CMS Superintendent , Ann Clark
CMS Superintendent , Ann Clark
We are well into the 2016-2017 school year – the holiday season is just around the corner , which is almost the halfway mark for the year ! November is a good time to pause and take stock of our progress , and that ’ s what I will do in this column .
The district ’ s academic performance continues to strengthen , building on gains of earlier years and the foundation we have built instructionally to help our students learn and grow .
A few proof points to illustrate our progress :
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had 10 schools ranked in the top 40 for Education Value-Added Assessment System ( EVAAS ) growth in the state . The district also had three schools in the top 10 and five in the top 25 .
• State assessments showed 86 percent of CMS schools met or exceeded growth expectations , outperforming the overall state average .
• The district also exceeded expected growth in 12 of 16 tested areas . For the third consecutive year , CMS exceeded growth expectations in fifth-grade science , biology , Math I and English 1 . The district also met or exceeded growth expectations in reading in grades four through eight .
• The number of CMS students who scored a level 4 or 5 on the state ’ s Endof-Course ( EOC ) and End-of-Grade ( EOG ) exams exceeded the state average in every tested subject .
We are also seeing individual schools demonstrate excellence in state rankings . Independence High had the second-highest growth index in the state , with South Meck and Ardrey Kell high schools also in the top 10 . Piedmont IB Middle had the second-highest growth of any middle school in the state . Palisades Park Elementary had the third-highest growth of any elementary school in the state .
The district-wide cohort graduation rate rose for the seventh consecutive year , reaching 89.6 percent – the highest rate in the state , outpacing the state average of 85.8 , as well as Guilford ( 89.4 ) and Wake ( 87.1 ). Our district ’ s graduation rate has increased by 18.1 percentage points since 2010 .
We also topped the state average for overall performance composite ( all
scores averaged together ) on state tests . CMS had an overall performance composite of 61.2 , compared to 58.3 statewide and 54.7 for Guilford . Wake led the state at 67.9 .
We are also seeing consistent improvement in other measures . The performance of graduating seniors on the SAT , a test used to determine college readiness by colleges and universities , rose in reading and math and did not change in writing . The district ’ s average score in reading rose four points to 497 , compared to 502 for the state and 494 for the nation . In math , the district ’ s average score rose by five points to 504 , compared to 508 in the state and the nation . Writing scores remained flat at 474 , below the state score of 475 and the national score of 482 . The district ’ s overall score rose by nine points to 1,475 , compared to 1,485 for the state and 1,484 for the nation . However , overall participation in the SAT decreased for the district , falling to 4,872 from 5,289 a year earlier .
On another college-readiness test , the ACT , we have seen small gains and will continue to turn those into bigger ones . District-wide scores remained flat in English , increased slightly in math and science , and declined slightly in reading , according to data released by the independent testing group ACT Inc . On the ACT WorkKeys exam , which measures career and workplace readiness , the district ’ s percentage of seniors with a Career and Technical Education concentration who earned a score of silver or better increased for the fourth consecutive year . For 2015-2016 , 76.1 percent of students who took the test earned a score of silver or better , compared to 73.5 percent for the state .
The number of students in grades nine through 12 taking Advanced Placement courses increased by 3.4 percent to 8,780 for the year and the number of students taking Advanced Placement exams increased by 1 . 3 percent to 8,622 . The number of exams with a score of three or higher increased by 4.7 percent to 8,333 . Advanced Placement courses measure a student ’ s readiness for college-level work . We are seeing these improvements as we continue to focus on core values , literacy instruction and the use of an instructional planning approach . I am proud of our progress . We mean it when we say “ every child , every day , for a better tomorrow .” We want all of our students to have school environments that nurture academic success , as well as social growth .
This year is shaping up as a highly successful one for our district . It ’ s not without its challenges – we are working on student assignment and searching for a new superintendent – but I remain confident that Charlotte- Mecklenburg Schools is a place where all students can succeed .
Ann Clark is superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools .
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2 • September / October 2016 • Parent Teacher News