Everetts Elementary S.T.E.M. Academy

North Carolina General Statute §115C-83.7(a) states that the North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) “shall require that a student be retained in the third grade if the student fails to demonstrate reading proficiency appropriate for a third-grade student, as demonstrated on a State-approved standardized test of reading comprehension administered to third-grade students” (i.e., end-of-grade [EOG] test). “The test may be re-administered once prior to the end of the school year.” Students may, however, be exempt from mandatory retention in third grade for good cause by demonstrating reading proficiency appropriate for third-grade students on an alternative assessment approved by the SBE. The Read to Achieve Test is a valid and reliable standardized alternative assessment of reading comprehension that has been approved for good cause by the SBE. 

Students who score Achievement Level 3 or higher on the Read to Achieve Test demonstrate reading proficiency appropriate for third-grade students, which satisfies the requirements of the Read to Achieve legislation. 

The Goal of Read to Achieve (RTA) is to "ensure that every student reads at or above grade level by the end of third grade and continues to progress in reading proficiency so that he or she can read, comprehend, integrate, and apply complex texts needed for secondary education and career success.”