CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As the end of the semester nears, hundreds of North Carolina high school students are preparing to return to the classroom this week for the first time in months to take state-mandated end of course (EOC) tests.
But not all students are on-board with the testing decision.
Lake Norman High School Senior Jack Garner is one of many students across the state choosing not to take the in-person tests due to COVID-19 safety concerns.
“My elderly grandmother -- her health is at a huge risk if I go into school,” Garner said.
Based on the decision not to test, Garner says he will receive a zero on the exams accounting for 20% of his final grade. In addition to the health risk, Garner says he also has to worry about how the test exemption will negatively impact his 4.0 GPA.
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“I’m applying to a lot of colleges like Harvard, Chapman University and USC and that could affect me getting into those colleges,” Garner said.
Some North Carolina teachers have also expressed concern over the culture of standardized testing now amplified in the midst of a pandemic.
“You have to be at death’s door to get a medical exemption so this notion that these tests are more important than a child’s health and well-being even when we’re not in a pandemic is problematic,” CMS teacher and parent Jen Bourne said.
Bourne hopes to eventually see a statewide EOC policy change involving a no harm pass or fail scenario much like what state educators allowed in the spring as the pandemic first started.
“I would love to show our priorities continue to value the social-emotional component,” Bourne said.
Some school districts across the state have also given students the option to make up the final exams at a later date.