Unofficial test results, embargoed for release by the state Department of Public Instruction, took center stage at Monday’s Clinton City Board of Education meeting, where board members were limited in what they could say out loud, but discussed the results they were reviewing without specifics, receiving clarity on what the data meant from Superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson and cabinet member Dr. Linda Jewel Carr, who presented the results.
The actual numbers could not be discussed, because the results are unofficial until DPI releases the scores in September.
Carr told the board the total scores will change some because students who were not in attendance for at least half the semester or year will have their scores omitted from the school percentage. For example, if a fourth grade student transferred to Sunset Avenue in March, they still took the end of grade tests, but their score will ultimately not be counted in the school’s average. The results the board members were given Monday included these students’ scores.
Johnson added that North Carolina used to report levels one-four as separate scores, indicating students proficiency, but now one and two together are labeled not proficient, as well as there being an added level five. DPI officials have explained that the state Board of Education created the new achievement levels to more accurately communicate both how well students have mastered the standards in their current grade or course, as well as how ready they are to move forward to the next grade.
The board had lots of questions about what the scores there were reviewing meant. Carol Worley, board vice chairwoman said, “at the end of the day, it’s concerning,” adding “these papers are our primary focus for being at this table.”
Johnson explained that the data dating back to 2013 reports similar numbers consistently, while Worley added that she has the numbers from when she joined the board in 2010, and that the numbers not being drastically different raises concern for her because “the issue remains.”
Johnson stressed, “The one thing you have to remember is tests change; curriculums change.”
Board member Jeremy Edgerton expressed: “I don’t get it. Even if a test has changed, a 60 is still a 60.”
John Lowe, executive director of Technology & Auxiliary Services, explained the scoring process being normed on a bell curve, and how that means “you don’t know where they’ll make the cut off for proficient.” He explained that teachers don’t know what will be considered not proficient until after the students take the test, making it difficult to know exactly where students need to be.
“We won’t really know how we did until September when we can compare to the 10 districts in North Carolina that are like us,” Johnson stressed. Those districts, he explained, are most demographically similar to Clinton City Schools, emphasizing that last year, when the score was 38.3 percent proficiency for English, his team was quite concerned until finding out it was the “highest in the state east of I-95.”
That’s “why it is important to compare” the results, he concluded, while adding that his Clinton City team “feels favorable” about these results based on previous years.
“The difficult part for me is that there are districts that have this figured out,” Worley said. She raised the question “are they learning what they need to learn?” “I think there’s something missing, and I don’t know what it is, but I hope we figure this out,” she said, stressing that her passion is for students’ success and readiness for the future.
Worley then asks the superintendent to give further clarity on the numbers.
He explained that because certain grades, like fifth and eighth, take three end-of-grade tests because of the addition of science, compared to other grades that take only math and reading, they have an advantage to score proficient overall because there are more tests to average.
“That provides a level of relief,” Worley said.
Johnson then turned to what he called exciting news, pointing to the system’s graduation rate, which he said gone up to a number never before seen in Clinton High history.
Chairwoman Dr. Linda Brunson emphasized how important it was to her to celebrate the successes, and how much there is to celebrate within the as-yet unreleased results.
“What are we doing for each child?” she asked, emphasizing the importance of looking beyond the grade levels and sub groups, and ensuring individual needs are being met.
The results will be released to the public Sept. 3, and, at that time, comparisons between districts can be made, which will provide a more comprehensive picture of what the scores mean for the district.