Schools  |  Jobs  |  Parents  |  FAQs  |  Forms  |  Newcomers  |  Lunch Menus

WCPSS Home >> News >> 2010 Preliminary Testing Results

WCPSS Preliminary Test Scores Show Across-the-board Improvement

July 14, 2010 -- Preliminary North Carolina End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) test scores for 2009-10 show improvement in virtually every subgroup of students in the Wake County Public School System, and also show a closing of the achievement gaps between white, African-American, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students at several grade levels. Additionally, 85 percent of students taking EOC tests passed those exams.

"These improvements are a clear indication that our efforts since the 2007 Curriculum Management Audit of better alignment and focus of resources and efforts are paying important dividends," said Dr. Donna Hargens, interim superintendent and chief academic officer. "The teacher collaboration made possible by our Professional Learning Teams and their focus on data are showing results with these test score gains."

EOG Reading

In reading, every grade level (3-8) showed improvement in the percentage of students proficient. When broken down by subgroup, all groups except Limited English Proficient (LEP) students showed improvement, with the largest growth shown by American Indian, African-American, Hispanic, Students with Disabilities (SWD) and Economically Disadvantaged (FRL) students.

EOG Math

In math, four of the six grades tested showed improvement, with the greatest gains made by seventh- and eighth-grade students. Broken down by subgroup, the largest growth was shown by African-American, Hispanic, Students with Disabilities (SWD) and Economically Disadvantaged (FRL) students.

EOC Testing

Six of the eight End-of-Course tests show improvement over the previous year. When factoring retests, all eight subject areas showed gains. The five required core area tests also showed improvement. Most subgroups showed improvement over the previous year on initial testing and all groups except Limited English Proficient students showed improvement after re-testing compared to the previous year.

Data sources: 2008-09 from http://disag.ncpublicschools.org; 2009-10 from internal WCPSS databases (preliminary)

About EOG and EOC Tests

EOG tests are given to students in grades three through eight in reading and mathematics. Students in grades five and eight also take a science End-of-Grade test. End-of-Course tests are most usually given at the high school level for English I, Algebra I, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, Physical Science, Civics and Economics, and U.S. History.

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Preliminary test data for CTE testing can be broken down in several ways: by program area, by course and by school. In program area, most showed improvement. Of the 25 schools with CTE testing, 16 showed improvement, with East Wake High School of Arts, Education and Global Studies seeing the largest gain in proficiency at 8.2 percent. Sorted by course offering, total proficiency increased over the previous year. See linked charts for more detail.

Achievement Gaps

Achievement gaps, differences in proficiency between white, African-American, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students also showed across-the-board improvements. Among elementary students, achievement gaps narrowed for each group except for African-American students' mathematics, where the gap remained steady but did not increase. Gaps were reduced for all major groups in grades six through eight. Economically disadvantaged students reduced their achievement gap compared to non-economically disadvantaged students at every grade level of EOG testing between 2005-06 and 2008-09 with retesting.

"While we are pleased with these preliminary test results, we will continue to work hard to improve academic success for all students," Hargens said. "Our teachers are seeing terrific progress with our students, and I know we can build upon this success."