NORTH
CAROLINA EDUCATION NEWS
December
2006
Copyright © 2006 Queue, Inc.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Complete ABCs Results Released; Rigorous Standards
Reflected in Results
Assistance Plan to
be Discussed in December
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Schools Outperform Other Large Cities in NAEP Trial
2006 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools
Honored
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A total of 54.2
percent of North Carolina's K-12 schools made expected or high academic growth
under the North Carolina's school accountability model, the ABCs of Public
Education, according to the 2005-06 ABCs of Public Education accountability
report.
This year marks
the first year for new standards under the 10-year-old accountability system.
"Today's
results mark the beginning of a new cycle of accountability for North
Carolina," said State Superintendent June Atkinson. "The State Board
of Education has set a higher standard for academic rigor to help our students
be prepared for the 21st century competitive world."
Results outlined
today are similar to those from 1996-97, the first year of the ABCs model for
grades 3-8. The percentage of students scoring at Achievement Level III
(proficient) or above in reading ranged from 83.1 percent for sixth grade to
90.5 percent for fifth grade. For mathematics, the range was 61.2 percent
proficient at grade eight to 68.7 percent proficient in grade three.
"The math
curriculum is more rigorous and challenging and so are the tests that measure
it," said State Board of Education Chairman Howard Lee. This is the first
time that North Carolina has reset standards since our state began the
accountability program. We believe it is essential for schools to raise
expectations to help every child be prepared."
In addition to
the more difficult curriculum and assessments, other changes mark the 2005-06
year. It is the first year for the new ABCs growth formulas approved by the
state education board in 2005. The new formulas - developed after the General
Assembly directed the State Board of Education to complete a thorough
evaluation of the ABCs standards - address a number of concerns raised at that
time. This year also is the first time that the standards for the mathematics
test have been changed significantly. Because this year's ABCs results are
based on new formulas and the results of new math assessments, state school
accountability officials cautioned against comparing results to previous years.
In the 2005-06
school year, 64 K-12 schools (2.7 percent) earned a designation of Honor
Schools of Excellence, the highest category of performance. Honor Schools of
Excellence also met the federal requirement of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
in addition to having met at least Expected Growth and having 90 percent or
more of their students' test scores at or above the proficient level.
Five schools (.2
percent) are Schools of Excellence, which means that they met at least Expected
Growth and had 90 percent or more of their students' test scores at or above
the proficient level.
A total of 305
schools (12.9 percent) are Schools of Distinction, which means that they met at
least Expected Growth and had 80-89 percent or more of their students' test
scores at or above the proficient level.
A total of 729
schools (31 percent) are Schools of Progress, which means that these schools
met at least Expected Growth and had 60-79 percent of their students' test
scores at proficient or better.
Seven hundred and
thirty-six schools, or 31.3 percent, are No Recognition Schools. These schools
did not meet their Expected Growth goals even though they had 60 percent or
more of their students' test scores at the proficient level or better.
Three hundred and
forty-six schools, or 14.6 percent, are Priority Schools – schools with
less than 60 percent of their students' test scores at the proficient level or
better and making Expected Growth or High Growth and schools that have 50-59
percent of students' test scores at the proficient level or better regardless
of growth.
Forty schools
(1.7 percent) had no ABCs status because they are special schools.
The ABCs program
provides incentive awards to teachers, principals and other certified
school-based staff, in addition to teacher assistants. In all schools that
attain the High Growth standard, certified staff members each receive up to
$1,500 incentive awards and teacher assistants receive up to $500. In schools
attaining Expected Growth, certified staff members each receive up to $750 and
teacher assistants receive up to $375. This year, funds for incentive awards
will be released to local school districts as soon as possible after today's
release with the goal of districts being able to provide the incentive awards
in December to all staff who earn them.
This year, 54
schools (2.3 percent) were identified as Low-Performing Schools. These schools
have significantly less than 50 percent of their students' test scores at the
proficient level or above and did not make Expected Growth or High Growth.
The NCDPI's
Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and School Reform Services Dr. Elsie
Leak will bring a plan for providing assistance to low-performing elementary
and middle schools to the Board in December.
