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met 11
318-expected growth" or "not met expected growth" and have been identified as 12
319-low-performing schools as defined by G.S. 115C-105.37. The statement shall 13
320-also include an explanation of the school performance grades and school 14
321-growth scores.achievement and growth scores and grades. 15
322-(2) The percentage of schools identified as low-performing. 16
323-(3) Information about the preliminary plan developed under subsection (b) of this 17
324-section and the availability of the final plan on the local school administrative 18
325-unit's Web site. 19
326-(4) The meeting date for when the preliminary plan will be considered by the local 20
327-board of education. 21
328-(5) A description of any additional steps the local school administrative unit and 22
329-schools are taking to improve student performance. 23
330-(6) For notifications sent to parents and guardians of students attending a school 24
331-that is identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C-105.37, a statement that 25
332-the State Board of Education has found that the school has earned an overall 26
333-a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score 27
334-of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" and has been 28
335-identified as a low-performing school as defined by G.S. 115C-105.37. This 29
336-notification also shall include the overall school performance grade and school 30
337-growth score the school achievement and growth scores and grades earned 31
338-and an explanation of the school performance grades and school growth 32
339-scores.achievement and growth scores and grades." 33
340-SECTION 2.4. G.S. 115C-218.65 reads as rewritten: 34
341-"§ 115C-218.65. North Carolina School Report Cards. 35
342-A charter school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education 36
343-receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A charter 37
344-school shall ensure that the overall school performance score achievement and growth scores and 38
345-grade grades earned by the charter school for the current and previous four school years is are 39
346-prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a charter school earned an overall a school 40
347-performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the charter school shall provide notice of 41
348-the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 42
349-SECTION 2.5. G.S. 115C-218.94(a) reads as rewritten: 43
350-"(a) Identification of Low-Performing Charter Schools. – The State Board of Education 44
351-shall identify low-performing charter schools on an annual basis. Low-performing charter 45
352-schools are those that earn an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a 46
353-school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by 47
354-G.S. 115C-83.15." 48
355-SECTION 2.6. G.S. 115C-238.66(11) reads as rewritten: 49
356-"(11) North Carolina School Report Cards. – A regional school shall ensure that the 50
357-report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
358-Page 8 House Bill 488-First Edition
359-distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A regional 1
360-school shall ensure that the overall school performance score achievement and 2
361-growth scores and grade grades earned by the regional school for the current 3
362-and previous four school years is are prominently displayed on the school Web 4
363-site. If a regional school earned an overall a school performance achievement 5
364-or growth grade of D or F, the regional school shall provide notice of the grade 6
365-in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 7
366-SECTION 2.7. G.S. 116-239.8(b)(14) reads as rewritten: 8
367-"(14) North Carolina school report cards. – A laboratory school shall ensure that the 9
368-report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 10
369-distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A 11
370-laboratory school shall ensure that the overall school performance score 12
371-achievement and growth scores and grade grades earned by the laboratory 13
372-school for the current and previous four school years is are prominently 14
373-displayed on the school Web site. If a laboratory school earned an overall a 15
374-school performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the laboratory 16
375-school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of 17
376-all students enrolled in that school." 18
377-SECTION 2.8. G.S. 116-239.13(3) reads as rewritten: 19
378-"(3) Public school student achievement data, including school performance grades 20
379-and student achievement scores and student growth, achievement and growth 21
380-scores and grades at each laboratory school." 22
47+assessments, college and workplace readiness measures, 35
48+graduation rates, and student progress in achieving English 36
49+H.B. 488
50+Mar 24, 2025
51+HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
52+Page 2 DRH40290-NG-98
53+language proficiency. In addition, the State Board shall award 1
54+separate performance scores and grades for the following: 2
