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Dear Parents and Guardians;
Catawba County Schools is on a mission to be the premier school
system in North Carolina.
To that end, we stress academic growth and success.
Our math scores are up from last year and exceed both state
and regional averages. 2007-08 marked the
first year of implementation of new reading tests with new, more
rigorous standards in grades 3-8. While our reading scores
are not at the level to which we’ve grown accustomed,
Catawba
County School
students continue to make great strides, exceeding the state average
and comparing favorably to the region.
Changes to the ABC Accountability program during the 2007-08 school
year included the new baseline in reading and more rigorous tests in
Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science and Physics. Even
with these more rigorous standards and new assessments, Catawba
County Schools (CCS) showed a significant increase in district-wide
student proficiency in the North Carolina ABCs of Accountability
test results. Twenty-two of 27 schools made expected growth or
better. Sixteen of the 27 schools made high growth.
The North Carolina School Report Card is an online initiative
created in an effort to keep parents and guardians better informed
about mandated measures of progress in their child’s school. This
report also empowers parents to become more involved in both their
child’s learning and the school itself. “School Report Card
Day,” scheduled for January 29, will offer parents the opportunity
to view statistics on public schools in North Carolina. These statistics will provide
comparative information with regards to highly qualified teachers,
teacher-to-student ratios and safe schools data. In addition, data
will relate test scores and correlate findings with the state and
federal accountability programs.
While Catawba County Schools performed very well on the NC ABCs of
Accountability, the NCLB system of accountability differs in the way
it compares subgroups. Subgroups include those of low income, ethnic
groups and others. A school might do very well on the ABCs yet it is
still possible for it to face challenges under the federal
government’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements. Catawba
County Schools overcame many of those challenges last year.
NCLB legislation provides an overall system for improving student
achievement as it attempts to close gaps in academic achievement,
especially among Limited English Proficient, economically
disadvantaged and disabled student populations. Schools are held
accountable for ensuring children meet or exceed grade level
standards and that there are highly qualified teachers in each
classroom. NCLB’s “all or nothing” approach, however, has lead
to many high performing schools being labeled as “in need of
improvement.” Schools must demonstrate the progress of every
subgroup in order to meet AYP requirements.
AYP percentages were down slightly this year due to required
increases in projected target goals.
The school district met 82.9% or 58 of 70 target goals,
while at the school level percentages were even higher with 92.0% or
438 of 476 targets met. We are also pleased to note that Catawba
County Schools has maintained LEA AYP status.
As a system, we are not in LEA Improvement.
However, this year, two of our schools will be entering
School Improvement: St. Stephens Elementary and Webb Murray
Elementary.
We are extremely pleased with the progress our students continue to
make. Since 2006, overall math proficiency in grades 3-8 has
increased 7.9 percentage points. While last year’s new reading
scores set a new baseline from which to measure growth, we expect
nothing less than improvement in the coming year.
These excellent results prove that Catawba County Schools’
administration and staff is committed to academic excellence.
For the third year in a row, Catawba County Schools ranked in the
top ten school districts in the state in the number of students
graduating from high school in a cohort, reported by the North
Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The graduation cohort
rate for Catawba County Schools was 81.2 percent in 2008, well above
the state average of 69.4 percent, placing the district 7th out of
115 school systems in the state. It was also the largest school
district by far in total number graduating with 1071 graduates
placing the district 1st among districts in the state
with over 12,000 students.
It is plain to see that Catawba County Schools have much to
celebrate. These scores and the ABCs rankings indicate we are on the
right track in terms of curriculum, character education,
multi-cultural and ESL programs and technological innovations. We
are pleased that the district continues to show steady growth and
improvement. We have the most dedicated and capable teachers and
principals in the state; they continue to make a positive difference
in the lives of our children.
We hope this information keeps you better informed as the guardians
and parents of our future – the students of Catawba County Schools.
Please feel free to talk with your child’s principal if you have any
questions. Thank you for working in partnership with the district
and your school to build the future – one child at a time.
Sincerely,
Dr. Tim Markley, Superintendent
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