School Connection
Jan. 10, 20032003 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.
2003-2004 GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROPOSAL PUBLISHED
The Wake County Public School System Office of Growth Management
has published the 2003-2004 student assignment proposal. Copies
of the proposal can be found at the WCPSS Central Office Building
at 3600 Wake Forest Road, at WCPSS schools and on the Internet
at http://www.wcpss.net/growth-management/index.html.
The Office of Growth Management mailed postcards Jan. 8 to families affected by the proposal. Students currently enrolled in magnet or year-round programs and who have signed an 'Intent to Return' form are not affected by this proposal.
The proposed assignment plan will fill two new schools - Holly Ridge Elementary School and Holly Ridge Middle School - scheduled to open in 2003-2004, and relieve crowding in other schools in the area.
The new schools will help provide space for Wake County's growing student population. WCPSS enrollment has grown to 104,373 students this year from 70,052 in 1992-93, roughly 3,000 students per year.
The Office of Growth Management is accepting public comment on the proposal through Jan. 23. They will present it to the Board of Education Feb. 18 and plan to hold public hearings on the proposal in March. The board will be asked to approve a plan in April.
The public may comment on the proposal by e-mailing studentassignment@wcpss.net , by leaving a voicemail message at 501-7998, or by writing the Office of Growth Management, Wake County Public School System, P.O. Box 28041, Raleigh, NC 27611. All comments will be reviewed for possible inclusion in the final recommendation that will go the board next month.
MAGNET SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE SESSIONS BEGIN
Information sessions and open houses will be held over the
next few weeks for parents interested in sending their children
to a magnet school.
Information sessions on elementary magnet programs will be held beginning Jan. 13 and sessions for middle school magnet programs will be held beginning Jan. 21. Magnet schools will schedule open houses from Jan. 27 to Feb. 6 for parents to visit schools.
Magnet applications will be available in all schools by Jan. 27. Online applications will be available from Feb. 8 to 19. Applications must be postmarked or electronically time stamped between Feb. 8 and 19.
For more information about the sessions or the application process, call the Magnet Resource Center at 501-7900 or visit http://www.wcpss.net/Instructional/Magnet/index.html.
BOARD HEARS ABOUT FEDERAL NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND LAW
At its Tuesday (Jan., 7) meeting, the Board of Education received
an update from WCPSS administrators on the impact of the new
federal No Child Left Behind law.
Assistant Superintendent Cindi Jolly told the board the goal of the new federal law is to have all students performing at grade level or above by 2013-2014. Jolly said the law has three themes including a focus on what works, providing highly qualified professionals in the classroom, and an emphasis on parent involvement.
The plan provides an increase in federal funding and demands increased accountability. The law divides each school's population into ten groups including non-English speaking students, students from low-income families, special education students, and six race groups. Each of these ten groups that include at least 30 students must show progress in their math and reading test scores annually. If any one of these groups do not progress, and the school would be considered to have not made adequate yearly progress.
If schools fail to make adequate yearly progress for two years in a row, the school system must provide options for students to transfer from that school to a more successful school and provide supplemental services such as tutoring for students. The school district must take corrective action if a school does not meet federal standards for four years and must restructure a school that does not improve in five years.
School systems will be required to provide a report card
that describes each school's academics, teacher quality and
safety.
Superintendent Bill McNeal told the board it will be important
to communicate the impact of the new law to the community.
McNeal noted that WCPSS already did much of what the new law
requires. He mentioned a school that had recently been awarded
the federal government's highest honor as a Blue Ribbon School
of Excellence would not meet the new standards of the federal
law. State officials say 30 percent of North Carolina's schools
that met or exceeded the state's standard for school quality
last year would not meet the new standards of the federal
law.
McNeal expressed concern about the impact that would have
on teacher morale. But he said Wake County would continue
to seek academic success for each student.
FIRST LADY VISITS WILBURN ELEMENTARY ON READING CAMPAIGN
North Carolina First Lady Mary Easley visited Wilburn Elementary
School Tuesday (Jan. 7) to begin a statewide reading campaign.
Mrs. Easley is one of 31 First Spouses across the nation that
will serve as an Ambassador of Reading in their states for
Read for 2003, Scholastic Book Clubs' fourth annual worldwide
reading initiative. Wilburn Elementary students heard Mrs.
Easley read about basketball player Michael Jordan and music
great Duke Ellington. To learn more about Read For 2003, visit
www.scholastic.com/readfor2003.
BOARD ACQUIRES PROPERTY FOR NEW PANTHER HIGH SITE
At its Tuesday (Jan. 7) meeting, the Board of Education approved
an Offer to Purchase and Contract with Panther Creek Associates
to acquire approximately 71.2 acres off NC 55 several miles
north of Green Hope High for a new high school to open in
2006. A condition of the contract requires a formal agreement
with the Town of Cary to provide one-third of the purchase
price and to construct public utilities and a roadway system
adjoining the site. As part of the agreement, the board will
pay two-thirds of the land cost, may incur utility construction
costs not to exceed $200,000 and road construction costs not
to exceed $100 per foot.