55+I. School performance achievement and school growth of 3
56+certain subgroups of students as provided in 4
57+G.S. 115C-83.15. 5
58+II. For schools serving students in any grade from 6
59+kindergarten to eighth grade, school achievement and 7
60+school growth performance in reading and mathematics 8
61+respectively. 9
62+…." 10
63+SECTION 1.2. G.S. 115C-47(58) reads as rewritten: 11
64+"(58) To Inform the Public About the North Carolina School Report Cards Issued 12
65+by the State Board of Education. – Each local board of education shall ensure 13
66+that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 14
67+distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. Each local 15
68+board of education shall ensure that the overall school performance score 16
69+achievement and growth scores and grade grades earned by each school in the 17
70+local school administrative unit for the current and previous four school years 18
71+is are prominently displayed on the Web site of the local school administrative 19
72+unit. If any school in the local school administrative unit earned an overall a 20
73+school performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the local board 21
74+of education shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or 22
75+guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 23
76+SECTION 1.3. G.S. 115C-83.15 reads as rewritten: 24
77+"§ 115C-83.15. School achievement, growth, performance scores, achievement scores, 25
78+growth scores, and grades. 26
79+(a) School Scores and Grades. – The State Board of Education shall award school 27
80+achievement, growth, and performance achievement and school growth scores and an associated 28
81+performance grade grades as required by G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., and calculated as provided in this 29
82+section. 30
83+… 31
84+(b1) Calculation of School Achievement Grades. – For all schools, the score for school 32
85+achievement, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, shall be used to determine the school 33
86+achievement grade. The school achievement grade shall be based on the following scale and shall 34
87+not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, such as a 35
88+"plus" or "minus": 36
89+(1) A score of at least 85 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of A. 37
90+(2) A score of at least 70 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of B. 38
91+(3) A score of at least 55 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of C. 39
92+(4) A score of at least 40 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of D. 40
93+(5) A score of less than 40 is equivalent to a school achievement grade of F. 41
94+(c) Calculation of the School Growth Score. – Using the Education Value-Added 42
95+Assessment System (EVAAS), the State Board shall calculate the overall growth score earned 43
96+by schools. In calculating the total growth score earned by schools, the State Board of Education 44
97+shall weight student growth on the achievement measures as provided in subsection (b) of this 45
98+section that have available growth values; provided that for schools serving students in grades 46
99+nine through 12, the growth score shall only include growth values for measures calculated under 47
100+sub-subdivisions a. and b. of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section. The numerical 48
101+values used to determine whether a school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth 49
102+shall be translated to a 100-point scale and used for school reporting purposes as provided in 50
103+G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
104+DRH40290-NG-98 Page 3
105+(c1) Calculation of School Growth Grades. – For all schools, the score for school growth, 1
106+as provided in subsection (c) of this section, shall be converted by the State Board of Education 2
107+to a 100-point scale and used to determine the school growth grade. The school growth grade 3
108+shall be based on the following scale and shall not be modified to add any other designation 4
109+related to other performance measures, such as a "plus" or "minus": 5
110+(1) A score of at least 90 is equivalent to a school growth grade of A. 6
111+(2) A score of at least 80 is equivalent to a school growth grade of B. 7
112+(3) A score of at least 70 is equivalent to a school growth grade of C. 8
113+(4) A score of at least 60 is equivalent to a school growth grade of D. 9
114+(5) A score of less than 60 is equivalent to a school growth grade of F. 10
115+(d) Calculation of the Overall School Performance Scores and Grades. – The State Board 11
116+of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school 12
117+achievement score, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, and the school growth score, as 13
118+determined using EVAAS as provided in subsection (c) of this section, earned by a school. The 14
119+school achievement score shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score 15
120+shall account for twenty percent (20%) of the total sum. For all schools, the total school 16
