GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH10349-NG-99
Short Title: School Performance Grade Changes. (Public)
Sponsors: Representative Biggs.
Referred to:
*DRH10349 -NG-99*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO MODIFY SCHOOL PERFORMANCE METRICS AND GRADES TO BETTER 2
REFLECT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE. 3
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 4
SECTION 1. Part 1B of Article 8 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes reads as 5
rewritten: 6
"Part 1B. School Performance. 7
"§ 115C-83.15. School achievement, growth, performance scores, and grades. 8
(a) School Scores and Grades. – The State Board of Education shall award school 9
achievement, growth, and performance scores and an associated performance grade as required 10
by G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., and calculated as provided in this section. 11
(b) Calculation of the School Achievement Score. – In calculating the overall school 12
achievement score earned by schools, the State Board of Education shall total the sum of points 13
earned by a school as follows: 14
(1) For schools serving any students in kindergarten through eighth fifth grade, 15
the State Board shall assign points on the following measures available for 16
that school: 17
a. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 18
on annual assessments for mathematics in grades three through eight. 19
five. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for 20
mathematics shall include any mathematics course with an 21
end-of-course test. 22
b. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 23
on annual assessments for for the reading assessment given in grades 24
three through eight.grade three. 25
c. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 26
on annual assessments for science in grades five and eight.grade five. 27
d. One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving 28
English language proficiency on annual assessments in grades three 29
through eight.five or scores at or above proficient on annual 30
assessments for English Language Arts in grades three through five. 31
For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for English 32
Language Arts shall include any English Language Arts course with 33
an end-of-course test. 34
(1a) For schools serving any students in sixth through eighth grade, the State Board 35
shall assign points on the following measures available for that school: 36
H.B. 773
Apr 3, 2025
HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 DRH10349-NG-99
a. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 1
on annual assessments for mathematics in grades six through eight. 2
For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for mathematics 3
shall include any mathematics course with an end-of-course test. 4
b. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 5
on annual assessments for science in grades six through eight. 6
c. One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving 7
English language proficiency on annual assessments in grades five 8
through eight. 9
d. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 10
on annual assessments for English Language Arts in grades six 11
through eight. For the purposes of this Part, an annual assessment for 12
English Language Arts shall include any English Language Arts 13
course with an end-of-course test. 14
e. One point for each percent of students in grade eight who complete a 15
high school level course. 16
(2) For schools serving any students in ninth through twelfth grade, the State 17
Board shall assign points on the following measures available for that school: 18
a. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 19
on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math I end-of-course test or, for 20
students who completed Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth 21
grade, another mathematics course with an end-of-course test. 22
b. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 23
on the English II end-of-course test. 24
c. One point for each percent of students who score at or above proficient 25
on the Biology end-of-course test. 26
d. One point for each percent of students who complete Algebra II or 27
Integrated Math III with a passing grade. 28
e. One point for each percent of students who either (i) achieve the 29
minimum score required for admission into a constituent institution of 30
The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test of 31
college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical 32
Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a 33
nationally normed test of workplace readiness.earn a passing score on 34
an advanced course exam, (ii) earn a passing grade in a dual enrollment 35
course, (iii) earn at least five credits through Career and College 36
Promise or any dual enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services 37
Qualification Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the 38
Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) earn an industry 39
credential. 40
f. Repealed by Session Laws 2019-142, s. 1, effective July 19, 2019, and 41
applicable to measures based on data from the 2018-2019 school year 42
and each school year thereafter. 43
g. One point for each percent of students who graduate within four years 44
of entering high school. 45
h. One point for each percent of students who progress in achieving 46
English language proficiency. 47
In calculating the overall school achievement score earned by schools, the State Board of 48
Education shall (i) use a composite approach to weigh the achievement elements based on the 49
