Education

‘Server disruptions’ hinder end-of-grade testing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

CMS Superintendent Dr. Crystal Hill visits a classroom during the first day of school at Elizabeth Traditional School in Charlotte, N.C., on Monday, August 25, 2025.
The district has not yet said how many students were affected by disruptions that affected end-of-grade testing. Knikouyeh@charlotteobserver.com

Some CMS students could not finish end-of-grade state testing Thursday due to “platform and/or server disruptions,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools told teachers.

“All students were properly monitored, and test materials were secured in accordance with testing protocols,” the district said in an email to employees, which The Charlotte Observer obtained through a public records request. “Schools will share updated testing schedules directly with affected students and families once finalized.”

Affected students’ families would be notified Thursday afternoon, the message said.

Students in grades 3-8 are taking end-of-grade tests across the state this week, with the exception of some districts that began the school year earlier in the fall.

State testing has been administered primarily online since the 2017-18 school year. By the 2022-23 school year, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction required all end-of-grade testing to be administered online, except for students with a documented need for accessibility accommodations.

Each public school in the state is given a “school performance grade” on an A-F scale each year, and end-of-grade test results are the main component used to determine a school’s score.

NCDPI officials said Thursday’s testing problems were local, not statewide, WFAE reported.

CMS has not yet responded to questions about how many students were impacted by the disruptions and how testing schedules would be affected.

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Rebecca Noel
The Charlotte Observer
Rebecca Noel reports on education for The Charlotte Observer. She’s a native of Houston, Texas, and graduated from Rice University. She later received a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri. When she’s not reporting, she enjoys reading, running and frequenting coffee shops around Charlotte.
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