North Carolina public school students inch higher in test scores; NHCS continues growth trend

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s public school students made small performance gains on standardized tests during the past school year, officials announced Wednesday. The proficiency levels are inching closer to percentages reached before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered classrooms and led to remote learning.

The Department of Public Instruction released figures showing 54.2% of students were proficient on state exams during the 2023-24 school year, compared to 53.6% during the 2022-23 school year, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported.

The passing rate remains below the 58.8% proficiency rate during the 2018-19 school year. The first full school year during the pandemic — 2020-21 — the rate was just 45.4%, according to the newspaper.

State educators have said since 2022 that it would take time — perhaps four or five years — to rebound fully from the era of learning loss during the pandemic.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done,” state schools Superintendent Catherine Truitt said as the results were released at the State Board of Education meeting.

In other calculations, more individual schools met growth expectations on state exams and fewer schools were labeled as low-performing. The state uses an A-to-F grading system on schools that is largely based on proficiency rates. The state’s four-year graduation rate also ticked up slightly from 86.5% during the 2022-23 school year to 86.9% this past year, according to a department release.

Tammy Howard with the Department of Public Instruction’s accountability and testing office estimated the state is about 97% returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to the station.

“While test grades and letter outcomes cannot tell us everything we need to know about school and student success, North Carolina continues to see growth for most grades and subjects,” Howard said in the department’s release. “This is something to be proud of.”

Looking at grade-level tests, the passing rate on the third-grade reading exam was 48.6% during the 2023-24 school year, compared to 47.8% the previous year.

State leaders have said they expected early-literacy skills to improve over time as teachers become more comfortable with new reading instruction training that stresses phonics. All of the state’s elementary teachers completed the 160 hours of training this year, The News & Observer reported.

The results were released two months before voters decide who they want to succeed Truitt as superintendent. Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green and Republican Michele Morrow will be on the ballot. Morrow defeated Truitt in the March primary.

(WWAY) — Schools from across New Hanover County experienced exceptional growth last year, according to test results presented today to the State Board of Education.

Sixteen schools exceeded the standards for academic growth, including Williston Middle School, which went from “not met” to “exceeding” growth for the first time in a decade.

In a measure of equitable outcomes for all students, the district has half as many “low-performing” schools as it did in 2021-22, going from 12 down to six. Most recently Snipes Academy and Williston Middle School came off the low-performing list for 2023-24. NHCS also decreased the number of schools rated “F,” and had an increase in the percentage of students who were proficient.

District-wide, 32 out of 40 schools exceeded or met growth.

“Exceeding growth means that the state set an expectation for student achievement for a school, but the school exceeded those expectations,” said Executive Director of Schools Jared Worthington, who supervises principals at many of the Title I schools in the district. “At the end of the day, this data only tells one part of the story of success for our kids. We are preparing our students to be ready to be a part of our world, contribute to our community, and be successful in the next stage of life.”

Student achievement for the 2022-23 school year is based on all end-of-grade (EOG) and end-of-course (EOC) tests in reading, math, and science.

NHCS performed better than the state average in 12 out of 13 subjects and accountability measures.

Overall proficiency ticked up from 60% to 61%, a remarkable increase from 55.7% in 2021-22. Biology proficiency jumped from 55% to 62% in one year. High School English II scores jumped from 63% to 67% proficient in one year.

Among the “Big 12” districts in North Carolina, NHCS ranked:

• Fourth in all EOG/EOC subjects

• Fourth in Reading

• Second in Biology

• Third in Math grades 3-8

• Third in High School English 2

The graduation rate is higher than the state average at almost 88%, up from 6.3 points since 2015.

“The work our teachers and students put into growing, and demonstrating that growth, is monumental, and today we’re celebrating each and every one of them,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Christopher Barnes. “But we also know that not all growth can be measured by standardized tests, and that school success is about so much more than strictly academics. So while we’re excited to see what we’ve accomplished, we know incredible things are happening in our schools that won’t show up on a scorecard.”

Among the many schools that experienced growth last year, here are examples of tremendous school success in 2023-24:

Snipes Academy raised their grade from an F to a D and exceeded growth. It was the first time they exceeded growth since the 2013-14 school year.

Forest Hills Elementary met growth expectations and raised their grade from an F to a D for the first time since 2018-19.

Myrtle Grove Middle School exceeded growth and is a B school for the first time since 2013-14.

Williston Middle School went from not meeting growth in 2022-23 to exceeding growth expectations last year. It was the first time they exceeded growth in a decade.

To view the full report on student achievement in New Hanover County Schools, click here.