number of students measured by any given achievement element give equal weight to each 50
achievement element listed in each subdivision of this subsection and (ii) proportionally adjust 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
DRH10349-NG-99 Page 3
the scale to account for the absence of a school achievement element for award of scores to a 1
school that does not have a measure of one of the school achievement elements annually assessed 2
for the grades taught at that school. The overall school achievement score shall be translated to a 3
100-point scale and used for school reporting purposes as provided in G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 4
115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 5
(c) Calculation of the School Growth Score. – Using the Education Value-Added 6
Assessment System (EVAAS), the State Board shall calculate the overall growth score earned 7
by schools. In calculating the total growth score earned by schools, the State Board of Education 8
shall weight student growth for schools serving students in grades one through five on the 9
achievement measures as provided in calculated under sub-subdivisions a. and d. of subdivision 10
(1) of subsection (b) of this section that have available growth values; provided that, section, for 11
schools serving students in grades six through eight on the achievement measures calculated 12
under sub-subdivisions a. and c. of subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section, and for 13
schools serving students in grades nine through 12, the growth score shall only include growth 14
values for 12 on the achievement measures calculated under sub-subdivisions a. and b. of 15
subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section. The growth score shall also include (i) the 16
percentage of students in the lowest twenty-five percent (25%) in English Language Arts, as 17
identified by prior year performance on an annual assessment, and (ii) the percentage of students 18
in the lowest twenty-five percent (25%) in mathematics, as identified by prior year performance 19
on an annual assessment. The numerical values used to determine whether a school has met, 20
exceeded, or has not met expected growth shall be translated to a 100-point scale and used for 21
school reporting purposes as provided in G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 22
116-239.8. 23
(d) Calculation of the Overall School Performance Scores and Grades. – The State Board 24
of Education shall calculate the overall school performance score by adding the school 25
achievement score, as provided in subsection (b) of this section, and the school growth score, as 26
determined using EVAAS as provided in subsection (c) of this section, earned by a school. The 27
school achievement score shall account for eighty percent (80%), and the school growth score 28
shall account for twenty percent (20%) of the total sum. achievement metrics from each 29
sub-subdivision in the respective subdivisions of subsection (b) of this section to the four growth 30
metrics listed in subsection (c) of this section, all in equal weight. For all schools, the total school 31
performance score shall be converted to a 100-point scale and used to determine an overall school 32
performance grade. The overall school performance grade shall be based on the following scale 33
and shall not be modified to add any other designation related to other performance measures, 34
such as a "plus" or "minus": 35
(1) A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 85 62 is 36
equivalent to an overall school performance grade of A. 37
(1a) For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six 38
or higher, a school performance score of at least 64 is equivalent to an overall 39
school performance grade of A. 40
(2) A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 70 54 is 41
equivalent to an overall school performance grade of B. 42
(2a) For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six 43
or higher, a school performance score of at least 57 is equivalent to an overall 44
school performance grade of B. 45
(3) A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 55 41 is 46
equivalent to an overall school performance grade of C. 47
(3a) For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six 48
or higher, a school performance score of at least 44 is equivalent to an overall 49
school performance grade of C. 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 4 DRH10349-NG-99
(4) A For elementary schools, a school performance score of at least 40 32 is 1
equivalent to an overall school performance grade of D. 2
(4a) For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six 3
or higher, a school performance score of at least 34 is equivalent to an overall 4
school performance grade of D. 5
(5) A For elementary schools, a school performance score of less than 40 32 is 6
equivalent to an overall school performance grade of F. 7
(5a) For middle schools, high schools, and schools serving any student in grade six 8
or higher, a school performance score of less than 34 is equivalent to an overall 9
school performance grade of F. 10
(d1) Establishment of Subgroups of Students. – The State Board shall establish the 11
minimum number of students in a subgroup served by a school that is necessary to disaggregate 12
information on student performance and to determine a subgroup performance score and grade 13
for the following subgroups of students: 14
(1) Economically disadvantaged students. 15
(2) Students from major racial and ethnic groups. 16
(3) Children with disabilities. 17
(4) English learners. 18
(d2) Calculation of the School Performance Scores and Grades for Certain Subgroups of 19