BOARD HONORS STUDENTS
At its Jan. 7 meeting, the Board of Education recognized 16
students with the Spotlight on Students award including H'Get
Arul of Kingswood Elementary, Davis McDougal of Lacy Elementary,
Kevin J. Pion of Penny Road Elementary, Christina Dianne Goodson
of Poe Elementary, James Wall of Hodge Road Elementary, Dallas
Bohannan of Middle Creek High, David Bumpass of Powell Elementary,
Nazariy Semenyuk of Wakefield Elementary, Kathryn Brown Winge
of Weatherstone Elementary, Alejandra Bautista of Apex Middle,
Christine Pieringer of Leesville Road High, Ulyana Androsova
of Leesville Road Middle, Jessica Napierkowski of Fuquay-Varina
High, Jordan Oakley of Wilburn Elementary, Caroline Cobb of
Carroll Middle and Michael Timothy Tarrant of Sanderson High.
REPORT CARD PILOT PROGRAM CONTINUES
Five elementary schools continue to test a new progress report
for a second year. The pilot schools include Adams, Carver,
Douglas, Morrisville, and Olive Chapel. The new report cards
rate student progress on a scale of one to four - similar
to the state grading level on End-of-Grade testing. One elementary
principal said the new system will provide a much better understanding
of where a student is when the child moves on to a teacher
in the next grade. The report card system is being used for
a second year at the five pilot schools and has been refined
based on feedback from teachers and parents.
THOUSANDS OF BOOKS COLLECTED
More than 14,000 children's books for low-income families
have been collected by Project Enlightenment in its third
annual "On the Road to Reading" children's book
drive. Books were collected through schools, churches and
businesses.
Leesville Road Elementary had the most books with 1,750. Next was Combs Elementary with 1,410 and Wake Forest-Rolesville High with 1,123. The drive officially ended Dec. 13.
Project Enlightenment, an early childhood education and intervention program of the Wake County Public School System has distributed thousands of books to young children and their families. The goal is to get books into the hands of families that might not have them, so the parents can instill in their children a desire to learn to read.
WCPSS ON TV
Superintendent Bill McNeal talks with NBC 17's Monty Knight
about education issues as part of WNCN's Wednesday morning
newscast on Time Warner Cable Channel 6 in Raleigh. Watch
for the Wake County Board of Education meetings broadcast
on Time Warner Cable Channel 11 in Cary and Raleigh. Each
city's website provides a weekly schedule of programming.
"Making Choices," a series of three programs sponsored by Wake Education Partnership, Wake County PTA Council, Time Warner Cable and News 14 Carolina, will be broadcast Mondays at 12 and 8 p.m., Thursdays at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. The program airs on Time Warner Cable Channel 24.
INSIDE THE NEWS
U.S. Department of Education reports "President
Bush Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of No Child Left Behind
Act"; and "Radio
Address by the President to the Nation on "With the No
Child Left Behind Act, America began a promising era in our
public schools"
Education Week reports "States
Brace For Tough New Year"; "Despite
Concerns, Online Elementary Schools Grow"; "Report
Says Flexibility Necessary on ESEA"; "Law's
Lofty Goals Valuable, Business Leaders Say"; "Reports
Find Fault With High-Stakes Testing"; and "Quality
Counts Reveals National 'Teacher Gap'"
Washington Post reports "Education
Support Defended"; "Education
Law Reaches Milestone Amid Discord"; "Federal
Law Pushes Va. to Draft New SOL Standards"; and "States
Worry New Law Sets Schools Up to Fail"
Boston Globe reports "Schools
reported lagging new law" and "Sorting
out school ratings may be test for parents"
The San Francisco Chronicle reports "Education Act ties cash to exams, low scores may cause schools to lose funding"
The National Association of Secondary School Principal's
Bulletin reports "The
Politics of Teacher Quality: Implications for Principals"
The Southeast Center for Teaching Quality Best Practices
& Policies reports "Solving
the Teacher Shortage: Improving Support for New Teachers"
The Beacon of LEARN NC reports on education
Time Warner News 14 reports School News
CNN reports on education
The National School Board Association reports the School Board News
CALENDAR
|
Jan. 14 |
12:30 p.m., Policy Committee Meeting; 2 p.m., Community Relations Committee; and 3:30 p.m., Finance Committee Meeting |
|
Jan. 15 |
12 p.m., Joint Luncheon, Board Conference Room; 2 p.m., Facilities Committee Meeting |
|
Jan. 20 |
Martin Luther King Holiday |
|
Jan. 21 |
4 p.m. Board of Education, East Wake High, Wendell |
|
Jan. 23 |
5 p.m., Healthy Schools Task Force meets at Webster Center |
You can find more information on school events at http://www.wcpss.net/Calendars
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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