North Carolina Denied Charter School Test Recalculation
State officials will not adjust growth scores after changing how summer school retests are factored into performance grades.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Secondary Education
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North Carolina Superintendent Mo Green has declined to recalculate state test growth scores for schools affected by a recent methodology change. The Department of Public Instruction now excludes summer school retests from the growth index calculation, impacting scores for 23 schools across the state.
Why it matters
The change affects how schools are evaluated, with 13 charter schools and 15 Title I schools seeing a decline of eight or more points in their growth index. Superintendent Green maintained the model was applied correctly and stated that altering inputs for a specific group would necessitate a statewide review of the entire system.
Twenty-three schools saw index declines of at least eight points this year, including 13 charter schools and 15 Title I institutions. Specific schools noted include Henderson Collegiate, which saw a 13.73-point drop, and Sugar Creek Charter School.
The players
Mo Green
As the North Carolina Superintendent, he oversees the state's public instruction policies and final decisions on school grading models.
SAS Institute
The analytics firm provides the proprietary EVAAS formula used by the state to determine school growth and performance metrics.
Henderson Collegiate
A charter school located in Vance County that reported a 13.73-point decline in its growth index under the new methodology.
Sugar Creek Charter School
A Charlotte-based charter school whose 2025 growth index has been a focal point in discussions regarding the state's calculation changes.
The details
Schools across North Carolina rely on the proprietary SAS Institute EVAAS formula to generate a growth index for performance grading. The Department of Public Instruction updated this formula to exclude summer school retests, citing difficulties in accurately tracking which teachers should receive credit for that student growth. While end-of-year retests remain in the calculation, the removal of summer data has caused significant score drops for the affected campuses.
Timeline
September 2025: The Department of Public Instruction notified schools of the methodology change.
September 14, 2026: Charter school leaders met with state and SAS officials to discuss the index drops.
September 25, 2026: Superintendent Mo Green officially denied the request to recalculate the scores.
October 6, 2026: The Charter Schools Review Board met to discuss the testing issues.
The Home Front
The dispute centers on the integrity of the state’s performance grading system and the proprietary software used to calculate school growth. This represents a significant shift from previous years, as the number of schools seeing an eight-point drop has surged from just one in 2024 to 23 this year.
Families with students at charter or Title I schools should review their school's most recent performance report to understand how these index changes impact their institution's grading status. Parents concerned about how these scores affect school standing or property-linked educational resources may wish to contact their local school board for further clarity.
The takeaway
The recent changes to growth score calculations have created significant volatility in school performance reporting for 23 North Carolina schools. Parents can monitor the situation by tracking updates from the Charter Schools Review Board or reviewing official performance documentation on the school's website.
Further reading
Learn more about local academic standards in the Secondary Education section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Durham Herald Sun.
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Should state test score calculations include student progress made during summer remedial programs?
