Education Commission of the States • 700 Broadway,
Suite 810 • Denver, CO 80203-3442 • 303.299.3600 • Fax: 303.296.8332 •
www.ecs.org

High School-Level Assessments: Include
End-of-Course Exams

Why does it
matter? States need to know whether students have met grade-level
standards.

Fourteen states currently administer one or more
end-of-course assessments. An additional 11 states and the District of
Columbia have plans to implement end-of-course exams during the 2007-2008
school year or later. 2006 Florida legislation directs the state to
study the costs of implementation.

All sources for all data points
are available through this link.

Last
updated: April 11, 2007

Please contact Jennifer Dounay at
303.299.3689 or [email-masked] with comments or questions about this
information.

Include end-of-course exams

Arkansas

Yes, Algebra I and Geometry. Biology I beginning
2007-2008 school year.

In addition, the state is a member of the
American Diploma Project (ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early
winter, beginning in May 2008.

District of Columbia

Yes
Notes/Citation: District is
developing end-of-course exams in Algebra I, geometry, English 9, English
10, biology and physics (or chemistry)

Florida

No. However, 2006 H.B. 7087 directs the state to "Study
the cost and student achievement impact of secondary end-of-course
assessments, including web-based and performance formats, and report to
the legislature prior to implementation."

Georgia

Yes
Notes/Citation: 9th Grade
Literature and Composition, American Literature and Composition, Algebra
I, Geometry, Biology, Physical Science, U.S. History,
Economics/Business/Free Enterprise

Indiana

Yes, English 11, Algebra I, Algebra II and Biology I are
operational. U.S. History is currently being piloted, and is expected to
be operational during the 2007-2008 school year. A student in a Core 40
class should take the related end-of-course assessment. The Core 40
curriculum will become Indiana's default high school curriculum effective
with the Class of 2011 (entering freshmen in fall 2007).

In
addition, the state is a member of the American Diploma Project (ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

Kentucky

Yes. 2006 H.B. 197 directs the department to coordinate
the development of end-of-course exams in Algebra I, Algebra II and
geometry, to be piloted no later than the 2007-2008 school year.

In addition, the
state is a member of the American Diploma Project
(ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

Louisiana

Yes. Tests are currently under development. The Algebra I
end-of-course assessment is scheduled to be piloted in spring 2007 and
implemented during the 2007-2008 school year. End-of-course exams in
English I, English II, Geometry, Biology, American History, Free
Enterprise and Civics are to be developed and phased in over a six-year
period starting in 2007.

Maryland

Yes, English II, Algebra/Data Analysis, Biology,
Government

In addition, the state is a member of the American
Diploma Project (ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

Massachusetts

Yes, Biology, Chemistry, Introductory Physics,
Technology/Engineering, U.S. History.

In addition, the state is a
member of a the American Diploma Project consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

Michigan

Yes. 2006 legislation requires end-of-course exams to be
developed as part of recently adopted high school graduation requirements.
By the 2008-2009 school year, exams are to be developed in Algebra I,
Geometry, Algebra II, Pre-Calculus, Data and Statistics, Earth Science,
Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Grade 9 English, Grade 10 English, Grade 11
English, Grade 12 English, World History, U.S. History, Economics, and
Civics.

An April 2007 department memo
notes that, on or around May 1, 2007, prototypes of the Algebra I and
geometry end-of-course assessments will be made available
to districts on request "to verify the rigor of their classes
or, in some cases, to use for purposes of student assessment."

Minnesota

Yes
Notes/Citation: Life
Sciences, beginning 2008

Mississippi

Yes
Notes/Citation: Algebra I,
Biology I, English II and U.S. History

Missouri

Yes. A February 2007 state board decision requires end-of-course exams to be developed in
Algebra I, English II and Biology. These exams are to be piloted the
2007-2008 school year and implemented in 2008-2009. The state also plans
to develop end-of-course assessments in English I, Algebra II, Geometry,
Integrated Mathematics II and III, Physical Science, Chemistry, Government
and American History by 2010.

New Jersey

Yes. An end-of-course biology assessment will first be
administered in spring 2008.

In addition, the state is a member of
the American Diploma Project (ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

New Mexico

No. Statute directs end-of-course exams to be aligned
with college placement exams, but these exams have not yet been developed,
as the definition of "aligned to college entrance" has not been
definitively determined. Once this definition has been clarified, the
department will begin development of these exams.

New York

Yes
Notes/Citation: Comprehensive
English, Mathematics A, Mathematics B, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science,
Living Environment, U.S. History and Government, Global History and
Geography, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Latin, Spanish

North Carolina

Yes
Notes/Citation: English I,
Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Physical
Science, U.S. History, Civics & Economics

Ohio

Yes. Ohio is a member of the American Diploma Project
(ADP) consortium of nine
states developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test
will be administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early
winter, beginning in May 2008.

Oklahoma

Yes
Notes/Citation: English II,
Algebra I, Biology I, U.S. History. Additonal end-of-instruction tests in
English III, Algebra II and Geometry are to be developed and field-tested
in 2006-2007 and implemented in 2007-2008.

Pennsylvania

Yes. Pennsylvania is a member of the American Diploma
Project (ADP) consortium of
nine states developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The
test will be administered each academic year in late spring and late
fall/early winter, beginning in May 2008.

Rhode Island

No statewide end-of-course exams administered at this
time. However, by May 2004, districts were required to identify at least
two proficiency-based measures that students would be required to meet in
addition to Carnegie units for local graduation requirements.
End-of-course exams are among the options districts could choose from.
(Other options include common tasks, portfolios, exhibitions and
capstone/senior projects.)

However, the state is a member of the
American Diploma Project (ADP) consortium of nine states
developing a common Algebra II end-of-course assessment. The test will be
administered each academic year in late spring and late fall/early winter,
beginning in May 2008.

South Carolina

Yes
Notes/Citation: English I,
Algebra I/Math for the Technologies 2, Physical Science, U.S. History and
Constitution. Pending department support from the General Assembly, a
revised biology end-of-course assessment will be piloted in spring 2008
and implemented in spring 2009.

Tennessee

Yes
Notes/Citation: English I,
English II, Algebra I, Algebra II (pilot in 2006-2007), Math Foundations
II, Geometry (pilot in 2006-2007), Biology I, Chemistry (pilot in
2006-2007), Physical Science, U.S. History

Texas

Yes
Notes/Citation: Algebra I;
Geometry and Biology (field-tested in 2006-2007 and to be implemented in
2007-2008); U.S. History, Physics, Chemistry (to be field-tested in
2007-2008 and implemented in 2008-2009)

Utah

Yes
Notes/Citation: English
Language Arts, Pre-Algebra, Elementary Algebra, Geometry, Applied Math I
& II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science. 2007 H.B. 155
directs an end-of-course exam in Intermediate Algebra to be
developed.

Virginia

Yes
Notes/Citation: English,
Writing, Algebra I & II, Geometry, Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry,
U.S. History, Virginia and U.S. History, World History, World Geography,
Civics & Economics

West Virginia

Yes. Algebra I, beginning in
2008-2009.

© 2008 by the Education Commission of
the States (ECS). All rights reserved. ECS is the only nationwide,
nonpartisan interstate compact devoted to education.

To request permission to excerpt part
of this publication, either in print or electronically, please fax a
request to the attention of the ECS Communications Department,
303.296.8332 or e-mail [email-masked].

Helping State Leaders Shape
Education Policy