Tag: Results

This report focuses on a competency-based grading initiative at Carroll Middle School. The initiative was implemented from 2018-19 to 2020-21 to address the lack of alignment between report card grades and End-of-Grade (EOG) test results and was designed to ensure consistent delivery of standards-based instruction, formative assessment, and grading. The report addresses changes in stakeholder perceptions over time and describes the instructional approaches used. The results show that while students’ and teachers’ satisfaction with the grading system improved, some parents remained unsure of how to interpret competency-based grades. Since EOGs were not administered in 2019-20 and results were influenced by low participation rates in 2020-21, we were unable to examine possible proficiency changes during the initiative’s implementation. However, we were able to identify Carroll graduates in high school to examine their performance. We compared the grade point averages (GPAs), first quarter grades, and grade 9 retention rates of Carroll Middle School graduates to that of other freshmen in the same high school in Fall 2021. Results show that Carroll graduates did as well as students from other middle schools. These results suggest that Carroll should consider providing more support to parents to build understanding of the standards and grades, discuss ways for parents to support their children’s learning in the competency-grading environment, and address parents’ concerns about the interpretability of grades. School administrators should continue to support teachers in their competency-based grading efforts.

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How well are WCPSS students prepared for problem-solving, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking? Are WCPSS' 15-year-olds able to apply what they have learned to unfamiliar settings? PISA and CWRA+ assessments give us a glimpse of how WCPSS students are doing compared to national and international benchmarks. PISA: In 2018, a sample of WCPSS students in 5 high schools out-performed both the U.S. national and international students in each core subject (science, math, and reading). CWRA+: In Spring 2018, 1,570 WCPSS high school juniors participated in the CWRA+ assessments. CWRA+ measures students' skills in problem-solving, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking. Overall, 51% of WCPSS students performed at either "proficient, accomplished, or advanced" levels.

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Career academies serve an increasingly wide range of students. This paper examines the contemporary profile of students entering career academies in a large, diverse school district and estimates causal effects of participation in one of the district’s well-regarded academies on a range of high school and college outcomes. Exploiting the lottery-based admissions process of this technology-focused academy, we find that academy enrollment increases the likelihood of high school graduation by about 8 percentage points and boosts rates of college enrollment for males but not females. Analysis of intermediate outcomes suggests that effects on attendance and industry-relevant certification at least partially mediate the overall high school graduation effect.

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How well are Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) students prepared for problem-solving, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking? (a) WCPSS schools out-performed both the U.S., national, and international averages in each core subject of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA): mathematics, reading, and science. (b) Overall, 60% of WCPSS high school students in 2016 performed at a proficient level or above in problem-solving, scientific reasoning, and critical thinking in the College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA+). WCPSS juniors’ overall performance in CWRA+ was near the middle point between the averages of freshmen and seniors in the national CWRA+ sample. However, the WCPSS scores on the performance task and selected-response items diverged.

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In 2013-14, students in WCPSS continued to score 60-70 points higher on the SAT compared to students in NC and across the nation. All major WCPSS ethnic groups also continued to score significantly higher than their peers. Fifty-four percent of WCPSS students met the College Board's College and Career Readiness Benchmark. North Carolina had 41% of its students meeting the benchmark, while the nation had 43%. Continued improvements on college entrance exams are likely to be driven by student exposure to rigorous curriculum and high-level coursework. Schools are encouraged to find ways to prepare all students to engage in rigorous experiences in high school.

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The WCPSS Student Survey is administered each year to measure students' impressions of their school and their learning experiences. 2013-14 results indicate that elementary school students had a more positive impression of their learning environment than middle or high school students. Results were similar to those of recent years except for a lower percentage of 7th and 10th grade students reporting that they are learning about other cultures and countries. Another exception was a decline in the percentage of 10th grade students agreeing that the information they are learning will help them beyond high school.

