State ABCs:
Thursday, August 5, 1999Wake has 2 Most Improved Schools, 8 Schools of Excellence, 39 Schools of Distinction
Two schools in Wake County were among the 25 Most Improved K-8 Schools in the state, under the 1998-99 ABCs of Public Education, a state accountability program that examines student performance school-by-school . Wake County also had eight Schools of Excellence, and 39 Schools of Distinction, as well as 94 percent of its schools attain expected or exemplary growth. Results were reported statewide today (August 5). This marks the third year that ABCs results have been reported for grades 3-8, and the second year for high schools.
Adams Elementary and Kingswood Elementary were named among the state's 25 Most Improved, schools statewide that had the 25 highest values on the exemplary growth composite. They will receive a dated banner to hang in their school, a certificate, financial awards, and be invited to attend a banquet honoring academic excellence.
The state determined eight Wake County schools, almost eight percent, were Schools of Excellence: Davis Drive Elementary, Kingswood Elementary, Morrisville Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary, and Pleasant Union Elementary, all of which also were Schools of Excellence in 1997-98, as well as Davis Drive Middle, East Cary Middle, and West Lake Middle. These schools had at least 90 percent of their students perform at or above grade level and met expected growth. They will receive a banner to display and be invited to attend a banquet honoring academic excellence.
Wake County also had 39 schools, or 37 percent, named Schools of Distinction by the state, meaning at least 80 percent of their students performed at or above grade level. Close to half (45 percent) of Wake County's schools were named either Schools of Excellence or Schools of Distinction by the state.
Wake also had seven schools that did not reach expected growth and were therefore deemed "no recognition" - Bugg, Carver, Knightdale, Lead Mine, Rand Road, and Rolesville elementaries, and North Garner Middle. None of the local schools was deemed low-performing, the lowest category, and one that can trigger state-mandated assistance.
"We're pleased overall with the performance," said Dr. Jim Surratt, superintendent. "We know we have been putting the emphasis where it needs to be, and that's on improving student achievement and on the core subjects that everything else builds on. These results show the focus is paying off. Of course anytime you're not at 100 percent, you need to look to see where you can improve, and that's exactly what we'll be doing in the initial months of the 1999-2000 school year. We've developed our own Accelerated Learning Program aimed at providing extra help to every student not performing at grade level. The outcome of those efforts should be moving more students to where we know they need to be."
ABCs stands for accountability at the school level; focusing on the basics of reading, writing, and mathematics; and control at the local level.
The ABCs program for elementary and middle schools focuses primarily on the average growth shown by groups of students on End-of-Grade (EOG) reading and mathematics tests. Average test results for a group of students at the end of one year are compared to scores for those same students at the end of the prior year. The high school program primarily looks at performance levels on End-of-Course (EOC) tests in selected subjects.
These results come on the heels of the news that Wake County posted its highest performance ever on EOG tests, a key component in determining K-8 schools' ABCs status. EOG results are also the measure the Wake County Board of Education and the community are using for the current goal of having 95 percent of all Wake County students performing at or above grade level by 2003.
Surratt and Bill McNeal, associate superintendent for instructional services, both said credit for the good performance belongs with the principals, teachers, students, and staff, as well as parents who are supporting high achievement.
Dr. Karen Banks, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, noted that comparing 1998-99 results to the previous year showed real gains at both the middle school and high school levels. "The news," she said, "is that every one of our high schools met exemplary growth, the highest performance category. Next, all but two of our middle schools met exemplary growth. At the elementary level, the results differed. Compared to the previous year, fewer elementary schools achieved exemplary growth, while more achieved expected growth. We're not quite where we need to be yet, but we have every right to be pleased overall, knowing that we can still make improvements."
Wake County had 69 elementary schools in The ABCs program in 1998-99, 20 middle schools, and 13 high schools. Of those, 91 percent of elementary schools met either expected or exemplary growth (26 percent and 65 percent respectively), which compared to 97 percent last year; 95 percent of middle schools met expected or exemplary growth, (5 and 90 percent respectively), which is the same percentage as last year; and 100 percent of high schools met expected or exemplary growth. Actually 100 percent met exemplary, which compares last year to 50 percent exemplary, and 42 percent expected.
