Parent Teacher Magazine Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools November 2013 | Page 4

Message from Superintendent Dr. Heath Morrison

A

lthough it’s still early in the
school year, there is already
much to celebrate in CharlotteMecklenburg Schools. We’ve had good
results on some important academic
indicators – and we’re working now on
pushing those good results into great
ones.
First is our graduation rate, which
is calculated by the state. It’s called
the four-year cohort graduation rate
because it tracks ninth-graders year by
year to ascertain how many of them
graduate in four years. This measure
is generally considered to be the best
way to measure graduation rate, rather
than just calculating the percentage
of students who graduate each year. Our graduation rate for 2013 rose
almost five points – it’s now 81 percent. That’s a significant increase from a
year ago and we’re very pleased with it. But there is more work to be done
here – nearly 20 percent, or one in five, of our students are not graduating
on time or at all. That’s too many. We’re continuing to focus on keeping our
students in school and engaged in learning, so that every student can move
from kindergarten through 12th grade smoothly, leaving prepared for the next
step in life. Whether it’s college, career or the military, we want every student
prepared for post-secondary success.
We’ve also seen increases in our SAT scores overall and on individual
sections of the test this year, after two years of declines. The SAT is given
to gauge a student’s readiness for college-level work. Students are tested in
reading, math and writing. Each section of the test is worth 800 points, so the
highest possible score is 2400. Our average score overall has increased by 10
points to 1473.
We gained in individual areas of the test as well. The average district score
on the reading section of the test rose by six points to 493. On the writing
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