§ 115C-174.12. Responsibilities of agencies.
§ 115C‑174.12. Responsibilities of agencies.
(a) The State Board ofEducation shall establish policies and guidelines necessary for minimizing thetime students spend taking tests administered through State and local testingprograms, for minimizing the frequency of field testing at any one school, andfor otherwise carrying out the provisions of this Article. These policies andguidelines shall include the following:
(1) Schools shall devoteno more than two days of instructional time per year to the taking of practicetests that do not have the primary purpose of assessing current studentlearning;
(2) Students in a schoolshall not be subject to field tests or national tests during the two‑weekperiod preceding the administration of end‑of‑grade tests, end‑of‑coursetests, or the school's regularly scheduled final exams; and
(3) No school shallparticipate in more than two field tests at any one grade level during a schoolyear unless that school volunteers, through a vote of its school improvementteam, to participate in an expanded number of field tests.
These policies shall reflectstandard testing practices to insure reliability and validity of the sampletesting. The results of the field tests shall be used in the final design ofeach test. The State Board of Education's policies regarding the testing ofchildren with disabilities shall (i) provide broad accommodations and alternatemethods of assessment that are consistent with a child's individualizededucation program and section 504 (29 U.S.C. § 794) plans, (ii) prohibit theuse of statewide tests as the sole determinant of decisions about a child'sgraduation or promotion, and (iii) provide parents with information about theStatewide Testing Program and options for students with disabilities. The StateBoard shall report its proposed policies and proposed changes in policies tothe Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to adoption.
The State Board of Educationmay appoint an Advisory Council on Testing to assist in carrying out its responsibilitiesunder this Article.
(b) The Superintendentof Public Instruction shall be responsible, under policies adopted by the StateBoard of Education, for the statewide administration of the testing programprovided by this Article.
(b1) The Superintendentshall notify local boards of education by October 1 of each year of any fieldtests that will be administered in their schools during the school year, theschools at which the field tests will be administered, and the specific fieldtests that will be administered at each school.
(c) Local boards ofeducation shall cooperate with the State Board of Education in implementing theprovisions of this Article, including the regulations and policies establishedby the State Board of Education. Local school administrative units shall usethe annual tests to fulfill the purposes set out in this Article. Local schooladministrative units are encouraged to continue to develop local testingprograms designed to diagnose student needs. (1977, c. 522, ss. 4‑6; c. 541, ss. 2, 5‑7;1981, c. 423, s. 1; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 1014, s. 74(a); 1995, c. 524,s. 4; 2001‑424, s. 28.17(f); 2002‑126, s. 7.30; 2002‑159, s.70; 2005‑276, s. 7.37; 2009‑451, s. 7.20(d).)