Nearly 85 Percent of Wake Students Perform at or Above Grade Level
Monday, July 17, 2000 - Overall, nearly 85 percent of students - the highest ever - in Wake County Public Schools are performing at or above grade level, based on results of the N.C. End-of-Grade (EOG) Tests for 1999-2000, according to Acting Superintendent Ray Massey. He and other school leaders released the scores this morning (July 17) at a news briefing.
Across grades three through eight, about 84 percent of Wake County students performed at or above grade level in reading, and about 86 percent in math. In addition, more than half of all students scored at the highest achievement level.
Wake Board of Education Chairman Bill Fletcher said, "This is great news concerning progress toward the board and community goal of having 95 percent of our students at grade level by 2003. That upward movement is continuing overall, but we still have more to do, especially for our high-needs students. We especially need the community's support to make sure all students are successful."
EOG test results are key to calculating each local school's overall performance in The ABCs of Public Education, a statewide school accountability program. Release of those results statewide is expected Aug. 3. On EOG tests, grade level is achievement level III or IV on a four-point scale.
Mr. Massey said the latest EOG results are cause for celebration. "It is incredible that a school system of this size and scope continues to produce these outstanding results. Every year, we're climbing closer toward academic excellence for all students."
When comparing results to the previous year in reading and math by grade level, there were increases in nine of the 12 reported areas. The highest increase was nearly three percentage points, and that was in third- and fifth-grade reading, and third-grade math. Elementary results are up in every category, while sixth grade had a decline in reading, and seventh grade had a decline in reading and math.
- Reading - Third-grade reading went up from 80.4 percent at or above grade level in 1999 to 83.1 percent in 2000; fourth grade, 80.8 up to 81.6; fifth grade, 84.8 up to 87.7; sixth grade, 80.7 down to 77.9; seventh grade, from 84.9 down slightly to 84.4; and eighth grade, 87.1 up to 88.7.
- Math - Third-grade math went up from 77.1 percent at or above grade level in 1999 to 80 percent in 2000; fourth grade, 88.1 up to 89.2; fifth-grade, 87 up to 88.9; sixth grade, 84.8 up to 85.3; seventh grade, from 87.3 down slightly to 86.8; and eighth grade, 83.8 up to 85.7.
Dr. Karen Banks, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, said that while any dip in scores is definitely a concern, the district is most concerned with progress over time versus one-time drops. Last year, all middle grade scores were up over the previous year, for example.
"We know that looking at how the same groups of students progress over time gives us a more realistic picture of how well we're doing. Using that measure, we're extremely pleased with these results," she said.
At Vandora Springs Elementary, for instance, students gained over 30 percentage points in math from when they were third-graders to now, as fifth-graders, to reach 85.5 percent at grade level. In reading, the gain was 21 percentage points over three years, and is now 82 percent of students at grade level. At Wiley Elementary, 94.5 percent of the fifth-graders are at grade level in reading, an increase of more than 20 percentage points since the time those students were third-graders. In math, 91.1 percent are at grade level, up more than 23 percentage points over the same time.
"Thanks to a number of strong initiatives, including the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), we have success stories like that to report all over the county," said Bill McNeal, associate superintendent for instructional services. ALP is a school system program that devotes more time, attention, and resources to those students who need extra help to reach grade-level performance.
"We've made it very clear," he said, "so that every staff member, every teacher, and every principal in every school knows that academic achievement for all students is the absolute expectation, from the school board, from the administrators, and from the community. It's an expectation that they have proudly embraced with enthusiasm, dedication, and creativity."
Board Chairman Fletcher added: "We are tightly focusing all our resources, and our decision making, from instruction to budget, on achieving the 2003 goal of 95% of students performing at grade level. These results show we are making strides."
"We recognize that these great results don't come without effort," added Acting Superintendent Massey. "We congratulate our students, teachers, staff, principals, and parents who work hard every day to make the most of the educational opportunities they have."