§ 115C-105.35. Annual performance goals.
Part 3. School‑BasedAccountability.
§ 115C‑105.35. Annualperformance goals.
(a) The School‑BasedManagement and Accountability Program shall (i) focus on student performance inthe basics of reading, mathematics, and communications skills in elementary andmiddle schools, (ii) focus on student performance in courses required forgraduation and on other measures required by the State Board in the highschools, and (iii) hold schools accountable for the educational growth of theirstudents. To those ends, the State Board shall design and implement anaccountability system that sets annual performance standards for each school inthe State in order to measure the growth in performance of the students in eachindividual school. During the 2004‑2005 school year and at least everyfive years thereafter, the State Board shall evaluate the accountability systemand, if necessary, modify the testing standards to assure the testing standardscontinue to reasonably reflect the level of performance necessary to be successfulat the next grade level or for more advanced study in the content area.
As part of this evaluation,the Board shall, where available, review the historical trend data on studentacademic performance on State tests. To the extent that the historical trenddata suggest that the current standards for student performance may not beappropriate, the State Board shall adjust the standards to assure that theycontinue to reflect the State's high expectations for student performance.
(b) For purposes of thisArticle, the State Board shall include a "closing the achievementgap" component in its measurement of educational growth in studentperformance for each school. The "closing the achievement gap"component shall measure and compare the performance of each subgroup in aschool's population to ensure that all subgroups as identified by the StateBoard are meeting State standards.
(c) The State Boardshall consider incorporating into the School‑Based Management andAccountability Program a character and civic education component which mayinclude a requirement for student councils. (1995 (Reg. Sess., 1996), c. 716, s. 3; 2001‑424,s. 28.30(a); 2003‑284, s. 7.40(c); 2004‑124, s. 7.12(a).)