Adequate yearly
progress (AYP) is a performance measure required by the federal No Child Left
Behind education law. Each state must set AYP targets for the percentage of
students proficient on state tests. Under federal law, each state's ultimate
goal is 100 percent proficiency by 2013-14. AYP requires measuring progress on
these targets by groups of students — a very rigorous standard. Among
North Carolina's schools, 45.2 percent (1,043) of the state's 2,310 schools
with an AYP status met AYP. The standard required for meeting AYP this year was
76.7 percent for reading (K-8) and 65.8 for (K-8) math. The math target was
adjusted in October when the State Board of Education raised standards passing
the math end-of-grade assessments. The target for 10th grade reading/language
arts was 35.4 percent and for 10th grade math it was 70.8 percent.
The ABCs
accountability model measures school achievement in two primary ways: the
percentage of students' test scores at or above the proficient level
(performance composite) and whether the school has met academic growth
expectations from one year to the next. The growth measurement provides the
basis for awarding incentive awards, but both measures are important indicators
of schools' success over time.
The tests used
for ABCs accountability purposes — the end-of-course and end-of- grade
assessments — include the assessments used to determine Adequate Yearly
Progress and for the state's student accountability standards.
The complete ABCs
report is available online at: http://abcs.ncpublicschools.org/abcs
The
Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools performed better in science than other
urban school districts in a special assessment of the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the Nation's Report Card.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg,
along with Austin, Texas, outperformed the other large urban school districts
participating in the trial assessment. Ten urban school districts participate
in this voluntary measure. In addition to Charlotte and Austin, the other
participants were Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
New York City and San Diego. This is the first year that science has been
assessed through the TUDA.
"We
congratulate the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system for participating in the
trial urban assessment and for setting rigorous goals for its students. We are
pleased that North Carolina's representative in this assessment outperformed
most other participants, and we look forward to continued improvement from
Charlotte-Mecklenburg students," said State Board of Education Chairman
Howard Lee and State Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
and Austin, Texas, were at the top of the 10 urban districts for fourth and
eighth grade science. Charlotte-Mecklenburg's science results were lower than
the North Carolina overall results, which were released in May.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg's
average science score for fourth graders was 145, as compared to 149 for North
Carolina overall and to 149 for the nation's public schools overall. For eighth
graders, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg average science score was 142 as compared to
144 for North Carolina and to 147 for the nation overall.
In addition to
the scale scores, the NAEP also reports the percentage of students considered
to be at or above Basic on the assessment. Charlotte-Mecklenburg's percent of
fourth graders at or above Basic in science was 60 percent, as compared to 65
percent for North Carolina and 66 percent for the nation. For eighth graders,
50 percent of the students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg were considered at or above
Basic, as compared to 53 percent for North Carolina overall and 57 percent for
the nation.
Tougher state math exams
brought bleak results for low-income and minority students in
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Officials knew the new scoring
system, designed to give a more realistic picture of grade-level skills, would
drop pass rates for elementary and middle schools across the state.
But in CMS, most of the thousands of students who failed
were poor, black or Hispanic. Gaps of 30 to 40 percentage points between those
students and their white or middle-class peers call into question the gains
that have brought CMS national acclaim for the past decadeÉ
The old math exam, widely
criticized as too easy to pass, had given more than 70 percent of CMS's
low-income and black middle school students passing marks in 2005. This year
less than 50 percent passed, compared with 80 percent or more of their white
and nonpoor peers.
Many say N.C. reading exams, which saw no changes in the
scoring method, continue to give a false sense of accomplishmentÉ
To see the rest of this article please go to:
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/living/education/15850480.htm
"It's tremendous to reach
No. 8 in the latest state rankings," says James Tagliareni, chief
technology officer at Moore County Schools. "Everyone at Moore County
Schools deserves credit for infusing technology into our classrooms, from the
school district leadership who made technology a top priority four years ago to
every school principal and teacher who embraced the computers, high-speed
Internet access and technology training that we provided them. Our continued
strong showing in the state rankings is proof that we are instilling into our
students the technology skills they will need to compete in the 21st Century
workforce."
