VANCE COUNTY SCHOOLS MAKE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS ON STATE TESTS, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADES AND REPORTS THE HIGHEST GRADUATION RATE IN THE DISTRICT’S HISTORY

The state of North Carolina formally released accountability data from the 2015-2016 academic year today.  The Vance County School System is pleased to report improvements on state assessments, the elimination of all schools designated with a school performance grade of an F, and of significant note; the highest graduation rate in the history of our school district.

On state assessments, Vance County Public School students’ improved on 100 percent of the end-of-grade subtests administered in grades 3-8. These results indicate that the district is significantly closing the gap between its students’ performances compared to students from across the state.

Improvements ranged from 0.4 percent in grade 7 mathematics to a high of 15.8 percent in grade 8 science. Of significant note is the 28 percent and 21 percent improvement in Math 1 (a high school course) at Eaton-Johnson and Henderson middle schools, respectively. End-of-course data from our high schools continue to lag behind state averages and will require our continued focus and a deliberate plan of improvement.

School Performance Grades are determined by a formula which includes a school’s overall proficiency on state assessments and students’ growth.

Vance County Schools is further pleased to announce that during the 2015-2016 school year, 62 percent of the schools received a school performance grade (SPG) of A, B or C.  We are extremely excited to announce the district’s first school to earn the school performance grade of “A” (Vance County Early College High School). No schools received a performance grade of “F”.  This is the first time since the inception of SPG’s that we have reached this milestone. As a result, Vance County Schools no longer meets the states definition of a “low-performing” school district.

Schools earning a SPG of “B” are Aycock Elementary School and STEM Early High School. Schools earning a SPG of “C” are Carver, New Hope, Clarke, Dabney, Pinkston Street and Zeb Vance. Schools earning an SPG of “D” are Eaton-Johnson, Henderson, E.M. Rollins, E.O. Young Jr., L.B. Yancey, Northern Vance High and Southern Vance High.  Western Vance High School is an alternative school and does not receive a School Performance Grade.

We are equally excited to report that the district’s four-year on-time graduation rate has improved by 4.4 percent from 77.5 percent to a record high of 81.9 percent.  This represents the highest graduation rate in the history of our school system. This compared to the 85.8 percent graduation rate at the state level, represents the smallest gap between the district and the state in many years.

The Early College graduation rate was 100 percent, up from 89 percent the previous year. The cohort graduation rate in 2015-2016 increased at Northern Vance and Southern Vance high schools. The graduation rate at Northern Vance rose to 83.4 percent from 77 percent and the graduation rate at Southern Vance increased to 82.5 percent from 81 percent. Western Vance High had a four-year cohort graduation rate of 90.5 percent.

State standards also measure student growth on state end-of-grade and end-of-course tests administered to students in grades 3-12. Among Vance County Schools in 2015-2016, there were nine schools that either exceeded or met expected growth standards.

“I am pleased with the progress that we are making,” said Dr. Anthony D. Jackson, superintendent of Vance County Schools. “It is clear that we are moving in the right direction. While we celebrate the accomplishments, it is important we remain focused on improving the quality of our school system, the rigor in our classrooms and the preparation of all students for the colleges or careers of their choice. There is much work to do.

“I want to thank and commend our teachers, teacher assistants, administrators, bus drivers, cafeteria employees and all who support what happens daily in our classrooms for a job well done, the community for embracing our vision for a better school system and our parents for partnering with us to provide the best education possible for their children,” he added. “Our commitment remains to provide a system focused on Excellence…without Excuse! I am confident that our best days are ahead and that we will continue to make progress. As always, I am Vance County Schools Proud… and today, I hope you are as well.”