Equally important to high academic standards for our students is the selection of high quality, aligned tests to ensure accountability and high educational achievement. The North Carolina Chamber, through the Hire Standards, NC Coalition, has been working with business and education leaders across the state to bring consensus around tests that meet these requirements.

Friday, Karl Rectanus, senior education policy advisor for the NC Chamber Foundation, presented to the State Board of Education Task Force on Summative Assessments, outlining recommendations from the business community in the development of evaluating and selecting high-quality assessments. Ultimately, two of the most critical factors for comparing assessments are their alignment to standards and how well they measure students’ critical thinking.

Karl outlined several recommendations on assessments that are reflected in this chart. The recommendations are based on research with business, education and community leaders and experts over the past 18 months, including the Hire Standards, NC coalition members.

As part of the presentation, the NC Chamber and Hire Standards recommended a state-issued Request for Information (RFI) for testing vendors. An RFI in the early part of the coming fiscal year could incorporate recommendations from the task force and other policymakers. With North Carolina at a turning point on testing, now is the time to examine all possible options.

While there are multiple testing options available to North Carolina, there has not been a coordinated effort to thoroughly examine those options and we appreciate the Task Force’s focus on this effort. We look forward to continuing to work with the Task Force to fully align our summative tests with the state’s rigorous education standards.

Gary J. Salamido
Vice President, Government Affairs
North Carolina Chamber