NC Education Code · Regulation
Title 16 — root / Chapter 06 — 16 NCAC 06D .0311
Plain English summary
This rule establishes a comprehensive Testing Code of Ethics applicable to all public school unit employees and agents involved in the Annual Testing Program. It outlines specific responsibilities for PSUs, principals, test coordinators, test administrators, proctors, and teachers regarding test security, material handling, accommodation provision, scoring, and data confidentiality. Violations may result in sanctions including withholding monetary awards, civil action, criminal prosecution, or professional license suspension or revocation.
Key requirements
- The PSU shall develop local policies and procedures to ensure maximum test security in coordination with the policies and procedures developed by the test publisher.
- The PSU shall require all testing coordinators, school test coordinators, test administrators and proctors to be trained as required in Rule .0308 of this Section.
- The PSU shall designate the personnel who are authorized to have access to secure test materials.
- Persons who have access to secure test materials shall not use those materials for any purpose other than test administration.
- No person shall copy, reproduce, or paraphrase the test materials without the express written consent of the test publisher.
- The principal shall store test materials in a locked facility to which only the principal has access.
- When PSU personnel discover loss of materials, failure to account for materials, or any evidence of unauthorized access to the materials, they shall report the discovery without delay to the principal, school test coordinator, school system (LEA) test coordinator, or charter school director.
- PSUs shall ensure that test coordinators plan and implement training for school test coordinators, test administrators, and proctors.
- PSUs shall ensure that test coordinators ensure test accommodations to students entitled to testing accommodations as defined in 16 NCAC 06G .0315 are documented and provided.
- The principal or the principal's designee shall serve as school test coordinator.
- Before each test administration, the school test coordinator shall count and distribute test materials.
- After each test administration, the school test coordinator shall without delay collect, count, and return all test materials to the locked storage facility.
- Educators shall use test scores as one piece of information to be interpreted together with other scores and indicators when determining a student's grade.
- PSU personnel shall not publicize test scores or any written material containing personally identifiable information from the student's educational records except as permitted under the provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. 1232g and regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
- Unethical testing practices include encouraging students to be absent the day of testing.
- Unethical testing practices include changing student responses at any time.
- Unethical testing practices include failing to provide required accommodations during testing to students entitled to testing accommodations as defined in 16 NCAC 06G .0315.
- Unethical testing practices include using a single test score to place a student in a grade or a course.
- In the event of a violation of this Rule, the State Board of Education may suspend or revoke the professional license of the person or persons responsible for the violation in accordance with the provisions of 16 NCAC 06C .0312.
Affected parties
- public school unit (PSU) employees
- PSU agents
- principals
- school test coordinators
- LEA test coordinators
- test administrators
- proctors
- teachers
- students
- local boards of education
- charter school directors