Thirteen county schools are failing
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on November 5, 2016 10:17 PM
Wayne County Public Schools is working to get improvement plans in place for all 33 county schools before the holiday break, but particularly for the 13 designated as "low performing" schools.
Schools making the list for the second year included both Brogden primary and Brogden middle school, as well as Carver Heights, Dillard Middle, Eastern Wayne Elementary, Goldsboro High, North Drive Elementary and Southern Wayne High.
New to the list this year were Carver Elementary, Eastern Wayne Middle, Grantham and Rosewood middle schools, and Spring Creek Elementary.
"We received about five, six weeks ago our designations for which schools on the low performing schools list, which schools had come off, which new schools had been added and just to remind you of the definition -- a school that earns a school grade of a 'D' or 'F' and does not exceed growth is a school that's designated low performing in North Carolina," Tamara Ishee, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said.
She told the school board Monday her goal is to get those 13 schools off the low performing list. She also requested two special called meetings this month and next to comply with deadlines for getting the plans to the state.
Three other schools, Mount Olive Middle, Spring Creek High and School Street Elementary, moved off the list from the previous year.
Ms. Ishee also pointed out that several schools had gone up a letter grade -- Grantham, from a "C" to a "B," Brogden Middle and Brogden Primary both went from an "F" to a "D" and Spring Creek High, from "D" to "C."
"Locally, we need to do two things," she told the board. "One is actually a state requirement. All of our schools, including the low performing schools, need to complete school improvement plans in N.C. STAR, which is a new digital tool that the state is using for school improvement planning."
The state has very specific due dates, she explained. Individual schools are to complete a first draft, which must be approved by the school board before being submitted to DPI, the Department of Public Instruction, for feedback. Any revisions are made before the final version is voted on locally and sent to the state.
Due to the hurricane, a request to the state was made for additional time, she said.
"Principals will be submitting that local plan to me electronically. I'll be reviewing it, leadership team members will be reviewing it, the superintendent will be reviewing it and it'll be rolled into work that's done for the principals' evaluation."
Since the deadline timing does not line up with the regular board meetings, she requested two special called board meetings be held.
School improvement plans are due by Nov. 14, she said. Allowing a week for the board to review them, Ms. Ishee proposed the board meet Nov. 21, to approve all the school plans including the preliminary low performing schools' plans. The board voted to meet that day at 11 a.m.
Final plans are due locally Dec. 15, with a special called meeting proposed for Dec. 20.
"Hopefully that will give us a little bit of a window," she said. "We have to submit it by the 22nd because then we're all gone for the holiday break."
The board voted to convene the Dec. 20 meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Ms. Ishee told the board she is confident in the efforts being made across the district.
"I strongly believe we can get off this (low performing list)," she said. "I'm crossing my fingers and hopeful that close to half of these schools, I believe, strongly believe we can get off this low performing list after this year.
"If we reach that goal I'll feel like it's a major accomplishment and maybe the rest (of the schools) the following year."