03/27/2024
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North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, Mark Johnson released a public letter this morning in reference to reducing testing in schools. Following is the letter.

Parents, Caretakers, and Educators –

Our work together over the past year has shown that we can put aside our differences in the best interests of our students and state. We are doing just that to reduce testing in our schools. The state and federal governments have heard us loud and clear on the need to stop over-testing our students.

In Raleigh, we secured the elimination of state-required end-of-year tests and the creation of a program that will reduce the number of local tests given.

In Washington D.C., we fought for and secured testing reforms that will reduce the burden on students and teachers (the federal government has only granted this waiver in a few states).

With this flexibility from the federal government, we are going to personalize, not standardize.

No two students are the same. Every student learns differently and at their own pace. Yet, the education system relies on standardized tests that are designed based on what the “average” student should know. We are designing a system in North Carolina that measures students’ abilities while they each learn at their own pace instead of with high-stakes testing.

Some of the ways we are transforming our education system so that it better supports students and educators are revolutionary, some are common sense. All of them require us to hold the education-industrial complex at least as accountable as we hold students and educators. We are doing just that, and the future is bright for North Carolina’s public schools.

Thank you for partnering with us on this important mission.

mj

Mark Johnson
NC Superintendent of Public Instruction
@MarkRJohnsonNC
NCsuperintendent.com 

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