New Hanover County students surpassed the state average in new assessment standards designed to gauge student performance and readiness.
Released today, the results of the 2013-2014 student assessments show New Hanover County out-performed the state average in composite test scores for all end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments at 64.1 percent, compared to the state average of 56.3 percent.
According to Valita Quattlebaum, spokeswoman for the school district, New Hanover County Schools also out-performed comparable urban school districts.
The 2013-2014 school year was the second year of the state’s “Ready” initiative, which includes a new standard course of study in all subjects and grade levels, as well as “new and more rigorous student assessments aligned to the revised standard course of study” and a new accountability model, Quattlebaum said.
Read related story: School officials: Increase in state standards leads to drop in area test scores
“The results show that New Hanover County Schools’ students are progressing and continue to surpass statewide results on the new and more rigorous assessments,” Quattlebaum said. “The assessments are based on standards, which gauge grade-level proficiency and career and college readiness measures. These measures address how equipped students are for college and careers, and whether students are on track to be ‘Ready’ by high school graduation.”
In March 2014, the N.C. Board of Education adopted a new five-level achievement scale that replaced the previous four-level scale.
Achievement level one indicates a limited command of the material, level two indicates a partial command, level three shows a proficient command of the state grade-level proficiency standard, level four shows a solid command of career and college readiness and level five indicates a superior command of career and college readiness.
New Hanover County Schools received an achievement level of three, which identifies students who have a sufficient command of grade-level knowledge and skills to move on to the next grade but who may need academic support to be successful at a high level in the next grade, Qualttlebaum said.
“I am excited about the academic growth in New Hanover County Schools,” New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Tim Markley said. “The numbers announced today clearly indicate we are making strides in student achievement. This is a direct correlation to the strong leadership of the New Hanover County Board of Education and their dedication to academic growth in our district.
“Great credit is due to our teachers and principals. Despite the challenges we face, such as budget cuts, overcrowding and numerous other issues, our educators and students have met the challenge and continue to do so everyday.”
Brunswick County
The Brunswick County school district saw an overall increase of 12.3 percentage points in proficiency rose in 2013-14, with a composite of 54.8 percent compared to 42.5 percent the prior year. The district’s scores mirror statewide trends, with 57.6 percent of students at grade level proficiency or above in reading and 64.9 percent proficient science.
But Brunswick County Schools saw a decline in overall math scores, falling five points in 2013-14 to 46.4 percent.
While acknowledging some strides, Superintendent Dr. Edward Pruden called the lack of growth at 10 of the county’s schools “disappointing.”
“Generally speaking, our performance mirrored state results in reading, showing slight improvement,” he wrote in a letter to district staff and administrators. “Elementary and high school math scores were flat and only slightly improved in middle school. Our bright spot was science, with a handsome ten point improvement in fifth and eighth grades, and a six percent bump in biology.
While the number of schools exceeding growth increased from three to five, the number of schools not making growth also increased from six to ten! This is our most disturbing outcome. All things being equal, it is only reasonable to expect that teachers and schools can demonstrate a year’s worth of academic learning for a year in school. It is difficult to understand why ten of our 19 schools did not achieve growth.”
Charter Day School
The Leland charter school saw higher performance than its Brunswick County counterparts, as well as the state, according to a release from Roger Bacon Academy, the company that oversees Charter Day School.
The 923 K-8 students at Charter Day scored an overall proficiency of 72.1 percent, nearly 20 points higher than the state and county averages. The school also met 100 percent of its target goals and exceeded growth expectations for the 2013-14 academic year.
Baker Mitchell, founder of The Roger Bacon Academy, attributed the high scores to a “dedicated staff” and “rigorous classical curriculum.”
“Our charter calls for a traditional classical curriculum, which we believe best prepares our students for the variety of challenges they will face in our rapidly changing society,” Mitchell noted.