121+performance score shall be converted to a 100-point scale and used to determine an overall school 17
122+performance grade. The overall school performance grade shall be based on the following scale 18
123+and shall not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, 19
124+such as a "plus" or "minus": 20
125+(1) A school performance score of at least 85 is equivalent to an overall school 21
126+performance grade of A. 22
127+(2) A school performance score of at least 70 is equivalent to an overall school 23
128+performance grade of B. 24
129+(3) A school performance score of at least 55 is equivalent to an overall school 25
130+performance grade of C. 26
131+(4) A school performance score of at least 40 is equivalent to an overall school 27
132+performance grade of D. 28
133+(5) A school performance score of less than 40 points is equivalent to an overall 29
134+school performance grade of F. 30
135+(d1) Establishment of Subgroups of Students. – The State Board shall establish the 31
136+minimum number of students in a subgroup served by a school that is necessary to disaggregate 32
137+information on student performance and to determine a subgroup performance score achievement 33
138+and subgroup growth scores and grade associated grades for the following subgroups of students: 34
139+(1) Economically disadvantaged students. 35
140+(2) Students from major racial and ethnic groups. 36
141+(3) Children with disabilities. 37
142+(4) English learners. 38
143+(d2) Calculation of the School Performance Scores and Achievement and School Growth 39
144+Scores and Corresponding Grades for Certain Subgroups of Students Served by a School. – In 40
145+addition to the overall school performance achievement and school growth scores and 41
146+corresponding grades awarded under subsections (b) through (c1) of this section, for each school 42
147+that serves a minimum number of students in a subgroup of students listed in subsection (d1) of 43
148+this section, the State Board of Education shall calculate school performance achievement and 44
149+school growth scores and shall determine a corresponding school performance grade grades for 45
150+each subgroup using the same method as set forth in subsection (d) subsections (b) through (c1) 46
151+of this section. School performance achievement and school growth scores for subgroups of 47
152+students shall not be included in the calculation of the overall school performance achievement 48
153+and school growth scores and corresponding grades under subsection (d) subsections (b) through 49
154+(c1) of this section. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
155+Page 4 DRH40290-NG-98
156+(d3) Report of Subgroup Performance Scores and School Achievement and School 1
157+Growth Scores and Corresponding Grades. – The subgroup performance school achievement and 2
158+school growth scores and associated grades shall be reported separately on the annual school 3
159+report card provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 in a 4
160+way that provides the following information: 5
161+(1) For the current year and the previous two years, the achievement score for 6
162+each subgroup of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section for the 7
163+school. 8
164+(2) The statewide average achievement score for each subgroup defined in 9
165+subsection (d1) of this section. 10
166+(3) The difference between the achievement score for all students in the school 11
167+and the achievement score for each subgroup that meets the minimum number 12
168+of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section. 13
169+(4) Based on the information reported in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the 14
170+State Board shall determine and identify schools that are closing achievement 15
171+gaps, experiencing a widening of gaps, or seeing no significant gap changes. 16
172+… 17
173+(f) Indication of Growth. – In addition to awarding the overall school scores for 18
174+achievement, growth, and performance and the performance grade, achievement and growth and 19
175+associated grades, using EVAAS, the State Board shall designate that a school has met, exceeded, 20
176+or has not met expected growth. The designation of student growth shall be clearly displayed in 21
177+the annual school report card provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, 22
178+and 116-239.8. 23
179+(g) Access to Annual Report Card Information on the Department's Web Site. – 24
180+Beginning with data collected in the 2017-2018 school year, the State Board of Education shall 25
181+provide user-friendly access to the public on the annual report cards issued for local school 26
182+administrative units and individual schools provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 27
183+115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 through the Department of Public Instruction's Web site. The annual 28
184+report card shall be designed and organized to display the following information more 29
185+prominently than any other information: 30
186+(1) A summary for each local school administrative unit and for each individual 31
