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New Data Gives Glimpse Of Pandemic Impact On NC Students

Many North Carolina public school buildings are back open for in-person instruction. Remote learning is also still included as part of a hybrid model in several districts. KERI BROWN/WFDD

State education officials are expected to release new testing data on Wednesday. It will provide more information about how North Carolina's public school students are performing academically amid the pandemic.  

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, a majority of high school students didn't pass state end-of-course exams also known as EOCs in the fall.

More than 66% were not proficient in Math 1 compared to last school year. Lower scores were also reported in Math 3 and biology.

A brighter spot was the performance in English 2. The percentage of high school students not proficient in that subject was around 41%, only a slight decrease from the previous year.

As for younger students, a majority of third-graders scored at the lowest levels, and three-quarters aren't proficient in reading.

But state education officials say not all students have been tested and other factors need to be assessed before any conclusions can be drawn.

States are mandated to conduct the testing but were granted some flexibility by the federal government.  That includes extending the testing window.

In North Carolina, end-of-course and end-of-grade tests are allowed through July 5. Testing for third-grade reading is scheduled to close later this month.

Many school systems say they're also reviewing information they've collected on student performance and looking at several ways to help get kids who need it get caught up.

Last week, the statehouse passed a bill that requires school districts to offer in-person summer school for at-risk children who are struggling because of the pandemic. That measure now heads to the Senate.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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