North Carolina ELA Trends by Subgroup
ELA proficiency rates* for students in grades 3-8, by subgroup, between 2019-2026.
1. State Education Agencies (SEAs) did not administer assessments in Spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2. NC introduced a new ELA test in 2021 for grades 4-8, with grade 3 moving to it in 2022. Trends across assessments are included for reference only, as the tests have changed over time and are not directly comparable.
STATE NOTE. Results reflect the state standardized assessment administered to grades 3-8 only; for ELA this included the End-of-Grade (EOG) Edition 4 assessment (2019) and Edition 5 (2021-2026), with Grade 3 transitioning to Edition 5 in 2022. The change to the EOG Edition 5 in 2021 affects comparability over time, as the change reflects a new baseline; trends are included here for reference only. 2026 data accessed 9/2/26.
*PROFICIENCY. North Carolina currently reports 4 achievement levels: Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. Before the Edition 5 transitions, the state reported five levels (Levels 1-5); Levels 1 and 2 are now combined into Not Proficient. In this figure, we use the state's College-and-Career Ready (CCR) proficiency rate, which is defined as Achievement Levels 4 & 5 (top 2 levels); this is the narrower of the state's two rates and the one NCDPI leads with in its own reporting. Grade Level Proficiency (GLP), the state's broader rate, is defined as Achievement Level 3 and above and is also used in some reporting.
SUBGROUP NOTE. Student subgroups may be defined differently depending on the State Education Agency (SEA), and not all subgroups are available from all SEAs (some subgroups may not have available data across all years or select years). SWD= Students with disabilities.
DATE. This figure was published 9/3/26 by the Education Data Center (EDC).
Email [email protected] for questions.
STATE NOTE. Results reflect the state standardized assessment administered to grades 3-8 only; for ELA this included the End-of-Grade (EOG) Edition 4 assessment (2019) and Edition 5 (2021-2026), with Grade 3 transitioning to Edition 5 in 2022. The change to the EOG Edition 5 in 2021 affects comparability over time, as the change reflects a new baseline; trends are included here for reference only. 2026 data accessed 9/2/26.
*PROFICIENCY. North Carolina currently reports 4 achievement levels: Not Proficient, Level 3, Level 4, and Level 5. Before the Edition 5 transitions, the state reported five levels (Levels 1-5); Levels 1 and 2 are now combined into Not Proficient. In this figure, we use the state's College-and-Career Ready (CCR) proficiency rate, which is defined as Achievement Levels 4 & 5 (top 2 levels); this is the narrower of the state's two rates and the one NCDPI leads with in its own reporting. Grade Level Proficiency (GLP), the state's broader rate, is defined as Achievement Level 3 and above and is also used in some reporting.
SUBGROUP NOTE. Student subgroups may be defined differently depending on the State Education Agency (SEA), and not all subgroups are available from all SEAs (some subgroups may not have available data across all years or select years). SWD= Students with disabilities.
DATE. This figure was published 9/3/26 by the Education Data Center (EDC).
Email [email protected] for questions.