187+school of the school performance achievement and growth grades, whether 32
188+the school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and any other 33
189+information required to be provided as part of the annual report card. 34
190+(2) The percentage of schools receiving an overall a school performance 35
191+achievement letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each school located 36
192+within a local school administrative unit and statewide. 37
193+(2a) The percentage of schools receiving a school growth letter grade of A, B, C, 38
194+D, or F earned by each school located within a local school administrative unit 39
195+and statewide. 40
196+(3) The number and percentage of schools that have met, exceeded, or have not 41
197+met expected growth by each school located within a local school 42
198+administrative unit and statewide. 43
199+(4) A Web page for each individual school that prominently displays the school's 44
200+performance achievement and growth grades, whether the school has met, 45
201+exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and the school's performance 46
202+achievement and growth scores in a way that is easy for the user to read. 47
203+(5) The ability to easily compare annual report card information, including school 48
204+performance achievement and growth grades and whether schools have met, 49
205+exceeded, or have not met expected growth, for local school administrative 50
206+units and for individual schools for a time span of at least three years." 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
207+DRH40290-NG-98 Page 5
208+SECTION 1.4. G.S. 115C-83.17 reads as rewritten: 1
209+"§ 115C-83.17. Definitions. 2
210+The following definitions apply in this Part: 3
211+(1) Achievement score. – A numerical score on a scale of zero to 100 that is based 4
212+on the sum of points earned by a school or by a subgroup of students pursuant 5
213+to G.S. 115C-83.15. 6
214+(2) Growth score. – A numerical score measuring student growth calculated for a 7
215+school or for a subgroup of students pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15. 8
216+(3) Overall school performance grade. School grades. – The letter grade grades 9
217+earned by a school for achievement and growth for all students served by a 10
218+school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d).G.S. 115C-83.15(b1) and (c1). 11
219+(4) Overall school performance score. School scores. – The numerical score 12
220+scores earned by a school that is calculated by adding the school achievement 13
221+score and the school growth score earned by a school for achievement and 14
222+growth pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d).G.S. 115C-83.15(b) and (c). 15
223+(5) Subgroup performance grade. grades. – The letter grade grades earned by a 16
224+school for achievement and growth for a subgroup of students served by the 17
225+school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2). 18
226+(6) Subgroup performance score. scores. – The numerical score scores earned by 19
227+a school that is calculated by adding the for subgroup achievement score and 20
228+the subgroup growth score earned by a school that are converted to a 100-point 21
229+scale pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2)." 22
381230 23
382-PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICABILI TY CLAUSE 24
383-SECTION 3. This act becomes effective January 1, 2026, and applies to school 25
384-achievement grades, growth grades, and report cards issued based on data from the 2025-2026 26
385-school year. 27
231+PART II. CONFORMING CHANGES 24
232+SECTION 2.1. G.S. 115C-83.16 reads as rewritten: 25
233+"§ 115C-83.16. School performance indicators for the purpose of compliance with federal 26
234+law. 27
235+(a) The State Board of Education shall use the school performance achievement and 28
236+growth scores and grades as calculated required under G.S. 115C-83.15 to satisfy the federal 29
237+requirement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the 30
238+Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), P.L. 114-95, to meaningfully differentiate the performance 31
239+of schools on an annual basis. For the purpose of compliance with federal law, the State Board 32
240+of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school 33
241+achievement score and the school growth score earned by a school. The school achievement score 34
242+shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score shall account for twenty 35
243+percent (20%) of the total sum. Additionally, the indicators shall be defined as follows: 36
244+… 37
245+(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and only for the purpose of conforming 38
246+with ESSA, the State Board may label measures as indicators different from those described in 39
247+subsection (a) of this section; provided that each measure shall be calculated in accordance with 40
248+the requirements of G.S. 115C-83.15.section." 41
249+SECTION 2.2. G.S. 115C-105.37 reads as rewritten: 42
250+"§ 115C-105.37. Identification of low-performing schools. 43
251+(a) Identification of Low-Performing Schools. – The State Board of Education shall 44