Students Served by a School. – In addition to the overall school performance scores and grades 20
awarded under this section, for each school that serves a minimum number of students in a 21
subgroup of students listed in subsection (d1) of this section, the State Board of Education shall 22
calculate school performance scores and shall determine a corresponding school performance 23
grade for each subgroup using the same method as set forth in subsection (d) of this section. 24
School performance scores for subgroups of students shall not be included in the calculation of 25
the overall school performance scores and grades under subsection (d) of this section. 26
(d3) Report of Subgroup Performance Scores and Grades. – The subgroup performance 27
scores and grades shall be reported separately on the annual school report card provided under 28
G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 in a way that provides the 29
following information: 30
(1) For the current year and the previous two years, the achievement score for 31
each subgroup of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section for the 32
school. 33
(2) The statewide average achievement score for each subgroup defined in 34
subsection (d1) of this section. 35
(3) The difference between the achievement score for all students in the school 36
and the achievement score for each subgroup that meets the minimum number 37
of students defined in subsection (d1) of this section. 38
(4) Based on the information reported in subdivision (3) of this subsection, the 39
State Board shall determine and identify schools that are closing achievement 40
gaps, experiencing a widening of gaps, or seeing no significant gap changes. 41
(e) Elementary and Middle School Reading and Math Achievement Scores. – For schools 42
serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the school achievement scores in reading 43
and mathematics, respectively, shall be reported separately on the annual school report card 44
provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 45
(e1) Career and College Readiness Scores. – For schools serving any students in ninth 46
through twelfth grade, the percentage of students who either (i) achieve the minimum score 47
required for admission into a constituent institution of The University of North Carolina on a 48
nationally normed test of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical Education 49
courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels on a nationally normed test of workplace 50
readiness who either (i) earn a passing score on an advanced course exam, (ii) earn a passing 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
DRH10349-NG-99 Page 5
grade in a dual enrollment course, (iii) earn at least five credits through Career and College 1
Promise or any dual enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services Qualification Test score 2
that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) 3
earn an industry credential shall be reported on the annual school report card provided under 4
G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 5
(f) Indication of Growth. – In addition to awarding the overall school scores for 6
achievement, growth, and performance and the performance grade, using EVAAS, the State 7
Board shall designate that a school has met, exceeded, or has not met expected growth. The 8
designation of student growth shall be clearly displayed in the annual school report card provided 9
under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 115C-238.66, and 116-239.8. 10
(g) Access to Annual Report Card Information on the Department's Web Site. Website. 11
– Beginning with data collected in the 2017-2018 school year, the State Board of Education shall 12
provide user-friendly access to the public on the annual report cards issued for local school 13
administrative units and individual schools provided under G.S. 115C-12(9)c1., 115C-218.65, 14
115C-238.66, and 116-239.8 through the Department of Public Instruction's Web site. website. 15
The annual report card shall be designed and organized to display the following information more 16
prominently than any other information: 17
(1) A summary for each local school administrative unit and for each individual 18
school of the school performance grades, whether the school has met, 19
exceeded, or has not met expected growth, and any other information required 20
to be provided as part of the annual report card. 21
(2) The percentage of schools receiving an overall school performance letter 22
grade of A, B, C, D, or F earned by each school located within a local school 23
administrative unit and statewide. 24
(3) The number of schools that have met, exceeded, or have not met expected 25
growth by each school located within a local school administrative unit and 26
statewide. 27
(4) A Web page website for each individual school that prominently displays the 28
school's performance grades, whether the school has met, exceeded, or has not 29
met expected growth, and the school's performance and growth scores in a 30
way that is easy for the user to read. 31
(5) The ability to easily compare annual report card information, including school 32
performance grades and whether schools have met, exceeded, or have not met 33
expected growth, for local school administrative units and for individual 34
schools for a time span of at least three years. 35
"§ 115C-83.16. School performance indicators for the purpose of compliance with federal 36
law. 37
(a) The State Board of Education shall use the school performance scores and grades as 38
