North Carolina House passes ban of standardized tests

Standardized tests are a requirement of all students in the public school system following the No Child Left Behind Act, which stipulates that all students must take at least one standardized exam in order to graduate.

However, the state of North Carolina is fighting back, as the state Senate approved a bill that would drop four standardized exams from high school curriculum, according to the Charlotte Observer. The exams are in the U.S. history, civics, physical science and algebra II subjects.

While some advocates of the bill argued that they shouldn't burden high schoolers with more tests than they already have to take throughout their academic careers, others say that it actually helps.

"Testing does help," Senator Josh Stein told the news provider. "It allows for accountability to ensure that students are learning. It helps to identify which schools are not serving our children well."

The Associated Press reports that part of the stipulation of the bill is that academic officials will come up with an alternative plan to evaluate student and teacher performance.