Everything you need to prepare for North Carolina READY EOG and EOC assessments

It’s hard to believe that the NC READY End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) assessments are just a few months away! With such broad concerns as ensuring that your students know the grade- or course-specific material and are feeling confident they have the right mindset and testing strategies, we know that testing time can be extremely stressful for all involved. We’re hoping to help lighten the load (even if only a little bit) by curating all the best testing resources we could get our hands on.

Testing Materials from the NC Department of Public Instruction

Did you know that the NCDPI offers up a ton of resources free of charge? Well, if you didn’t, now you do! For your convenience, we have compiled the best ones for you here.

Testing Calendar, Two Ways (Excel or PDF)
Let’s start with the basics here. With the countdown officially on, get a sense of the testing windows, testing format, and time allotted.

Released Test Forms
Released forms for each subject and grade level are available here. Start familiarizing your students with the format they can expect on test day, and take a few questions for a spin.

Achievement Level Information
Preview how student achievement is defined for each assessment students will take, including cut scores and level ranges.

Administration Information
View the number of items and the administration time chart for each North Carolina READY assessment.

READY EOG Assessment Brief
This three-page overview from 2016 includes quick facts about each subject-specific assessment, with a clean breakdown of the types of items your 3rd–8th grade students can expect. 

NC Math 1 Exception Brief
One of the biggest changes to testing with the rollout of ESSA is the flexibility it affords 8th grade students who take Math 1 and, therefore, qualify for both EOG and EOC assessments. In an effort to prevent double-testing, students are required to take only one assessment.

Policies & Procedures
Have questions about testing security, managing materials, or providing testing accommodations? Get all your answers here.

Tips and Tricks for Success

It’s safe to say that testing means something a little different to everybody. For teachers and administrators, testing procedures and academic understanding come first. For parents and students, trying to calm those testing nerves might be priority number one. In any case, we’ve organized testing tips and tricks for the many different groups who have testing on the brain.

For District Administrators
Like it or not, we all know test scores matter a great deal. Prior to test day, review 8 Last-Minute Steps Districts Can Take to Improve Test Scores.

For Principals and Teachers
Testing often falls most heavily on building-level personnel. Check out our 10 Classroom and School Tips to Improve Test Scores.

For Parents
Send home a test-taking checklist for parents and students to review together, such that come test day, learners feel ready to do their best. Grab one for elementary or secondary students.

For Students
Supporting students through test season often means helping them manage the stress associated with this time of year. Dig into our 6 Tips for Teachers to Help Students Manage Stress.

Practice That Ensures Students Are Test READY

There is something unique about testing of any kind that requires students to recall information they’ve previously learned and apply it to answer the question at hand. If your students don’t have experience with this—whether it’s through low-stakes formative assessment or high-stakes summative tests—they may struggle on test day.

Fortunately, with sustained and regular practice, your students will grow familiar retrieving information and similarly be able to show you what they know by way of assessment so that you can adjust instruction up until test day. Check out the following resources to get started.

5 Proven Ways to Get the Most Out of Practice Testing
The old adage “practice makes perfect” is a familiar turn of phrase for a reason. Ensure that you’re getting the most out of every minute your students are spending on practice testing.

3 Ways Online Practice Can Support Your Test Prep Program
As you are considering different options to ensure that your students have achieved standards proficiency, it’s critical that you have a program that’s aligned to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (SCOS) standards. Consider this and other benefits of using an online program.

Start your FREE trial of Study Island
A recent study, validated by Marzano Research, confirms that when students spend just 30 minutes a week practicing in Study Island, they achieve significant academic gains. Check out the programs offered in North Carolina.