By Nicole Bowman-Layton

EDENTON — Edenton-Chowan Schools must develop a plan to reduce locally required student testing after exceeding state averages, but district leaders say they don’t want to eliminate assessments simply to hit a target — particularly after a year of significant academic gains.

The Edenton-Chowan Board of Education approved moving forward with a local testing reduction plan during its Sept. 15 meeting after administrators explained that the district’s two-year averages exceeded state averages for both the number of locally required tests and the amount of time students spend taking them.

North Carolina law requires school districts to review locally required standardized testing every two years. If a district’s two-year average exceeds the state average in either the number of tests or testing hours, the district generally must submit a plan to reduce local testing. The requirement applies to locally required assessments, not state-required testing. (NC DPI)

District administrators, however, believe at least some of Edenton-Chowan’s numbers may have been inflated by how testing was reported in previous years.

“I just think that we overreported for the last couple of years,” Federal Programs Director Sharon Meads told the board.

Finding tests that can go

Meads said administrators have been reviewing what the district reported as local testing and how much time was assigned to each assessment.

In some cases, the amount of time reported may have reflected the entire testing window provided by a school rather than the amount of time students actually needed to complete an assessment.

The district also found assessments on previous testing plans that may not have met the state’s definition of locally required standardized testing.

North Carolina’s reporting guidance distinguishes between testing initiated by individual classroom teachers as part of their instructional practice and assessments initiated by a school or district and administered school- or district-wide. (NC DPI)

Administrators are also looking for actual duplication — instances where students may be taking assessments close together that provide much of the same information.

The goal, Meads said, is to identify testing that is duplicative, too frequent or no longer necessary without eliminating assessments that provide useful information to teachers.

“We do not want to negatively impact our students’ progress by not having the data that supports that,” she said.

That distinction is particularly important to district officials after the academic gains reported for the 2025-26 school year.

District celebrates academic gains

Edenton-Chowan exited low-performing district status this year, while every school increased its school performance score.

Districtwide proficiency increased 4.5 percentage points, according to the presentation to the board, while the percentage of students considered college and career ready increased by approximately 3.5 points.

John A. Holmes High School moved from a school performance score of 67 and a C grade to a score of 70 and a B.

The school’s four-year cohort graduation rate reached 91.9%, which district officials described as a five-year high. Meads said the school also reached five-year highs in overall achievement and ACT performance.

Chowan Middle School recorded the district’s largest increase in its school performance score, moving from 50 to 54, and exceeded expected academic growth.

Reading in grades six through eight exceeded growth expectations, while math met expected growth. Seventh-grade proficiency increased 10.4 percentage points, and eighth-grade science proficiency reached 61.5%.

D.F. Walker Elementary increased overall testing proficiency by 6.2 percentage points, reaching 51.9%.

At White Oak Elementary, end-of-year DIBELS reading results showed 84% of kindergarten students, 74% of first-graders and 70% of second-graders were on track.

The district also reported improvement across multiple student groups.

Board Chairman George Lewis said the district’s increased focus on data has contributed to measurable changes in student performance, raising the question of how to reduce unnecessary testing without sacrificing information teachers use to make instructional decisions.

The board unanimously authorized the district to finalize and submit its testing reduction plan.

Board approves $32.2 million budget

In other action, the board unanimously approved a $32.2 million budget for the 2026-27 school year.

Finance Officer Sandy Pittman said the budget is about $3 million larger than the previous year’s spending plan.

The local current expense fund includes approximately $5.43 million from Chowan County, which Pittman said is level with the previous year.

The district plans to use approximately $812,774 from fund balance, although about $218,000 of that represents money carried forward for projects from the previous fiscal year.

The budget includes approximately $18 million in state public school funding based on an allotted average daily membership of 1,631.8 students.

Capital outlay totals approximately $3.49 million, including money carried forward for previous projects and nearly $500,000 in federal COPS grant funding.

The child nutrition budget was set at approximately $1.64 million, with the district budgeting for the program to break even this year rather than relying on a local subsidy to cover an anticipated operating deficit.

Construction work nears completion

The board also received an update on the remaining work associated with the district’s construction projects.

Most major construction is complete, with attention now shifting to punch-list items, corrections and follow-up work.

Installation of outfield netting at Hicks Field was among the remaining projects, while contractors were returning to address areas of the new tennis courts requiring additional sealant or correction. The district temporarily closed the tennis courts Sept. 16-18 for that work.

Landscaping also remains an issue, particularly in an area where mulch has been washing into the new parking lot near the baseball field.

Board member Ricky Browder suggested examining whether some type of barrier could provide a cost-effective solution rather than repeatedly replacing mulch after heavy rains.

Board members also raised concerns about cracks appearing in portions of new sidewalk and asked administrators to make sure those areas are inspected as the district works through its remaining construction items.

A walkthrough is planned in November to examine the wooden gym floor and determine responsibility for any remaining work.

With the bulk of construction completed, the district also discussed changing its arrangement with construction liaison Chris Brabble.

Rather than continuing the monthly arrangement used while construction was underway, the district is considering paying Brabble hourly as needed for remaining inspections, walkthroughs and other issues.

The change would allow the district to continue drawing on Brabble’s knowledge of the projects as the last construction issues are resolved without maintaining the same level of service required during active construction.

Board takes another look at policies

Board members also reviewed several district policies, including a recommendation involving Policy 6050, Minority Business Enterprise Participation in Construction Contracts.

Rather than immediately repealing the policy, board members raised questions about the implications of doing so and whether additional review was warranted.

The board ultimately tabled the matter to allow for further consideration through the district’s policy review process and consultation with legal counsel.

Members also raised questions about Policy 6442, involving vendor lists, and indicated that it should receive additional review.

The discussions were part of the board’s ongoing review of district policies and procedures rather than final action on those two matters.

Lastly, the Board of Education was also recognized with a Golden Bell Award for board member training.

The award recognizes boards whose members collectively meet training requirements through the North Carolina School Boards Association’s Academy for School Boardsmanship.

Board members posed for a photograph with the award during the meeting.

The recognition reflects training completed by board members in areas related to school board governance and their responsibilities as elected education officials.