252+identify low-performing schools on an annual basis. Low-performing schools are those that earn 45
253+an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met 46
254+expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by G.S. 115C-83.15. 47
255+(a1) Plan for Improvement of Low-Performing Schools. – If a school has been identified 48
256+as low-performing as provided in this section and the school is not located in a local school 49
257+administrative unit identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C-105.39A, the following 50
258+actions shall be taken: 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
259+Page 6 DRH40290-NG-98
260+(1) The superintendent shall proceed under G.S. 115C-105.39. 1
261+(2) Within 30 days of the initial identification of a school as low-performing by 2
262+the State Board, the superintendent shall submit to the local board of education 3
263+a preliminary plan for improving both the school performance grade and 4
264+school growth score, grades, including how the superintendent and other 5
265+central office administrators will work with the school and monitor the 6
266+school's progress. 7
267+… 8
268+(b) Parental Notice of Low-Performing School Status. – Each school that the State Board 9
269+identifies as low-performing shall provide written notification to the parents and guardians of 10
270+students attending that school within 30 days of the identification that includes the following 11
271+information: 12
272+(1) A statement that the State Board of Education has found that the school has 13
273+earned an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a 14
274+school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" 15
275+and has been identified as a low-performing school as defined by 16
276+G.S. 115C-105.37. this section. The statement shall include an explanation of 17
277+the school performance grades and growth scores.achievement and growth 18
278+scores and grades. 19
279+(2) The school performance grade and growth score achievement and growth 20
280+scores and grades earned. 21
281+(3) Information about the preliminary plan developed under subsection (a1) of 22
282+this section and the availability of the final plan on the local school 23
283+administrative unit's Web site. 24
284+(4) The meeting date for when the preliminary plan will be considered by the local 25
285+board of education. 26
286+(5) A description of any additional steps the school is taking to improve student 27
287+performance." 28
288+SECTION 2.3. G.S. 115C-105.39A reads as rewritten: 29
289+"§ 115C-105.39A. Identification of low-performing local school administrative units. 30
290+(a) Identification of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Units. – The State 31
291+Board of Education shall identify low-performing local school administrative units on an annual 32
292+basis. A low-performing local school administrative unit is a unit in which the majority of the 33
293+schools in that unit that earned an overall school performance grade and school growth score 34
294+achievement and growth scores and grades as provided in G.S. 115C-83.15 have been identified 35
295+as low-performing schools, as provided in G.S. 115C-105.37. 36
296+(b) Plan for Improvement of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Units. – Once 37
297+a local school administrative unit has been identified as low-performing under this section, the 38
298+following actions shall be taken: 39
299+(1) The superintendent shall proceed under G.S. 115C-105.39. 40
300+(2) Within 30 days of the identification of a local school administrative unit as 41
301+low-performing by the State Board, the superintendent shall submit to the 42
302+local board of education a preliminary plan for improving both the school 43
303+performance grade and school growth score achievement and growth scores 44
304+and grades of each low-performing school in the unit, including how the 45
305+superintendent and other central office administrators will work with each 46
306+low-performing school and monitor the low-performing school's progress and 47
307+how current local school administrative unit policy should be changed to 48
308+improve student achievement throughout the local school administrative unit. 49
309+The plan shall also include specific strategies to improve early childhood 50
310+learning along with measurable goals. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
311+DRH40290-NG-98 Page 7
312+… 1
313+(c) Parental Notice of Low-Performing Local School Administrative Unit Status. – Each 2
314+local school administrative unit that the State Board identifies as low-performing shall provide 3
315+written notification to the parents and guardians of all students attending any school in the local 4
316+school administrative unit within 30 days of the identification that includes the following 5
317+information: 6
318+(1) A statement that the State Board of Education has found that a majority of the 7
319+schools in the local school administrative unit have earned an overall a school 8
320+performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met 9
