November 13, 2009 - The State Board of Education has provided high schools sample notification letters and has determined that school data systems can be used to identify students who have failed to meet the state’s competency and/or computer skills proficiency standards to provide them information about a change in state law.

To comply with Senate Bill 202/S.L. 2009-451, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) eliminated, effective July 1, 2009, the Competency Tests in Reading and Mathematics and the Computer Skills Tests and their alternate assessments.

Currently enrolled public school students who have not met proficiency on the North Carolina Reading and/or Mathematics Competency Test(s) and/or the North Carolina Computer Skills Test(s) and/or their alternate assessment(s), are no longer required to meet the competency and/or computer skills standards.

Students not enrolled in a public school who have met all state and local graduation requirements except for achieving proficiency on the North Carolina Reading and/or Mathematics Competency Test(s) and/or the North Carolina Computer Skills Test(s) and/or their alternate assessment(s), are no longer required to meet the competency or computer skills standards. These students may petition their former school for a diploma.

In order to receive a high school diploma, the eligible student’s school records and/or documentation must show that all state and local board requirements have been met. If these school records and/or documentation show that all board requirements have been met, then students may be granted diplomas.

Students’ petitions for diplomas that meet the requirements will be honored only during a five year window spanning July 1, 2009–July 1, 2014. NC DPI has provided a transcript note for these students with certificates to receive diplomas in the year that they petition.

While DPI plans to post notice of this change in a number of locations and with a number of groups, they have also provided school systems a sample student notification form.

Over the last three years, the school system awarded 23,000 diplomas and an estimated 240 certificates. Of these 240 students, only a few actually meet the requirements to petition the school system for a diploma under this change in state law. These students would be required to meet the credit requirements in place when they entered ninth grade. Over time, state credit requirements have increased from 16 to 20 units.

Students who believe they qualify to have their certificate converted to a diploma should contact the school where they completed their studies and received the certificate. DPI has determined this affects the students who have graduated since 1981. Students who have any documents showing they received a certificate after not completing the computer skills or competency tests should bring their documents to schools when seeking a diploma.