State ABCs Released; Wake Schools Post Excellent Results
An unprecedented number of Wake County schools have earned the state's highest honors for growth in student achievement. Six Wake County schools have been recognized for performance in the North Carolina ABCs of Public Education released today.
Millbrook and Green Hope High have been named as two of North Carolina's Top 10 Most Improved High Schools. Brassfield, Brooks, Leesville, and Middle Creek Elementary have been named as four of the state's Top 25 Most Improved K-8 Schools.
That was not the only good news for Wake County in the annual ABCs release, delayed by two months because of changes in the End of Grade math tests. Thirty WCPSS schools -- 25 percent--have been named Schools of Excellence, meaning that 90% of students scored at or above grade level. Fifty-three -- 44 percent-- Wake schools are Schools of Distinction, where 80-90 percent of students scored at or above grade level. Sixty-nine (58%) Wake schools met standards for exemplary growth in achievement, and 39 (32%) schools met expected growth. Twelve schools (10%) did not meet expected growth. No Wake schools scored in the lowest designation, called "priority."
Superintendent Bill McNeal praised the hard work and keen focus of teachers, principals, and all those who support classroom learning: "There's no question that the school community's united emphasis on achieving Goal 2003 is a powerful force in student success, moving more schools into top categories such as Schools of Excellence and Schools of Distinction.
The ABCs of Public Education is North Carolina's five-year-old accountability program which is designed to improve student achievement, reward excellence, and provide assistance to schools that need extra help. The program measures student achievement by creating a weighted formula. At the elementary level, the formula takes into account scores on reading, writing, and mathematics. At the middle school level, the 8th grade Computer Skills Test results are also included. And at the high school level, the ABCs results are based on the performance of the same students over time in 10 core End-Of-Course tests Algebra I; Algebra II; English I; Biology; Chemistry; Geometry; Physical Science; Physics; Economic, Legal, and Political Systems; and US History. The high school formula was modified this year, and as a result, is more rigorous than in years past.
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A History of Achievement |
The figures also tell a story of extraordinary accomplishment in some schools, according to Dr. Karen Banks, Wake's assistant superintendent for evaluation and research.
"Schools that earn high marks in the ABCs and also have high percentages of challenged students are to be especially commended," said Dr. Banks. These are schools where a high proportion of students may be economically disadvantaged. Examples include Creech Road, Bugg, Vandora Springs, and Willow Springs Elementary, as well as several others.
Superintendent McNeal credits several Wake initiatives for contributing to the high marks: the system's comprehensive promotion, retention, and intervention policy; professional development for teachers and principals; Wake's unique emphasis on early literacy; and the system's ongoing approach to extended learning time for students who are lagging behind.
For some challenged schools to boost performance, Wake has instituted Project Achieve, a new initiative that uses innovative instructional and testing practices to focus on key subject areas and provide ongoing assessment of each student's progress.
McNeal points out that of the 12 Wake schools that did not meet expected growth, six earned recognition as Schools of Distinction. This means that the schools were still performing very well, even though the growth in performance did not meet the state's criteria.
"These are schools that have made significant gains in the past, so, yes, it is very difficult to keep raising the bar," McNeal said. "While the challenge is to build upon each year's success, these teachers and students should still be very proud of what they have accomplished. "
Certified staff in schools earning exemplary growth status will earn an incentive award of $1500 and $500 for teacher assistants. For schools making expected growth, the awards are $750 for certified staff and $375 for teacher assistants.