School Connection
Mid-year review
December 20, 2002
2003 Goal: By 2003, 95 percent of students tested will be
at or above grade level as measured by NC End-of-Grade testing
at grades 3 and 8.
Here is a listing of the major events of 2002-2003 school
year:
Wake Posts Excellent Results On 2002 ABCs Of Public Education:
Wake County Schools had its highest number of Schools of Excellence,
and one Wake elementary school earned the state's highest
honors for growth in student achievement, according to the
results of the 2001-2002 ABCs of Public Education. Wake County
had 52 Schools of Excellence. These schools had at least 90
percent of their students perform at or above grade level
and met expected or high growth. Wake County had 37 Schools
of Distinction. These schools had at least 80 percent of their
students perform at or above grade level and met expected
growth. Wake had 67 schools achieving high growth, 37 achieving
expected growth, and 16 schools not meeting expected growth.
None were low performing.
Cary Elementary Honored: State officials named Cary
Elementary one of the state's 25 Most Improved K-8 Schools.
Cary Elementary met the ABCs program's high growth standards
and was named a School of Distinction. The school had a performance
composite score of 86.4 this year, compared with 77.7 last
year. Administrators at the school asked to be part of Project
Achieve, an instructional program piloted at eight schools
last year.
Nearly 90 Percent of Wake Students Score At-or-Above Grade
Level on State End-of-Grade Tests: Wake County students
continued to improve their results on the N.C. End of Grade
(EOG) tests with the highest number of students scoring at
or above grade level ever achieved locally. In reading, the
percentage of students who scored Levels III or IV rose from
86 percent in 2001 to 88 percent in 2002, and the achievement
gap narrowed as the percentage for African American students
rose from 67 percent to 72 percent, and the percentage for
Latino students rose from 72 to 74 percent. The percentage
for white students rose from 94 to 95 percent. In math, the
percentage of Wake students who scored at Levels III or IV
rose from 89 percent in 2001 to 91 percent in 2002, and the
achievement gap narrowed as the percentage for African American
students rose from 71 to 77 percent, and the percentage for
Latino students rose from 79 to 83 percent. The percentage
for white students rose from 96 to 97.
Wake 2001-2002 SAT Scores Highest Ever: SAT scores
for last year's Wake seniors were the highest ever achieved
in the Wake County Public School System. The average SAT score
for Wake seniors in 2001-2002 was 1067, a 13-point gain from
2000-2001, and a six-point gain from the previous high score
of 1061 achieved in 1999-2000. The average national score
was 1020 and average North Carolina score was 998. Participation
of the 2002 Wake senior class was 79 percent, far above the
North Carolina rate of 67 percent and national rate of 46
percent.
Wake County Students Meet Career And Technical Education
Achievement Goal: A record 60.7 percent of WCPSS students
earned high marks in their Career and Technical Education
classes in the 2001-2002 school year, breaking the department's
goal of 59.4 percent passing by 2003. Wake County students
outscored their peers in North Carolina's other large school
districts: Durham, Forsyth, Guilford and Mecklenburg counties.
State Board of Education Honors Cary High: The State
Board of Education honored Cary High September 12, 2002 for
earning the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon School
of Excellence award. State Board of Education Chair Phil Kirk
presented Cary High Principal Dave Coley with a plaque commending
the school for obtaining national recognition for educational
excellence.
Marge Ronco Named 2002 Principal of the Year; Moore Picked
as Assistant Principal of the Year: The principal of one
of Wake's newest schools has earned the district's top administrative
honor, Principal of the Year. Ballentine Elementary's Marge
Ronco was named Principal of the Year in a ceremony at the
Exploris Museum's IMAX theatre. Wake County also named its
top assistant principal, Robin Moore of Wake Forest-Rolesville
High.
141 Wake Teachers Earn National Board Certification in
2002: 141 teachers from the Wake County Public School
System earned certification from the National Board of Professional
Teaching Standards this year - the largest number of WCPSS
teachers to earn the honor in the program's eight-year history.
Wake Business Leaders Earn Governor's Award: Wake
County's Business Education Leadership Council (BELC) was
recognized with the Governor's Business Partner Award today
at the statewide Meet in the Middle Conference. The public/private
partnership was noted as an innovative practice for large
school districts. BELC is a leadership team that is made up
of business leaders and school system staff. It guides the
development and work of 34 school-based business alliances.
