Computer Skills Test

North Carolina students who failed a state mandated computer skills test now have a new avenue to get their high school diploma. School systems received word Wednesday that students who did not receive a high school diploma because they did not pass the computer test can petition for a diploma. Legislators voted last month to stop requiring a passing grade on the computer competency test because of budget cuts and concerns that the test had lost much of its relevance. June Atkinson said there needs to be a shift in how schools teach computer skills, moving toward integration into all curriculums, rather than separate course work.
Students have been tested on computer literacy in the eighth grade since 1996. In the 2007-08 school year, 82 percent of students tested proficient by the end of the eighth grade. Students who are still in school but failed the computer test in the eighth grade will not have to pass it to graduate. The state's decision does leave several big question marks for school systems. No Child Left Behind , the federal education act, requires school districts to verify students' computer literacy. Atkinson said state officials are working on that issue and will have a new system in place this school year.(J. Brian Ewing, THE NEWS & RECORD, 9/17/09).