321+expected growth" or "not met expected growth" and have been identified as 10
322+low-performing schools as defined by G.S. 115C-105.37. The statement shall 11
323+also include an explanation of the school performance grades and school 12
324+growth scores.achievement and growth scores and grades. 13
325+(2) The percentage of schools identified as low-performing. 14
326+(3) Information about the preliminary plan developed under subsection (b) of this 15
327+section and the availability of the final plan on the local school administrative 16
328+unit's Web site. 17
329+(4) The meeting date for when the preliminary plan will be considered by the local 18
330+board of education. 19
331+(5) A description of any additional steps the local school administrative unit and 20
332+schools are taking to improve student performance. 21
333+(6) For notifications sent to parents and guardians of students attending a school 22
334+that is identified as low-performing under G.S. 115C-105.37, a statement that 23
335+the State Board of Education has found that the school has earned an overall 24
336+a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a school growth score 25
337+of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" and has been 26
338+identified as a low-performing school as defined by G.S. 115C-105.37. This 27
339+notification also shall include the overall school performance grade and school 28
340+growth score the school achievement and growth scores and grades earned 29
341+and an explanation of the school performance grades and school growth 30
342+scores.achievement and growth scores and grades." 31
343+SECTION 2.4. G.S. 115C-218.65 reads as rewritten: 32
344+"§ 115C-218.65. North Carolina School Report Cards. 33
345+A charter school shall ensure that the report card issued for it by the State Board of Education 34
346+receives wide distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A charter 35
347+school shall ensure that the overall school performance score achievement and growth scores and 36
348+grade grades earned by the charter school for the current and previous four school years is are 37
349+prominently displayed on the school Web site. If a charter school earned an overall a school 38
350+performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the charter school shall provide notice of 39
351+the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 40
352+SECTION 2.5. G.S. 115C-218.94(a) reads as rewritten: 41
353+"(a) Identification of Low-Performing Charter Schools. – The State Board of Education 42
354+shall identify low-performing charter schools on an annual basis. Low-performing charter 43
355+schools are those that earn an overall a school performance achievement grade of D or F and a 44
356+school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by 45
357+G.S. 115C-83.15." 46
358+SECTION 2.6. G.S. 115C-238.66(11) reads as rewritten: 47
359+"(11) North Carolina School Report Cards. – A regional school shall ensure that the 48
360+report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 49
361+distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A regional 50
362+school shall ensure that the overall school performance score achievement and 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
363+Page 8 DRH40290-NG-98
364+growth scores and grade grades earned by the regional school for the current 1
365+and previous four school years is are prominently displayed on the school Web 2
366+site. If a regional school earned an overall a school performance achievement 3
367+or growth grade of D or F, the regional school shall provide notice of the grade 4
368+in writing to the parent or guardian of all students enrolled in that school." 5
369+SECTION 2.7. G.S. 116-239.8(b)(14) reads as rewritten: 6
370+"(14) North Carolina school report cards. – A laboratory school shall ensure that the 7
371+report card issued for it by the State Board of Education receives wide 8
372+distribution to the local press or is otherwise provided to the public. A 9
373+laboratory school shall ensure that the overall school performance score 10
374+achievement and growth scores and grade grades earned by the laboratory 11
375+school for the current and previous four school years is are prominently 12
376+displayed on the school Web site. If a laboratory school earned an overall a 13
377+school performance achievement or growth grade of D or F, the laboratory 14
378+school shall provide notice of the grade in writing to the parent or guardian of 15
379+all students enrolled in that school." 16
380+SECTION 2.8. G.S. 116-239.13(3) reads as rewritten: 17
381+"(3) Public school student achievement data, including school performance grades 18
382+and student achievement scores and student growth, achievement and growth 19
383+scores and grades at each laboratory school." 20
384+ 21
385+PART III. EFFECTIVE DATE AND APPLICABILITY CLAUSE 22
386+SECTION 3. This act becomes effective January 1, 2026, and applies to school 23
387+achievement grades, growth grades, and report cards issued based on data from the 2025-2026 24
388+school year. 25