Moore County Schools, which has purchased more
than 5,000 new computers over the past four years, continues to improve the
district's technology infrastructure without increasing its budget. The
district, which last year had 2.5 students for each Internet-connected
computer, now has 2.29 students per Internet-connected computer. The state
average is 3.43 students per computer. In addition, 100 percent of Moore County
School's classrooms are connected with high-speed Internet access, compared to
98.5 percent in the state.
Moore County Schools continued
its trend of squeezing the most out of its Information Technology budget. This
year, the district's average cost to install, operate and maintain a network of
computers was $66 per pupil, a 22 percent drop from the previous year and less
than half the state average of $139 per pupil. Last year, computers cost Moore
County Schools $87 per pupil.
Moore County Schools had many
technology highlights this past school year, including online technology
training for teachers, and additional computers, personal digital assistants
and interactive whiteboards in the classroom. Other highlights include:
The district purchased and installed new software that allows
teachers to view students' screens while they work on assignments in school
computer labs. Teachers can communicate with each individual student through
headphones and take control of students' computers if they need help. The
software also enables teachers to take snapshots of students' screens, which
allows teachers to easily share the students' work with the class.
In March, the district partnered
with Carthage Police and the County Sheriff's Office to build a wireless
network, allowing first-responders to view school surveillance cameras
wirelessly as they respond to 911 calls at Union Pines High School.
"The school district's
dramatic climb in the state rankings is very impressive and shows the
dedication and commitment the district has to helping students become better
prepared for the future," says Dr. Larry Upchurch, Deputy Superintendent.
"The technology is not only engaging students more in the classrooms, its
helping them understand the material better and improving overall learning."
About Moore County Schools:
Moore County Schools educates
more than 12,000 students in 22 K-12 schools in Moore County, North Carolina,
an economically diverse community whose major industries include agriculture,
tourism, health care and education. The school district offers a comprehensive
curriculum that includes workforce development, programs for special needs and
gifted students and arts education. In addition to Advanced Placement courses
at all three high schools, Pinecrest High School offers the International
Baccalaureate Program. The district's 2005 SAT average of 1042 exceeded the
national average by 14 points. For more information, visit http://www.mcs.k12.nc.us.
Five North
Carolina public schools were recently honored as 2006 No Child Left Behind Blue
Ribbon Schools by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings. These schools
were among 242 public and 50 private schools to achieve this honor.
Recipients
received a plaque and a flag signifying their No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon
School status during a National Recognition Ceremony held Nov. 10-11 in
Washington, D.C.
North Carolina
public schools receiving this prestigious recognition are: Brawley Middle
(Iredell-Statesville Schools), Davis Drive Elementary (Wake County Schools),
Eastover Central Elementary (Cumberland County Schools), Laurel Hill Elementary
(Scotland County Schools), and W.A. Bess Elementary (Gaston County Schools).
In announcing the
schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Spellings said, "These schools show
what wonderful accomplishments can be made when we focus on the bottom line in
education – student achievement." Spellings added that all of these
schools have students from all subgroups who've made impressive test gains or
who scored in the top tier on state tests. "They are outstanding examples
of how all students can achieve to higher standards," she said.
For the past 24
years, the U.S. Department of Education has recognized many of the nation's
most successful schools through its Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Schools
selected for this prestigious award model excellence in leadership, teaching,
curriculum, student achievement and parental involvement. On July 28, 2002,
Department officials announced that schools singled out for national honors
must also reflect the goals of the nation's new education reforms for high
standards and accountability found under No Child Left Behind.
Blue Ribbon
Schools are selected based on one of two assessment criteria:
¥ Schools with at least 40 percent of their
students from disadvantaged backgrounds that dramatically improve student
performance on state tests, as determined by the state superintendent.
¥ Schools whose students, regardless of background,
achieve in the top 10 percent on state tests or, in the case of private
schools, in the top 10 percent
of the nation on
nationally-normed tests.
Of the schools
submitted by each state, at least one-third must meet the criterion of having
40 percent of the students from disadvantaged backgrounds and showing dramatic
improvement. State education departments nominate public schools for
consideration. Once all nominations are received, the Secretary invites the
nominated schools to submit applications for possible recognition as a No Child
Left Behind Blue Ribbon School.
Additional information regarding the Blue Ribbon Schools Program is
available online at http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2006/