Alliance membership is 484. 2001-2002 school year results
show that over 10,000 Wake County students were impacted by
business alliance activities such as job shadow days or career
fairs.
Board of Education Names Healthy Schools Task Force Members:
The Wake County Board of Education named 28 members to a Healthy
Schools Task Force December 3, 2002, to examine a variety
of educational issues that will impact the future of public
education in Wake County. Board chair Kathryn Watson Quigg
said Dick Daugherty and Dudley Flood have agreed to co-chair
the task force.
Successful School Opening: WCPSS began the new school
year with a student population of 104,373 students, nearly
3,000 new students. Three new schools opened: Ballentine Elementary
School, Moore Square Middle School, and Middle Creek High
School. A fourth new facility, Heritage Elementary opens in
January. Four schools are in swing space sites as their schools
are renovated, including Apex, Cary and Underwood elementary
schools, as well as Fuquay-Varina Middle School. In January,
Wake Forest Elementary will move to a swing site so its campus
can be renovated, too.
School Year Starts With Revised Dress Codes: There were new standards for student and teacher dress, as Wake County Schools students returned for the start of a new school year.
WCPSS Begins Threat Management Training: Working to improve school safety and help troubled children, the Wake County Public School System has begun training school principals and working with community agencies to establish a 'Threat Management by Assessment and Counseling' program.
New Internet Service will Help WCPSS Improve Communication
with Non-English Speaking Parents: Wake County Public
School System employees have been trained to use a new language
service available on the Internet that will help school employees
be more welcoming to non-English speaking parents.
Finance Report: School System Finances Are Well Managed:
There were high marks for the financial management team of
the Wake County Public School System in the latest Comprehensive
Annual Financial Report presented to the Board of Education
at its Nov. 18 meeting. The Greensboro accounting firm of
McGradey and Pullen are the school system's independent auditors.
Their report on the schedule of federal and state financial
assistance, internal control structure, and compliance matters
indicates that the schedule of expenditures of federal and
state funds is presented fairly and that no material weaknesses
exist in the school system's internal control structure or
its operation.
Wake Board Of Education Approves Self-Insurance Program For Worker's Compensation: Wake school administrators have found a business solution for workers' compensation and safety issues that will benefit employees and reduce school system costs. "We're looking for ways to put business principles to work for us, and worker's compensation self-insurance will provide some significant cost savings," said Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal. "We're investing more in employee safety and hope that will benefit our employees."
Wake County Schools Finance Document Earns National Awards: As they presented the latest edition of the Wake County Public School System Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, WCPSS financial managers were congratulated for earning national awards from school finance organizations for their 2000-2001 financial report.
Wake County Schools Receive $2 Million from Vending Agreement:
In its first year, a vending agreement with Pepsi provided
the Wake County Public School System with $2 million - helpful
revenues for schools in lean budget times.
Wake County Schools Hold Continuous Improvement Conference
for Administrators and Teachers: An estimated 1,500 Wake
County Public School System teachers, principals, and other
administrators took part in a jam-packed three days of workshops
and training sessions in August. The first ever Continuous
Improvement Conference featured several of the nation's top
experts in education and business practices focused on the
Baldrige process of continuous improvement. More than 50 local,
regional, and nationally known presenters led sessions at
the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center, the McKimmon Center,
and the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Raleigh. Subject areas
ran the gamut from the basic nuts and bolts of innovative
teaching strategies to visionary keynote speeches that inspired
and motivated.
Board Names Haydon Associate Superintendent: At its
Oct. 8 meeting, the Board of Education approved Donald Haydon
as the new Associate Superintendent for Auxiliary Services.
Haydon will fill the vacancy created by Ray Massey's retirement.
Haydon has served as the chief operations officer of the Columbus,
Ohio schools since 2000.
We hope the holidays are a happy time for you and your family.
We'll have more to report in 2003.
School Connection is published electronically every other week for everyone interested in the Wake County Public Schools. Is what you read in this edition helpful? What information would you like to see in future editions? Contact me by calling 850-1829 or e-mailing bposton@wcpss.net.
Bill Poston
Wake County Public School System
Communications Department
3600 Wake Forest Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27611
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