Overall School-By-School Performance
Elementary | Middle | High
Elementary Schools | |
| Adams Elementary | exemplary, School of Distinction, 25 Most Improved K-8 Schools |
| Apex Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Aversboro Elementary | expected |
| Baileywick Elementary | expected and School of Distinction |
| Baucom Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Brassfield Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Brentwood Elementary | exemplary |
| Briarcliff Elementary | expected |
| Brooks Elementary | expected |
| Bugg Elementary | no recognition |
| Carver Elementary | no recognition |
| Cary Elementary | exemplary |
| Combs Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Conn Elementary | expected |
| Creech Road Elementary | exemplary |
| Davis Drive Elementary | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| Douglas Elementary | exemplary |
| Durant Road Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Farmington Woods Elementary | exemplary |
| Fox Road Elementary | exemplary |
| Fuller Elementary | expected |
| Fuquay-Varina Elementary | expected |
| Green Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Hilburn Drive Elementary | expected and School of Distinction |
| Hodge Road Elementary | expected |
| Holly Springs Elementary | exemplary |
| Hunter Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Jeffreys Grove Elementary | exemplary |
| Jones Dairy Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Joyner Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Kingswood Elementary | exemplary, School of Excellence, 25 Most Improved K-8 Schools |
| Knightdale Elementary | no recognition |
| Lacy Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Lead Mine Elementary | no recognition |
| Leesville Road Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Lincoln Heights Elementary | exemplary |
| Lockhart Elementary | exemplary |
| Lynn Road Elementary | exemplary |
| Millbrook Elementary | expected |
| Morrisville Elementary | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| North Ridge Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Northwoods Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Oak Grove Elementary | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| Olds Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Olive Chapel Road Elementary | expected and School of Distinction |
| Penny Road Elementary | exemplary |
| Pleasant Union Elementary | expected and School of Excellence |
| Poe Elementary | expected |
| Powell Elementary | expected and School of Distinction |
| Rand Road Elementary | no recognition |
| Rolesville Elementary | no recognition |
| Root Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Smith Elementary | exemplary |
| Stough Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Swift Creek Elementary | expected |
| Timber Drive Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Underwood Elementary | expected |
| Vance Elementary | exemplary |
| Vandora Springs Elementary | exemplary |
| Wake Forest Elementary | expected |
| Washington Elementary | expected |
| Weatherstone Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Wendell Elementary | exemplary |
| West Lake Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Wilburn Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Wiley Elementary | exemplary |
| Willow Springs Elementary | exemplary |
| York Elementary | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Zebulon Elementary | exemplary |
Middle Schools | |
| Apex Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Carnage Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Carroll Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Daniels Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Davis Drive Middle | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| Durant Road Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| East Cary Middle | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| East Garner Middle | exemplary |
| East Millbrook Middle | exemplary |
| East Wake Middle | exemplary |
| Fuquay-Varina Middle | expected |
| Leesville Road Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Ligon Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Martin Middle | exemplary |
| North Garner Middle | no recognition |
| Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| West Cary Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| West Lake Middle | exemplary and School of Excellence |
| West Millbrook Middle | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Zebulon Middle | exemplary |
High Schools | |
| Apex High | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Athens Drive High | exemplary |
| Broughton High | exemplary |
| Cary High | exemplary |
| East Wake High | exemplary |
| Enloe High | exemplary |
| Fuquay-Varina High | exemplary |
| Garner High | exemplary |
| Leesville Road High | exemplary and School of Distinction |
| Millbrook High | exemplary |
| Sanderson High | exemplary |
| Southeast Raleigh | exemplary |
| Wake Forest-Rolesville High | exemplary |
For more information, contact the school's principal or testing coordinator. Or, call Stella Shelton, director of communications, 850-1908; or Karen Banks, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research 850-1863.