In preparation for high school End of Course exams, Wayne County Public Schools is working to inform parents about what to expect.

“Because state EOC tests and state tests associated with Career & Technical Education were canceled in the Spring due to COVID-19 related school building closures, it is vital that families understand that EOCs will be administered this fall as scheduled,” states Dr. David Lewis, WCPS assistant superintendent for accountability. “In addition to letters going home from each school, this week families will receive a call from the district to help make them aware.

Last Spring, education leaders at the U.S. Department of Education and the North Carolina General Assembly granted a waiver from the tests for the 2019–20 school year. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education’s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, shared there will not be a waiver from testing for this school year.

To help ensure test security, all high school students enrolled in courses that require an EOC or CTE State Assessment will have to take these tests on campus. This includes students enrolled in the full virtual learning program. The scores from these tests are required by state law to count as 20% of a student’s overall grade in the course.

To help address concerns some families of full virtual students may have, the following health and safety requirements will be in place:

• Only students who must take state-required assessments will do so in-person; other teacher-made exams and end of term projects will be conducted remotely.
• Students who must test in person will be divided into small groups to provide for social distancing.
• All testing rooms will be cleaned and disinfected daily.

Families with questions about the EOCs are encouraged to contact their child’s school.