calculated under G.S. 115C-83.15 to satisfy the federal requirement under the Elementary and 39
Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), P.L. 40
114-95, to meaningfully differentiate the performance of schools on an annual basis. For the 41
purpose of compliance with federal law, the indicators shall be defined as follows: 42
(1) For schools serving any students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the 43
State Board shall define the indicators as follows: 44
a. Academic indicators. – 45
1. The academic achievement indicator shall include the 46
following measures: 47
I. Proficiency on annual assessments for mathematics in 48
grades three through eight. 49
II. Proficiency on annual assessments for reading in 50
grades three through eight. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 6 DRH10349-NG-99
2. The other academic indicator shall include the following 1
measures: 2
I. Proficiency on annual assessments for science in grade 3
five. 4
II. Proficiency on annual assessments for science in grade 5
eight. 6
3. The English language proficiency indicator shall be the 7
percentage of students who progress in achieving English 8
language proficiency on annual assessments in grades three 9
through eight. 10
b. School quality and student success indicator. – The measure of school 11
quality and student success shall be the growth score earned by 12
schools. 13
(2) For schools serving any students in ninth through twelfth grade, the State 14
Board shall define the indicators as follows: 15
a. Academic indicators. – 16
1. The academic achievement indicator shall include the 17
following measures: 18
I. Proficiency on either the Algebra I or Integrated Math 19
I end-of-course test or, for students who completed 20
Algebra I or Integrated Math I before ninth grade, 21
another mathematics course with an end-of-course test. 22
II. Proficiency on the English II end-of-course test. 23
III. The growth score earned by schools. 24
2. Repealed by Session Laws 2017-206, s. 1(b), effective August 25
30, 2017, and applicable beginning with the 2017-2018 school 26
year. 27
3. The graduation rate indicator shall be the percentage of 28
students who graduate within four years of entering high 29
school. 30
4. The English language proficiency indicator shall be the 31
percentage of students who progress in achieving English 32
language proficiency. 33
b. School quality and student success indicator. – The school quality and 34
student success indicator shall be made up of the following measures: 35
1. Proficiency on the Biology end-of-course test. 36
2. The percentage of students who complete Algebra II or 37
Integrated Math III with a passing grade. 38
3. The percentage of students who either (i) achieve the minimum 39
score required for admission into a constituent institution of 40
The University of North Carolina on a nationally normed test 41
of college readiness or (ii) are enrolled in Career and Technical 42
Education courses and score at Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels 43
on a nationally normed test of workplace readiness.who either 44
(i) earn a passing score on an advanced course exam, (ii) earn 45
a passing grade in a dual enrollment course, (iii) earn at least 46
five credits through Career and College Promise or any dual 47
enrollment program, (iv) earn an Armed Services Qualification 48
Test score that falls within Category II or higher on the Armed 49
Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or (v) earn an industry 50
credential. 51 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
DRH10349-NG-99 Page 7
4. Repealed by Session Laws 2019-142, s. 2, effective July 19, 1
2019, and applicable to measures based on data from the 2
2018-2019 school year and each school year thereafter. 3
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this section and only for the purpose of conforming 4
with ESSA, the State Board may label measures as indicators different from those described in 5
subsection (a) of this section; provided that each measure shall be calculated in accordance with 6
the requirements of G.S. 115C-83.15. 7
"§ 115C-83.17. Definitions. 8
The following definitions apply in this Part: 9
(1) Achievement score. – A numerical score on a scale of zero to 100 that is based 10
on the sum of points earned by a school or by a subgroup of students pursuant 11
to G.S. 115C-83.15. 12
(1a) Advanced course exam. – An examination given at the conclusion of an 13
associated Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Advanced 14
International Certificate of Education course. 15
(2) Growth score. – A numerical score measuring student growth calculated for a 16
school or for a subgroup of students pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15. 17
(3) Overall school performance grade. – The letter grade earned by a school for 18
all students served by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d). 19
(4) Overall school performance score. – The numerical score earned by a school 20
that is calculated by adding the school achievement score and the school 21
growth score earned by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d). 22
(5) Subgroup performance grade. – The letter grade earned by a school for a 23
subgroup of students served by the school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2). 24
(6) Subgroup performance score. – The numerical score earned by a school that 25
is calculated by adding the subgroup achievement score and the subgroup 26
growth score earned by a school pursuant to G.S. 115C-83.15(d2)." 27
SECTION 2. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to school 28
performance grades and metrics based on data from the 2025-2026 school year. 29