Standardized Testing Required for Private Schools

Under North Carolina law, private schools are required to administer a nationally standardized test or other nationally standardized equivalent measurement to all students enrolled and regularly attending grades 3, 6, 9, and 11 each year.

For grades 3 and 6, the nationally standardized test or other equivalent measurement selected by the chief administrator must measure achievement in the areas of English grammar, reading, spelling and mathematics. For grade 9, the nationally standardized test or other equivalent measurement selected must measure either (a) achievement in the areas of English grammar, reading, spelling, and mathematics or (b) competencies in the verbal and quantitative areas. The grade 11 test must measure competencies in the verbal and quantitative areas. 

Keep Test Results on File

State law requires that the test results be kept on file at the school's office for one year after the testing date for inspection by the Division of Non-Public Education (DNPE).

NCSEAA Scholarships Require Testing, Reporting of Scores

Students receiving NCSEAA scholarships and grants must be tested every year and there may be requirements to report aggregate scores for your school. Only certain companies can provide aggregate scoring. For more information about scholarship requirements, please contact NCSEAA.

Examples of Nationally Standardized Tests

It is the responsibility of the private school to confirm that a test meets the state requirements. Examples of nationally standardized tests to consider include:

• iReady (Standards Mastery)
• NWEA MAP
• Renaissance Star
• California Achievement Test (CAT 6)
• CTP (ERB)
• Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)
• Stanford Achievement Test
• Terra Nova NEXT                                                                                                                

Additional High School Testing Requirements

The PSAT and Pre ACT meet the verbal and quantitative areas requirements for testing in grade 9. These tests may also be used for the 11th Grade Competency Test, according to G.S. 115C-550.

Students in the 11^th grade must be tested for competency in order to graduate. Each private school should establish a minimum score on an achievement test to be administered during or before 11th grade which ensures students possess the minimum skills required for high school graduation. The best educational practices typically mean that this score should be roughly equivalent to the National Percentile average score range for 8th/9th graders on a standardized achievement test. This score should be published to inform students and parents well before the year of graduation and included in the school’s annual report submitted to DNPE.

For more information on private school testing requirements in North Carolina, please see NC General Statute 115C-549, -550, -557 and –558.

Nationally Standardized Achievement Test Vendors

Listed below are some sources from which you may purchase nationally standardized achievement testing services.

This list is provided solely for your convenience in satisfying the North Carolina General Statutes' testing requirement for non-public school students. The information below (along with related links from it) does not constitute a recommendation or an endorsement by the Division of any one of these vendors or their other related services over any others not so listed.

Each vendor on this list has been providing standardized test services to the North Carolina non-public school community for more than five years.