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The 2013 North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey was administered to a sample of Wake County Public School System (WCPSS) middle school students in the spring of 2013 to measure behaviors relating to drugs and alcohol use, personal safety and violence, physical health and activity, and nutrition. Middle school students in WCPSS and middle school students across the state responded similarly to nearly all North Carolina Youth Risk Behavior Survey items. Some differences by subgroup were identified, although no significant differences were detected among 8th grade students, Black students, or Hispanic/Latino students within WCPSS and across NC. Within WCPSS, responses to some items varied by gender, grade level, and race/ethnicity.

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Despite increases in student membership each year, WCPSS continues to maintain a steady decline in dropout counts. In 2012-13, the WCPSS high school dropout rate fell to 1.95%, its lowest rate ever. The WCPSS rate is lower than the state's rate, and also the lowest of the other four large school districts in North Carolina (Guilford 2.07%, Forsyth 2.72%, Mecklenburg 3.02%, and Durham 3.21%). WCPSS dropout rates by ethnicity in 2012-13 also fell for all subgroups, with Black/African-American students experiencing the largest drop of 1.8 percentage points, from 4.6% in 2011-12 to 2.8% in 2012-13.

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In 2012-13, students in WCPSS continued to score 50-60 points higher on the SAT compared to students in NC and across the nation. Most major WCPSS ethnic groups also continued to score significantly higher than their peers. Trends in performance on college entrance exams such as the SAT represent important metrics for monitoring how well the system is preparing all students for post- secondary success.

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The WCPSS four-year cohort graduation rate increased slightly from 80.6% in 2011-12 to 81.0% in 2012-13. Over the past five years, the overall rate has increased 2.6 percentage points and is now at its highest point since 2005-06. In contrast to the 2011-12 cohort, graduation rates declined slightly for economically disadvantaged students (64.9%), and students with disabilities (59.6%). Four-year cohort graduation rates at the 25 WCPSS high schools with graduating classes ranged from 68.3% to more than 95% in 2012-13. Rates increased at nine schools and declined at 15 schools. Follow-up analysis of the 2012-13 cohort also shed light on the characteristics of non-graduates and the relationship between early literacy and graduation rates.

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Students in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS) continue to score well on AP exams with an increased percentage of students enrolling in the courses. As in past years, in 2013 the district had higher average AP exam scores compared to the state and the nation. WCPSS had 76.6% of scores 3 or higher in 2013 (qualified and above). Again in both 2012 and 2013, a high number of students took exams in Environmental Science, English Language & Composition, Psychology, and Statistics. Schools can use these data to benchmark themselves against their own past performance as well as their peers across the district. Encouraging more students to participate in AP classes and take the exams, in addition to other high-level coursework, should help WCPSS graduates be college and career-ready.

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This paper reports the overall findings of research on effective teaching practices in Wake County Public Schools (WCPSS). It is a cross-case analysis of five earlier studies (Biology, Algebra I, U.S. History, middle school Algebra I, and English I). Despite subject implementation differences, four common themes were found: high academic expectations for all students, thoughtful management of time and materials, learning-centered classrooms, and proactive planning.

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A Digest of UNC System Reports on Freshman Performance: 2006-07

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Student Support Teams (SST) are designed to strengthen and support students who are experiencing academic, behavioral, family, and/or emotional difficulties that interfere with learning. SSTs develop and implement action plans using classroom-, school-, family-, and/or community-based strategies. In 2003-04, 80% of the 4,944 students served by SSTs were elementary students. Over half of the students referred for academic reasons scored on grade level before SST participation. Earlier SST meetings and family-based strategies were correlated with positive academic outcomes. Classroom-based strategies were correlated with fewer suspensions. Schools varied in their success in improving SST students' achievement. SST participants' growth in achievement was generally smaller than a matched comparison group over one year, but students could have differed in ways related to referral reasons. SST students closed the gap between their achievement and that of the district overall in some elementary grades but not at the secondary level.

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This report summarizes national, state, and county SAT data for Wake County Public School System's (WCPSS) graduating seniors who took the test any time during their high school years through March 2004. The statistics presented are primarily based on reports provided by the College Board and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. The average total SAT score for WCPSS graduating seniors in 2003-04 was 1063, down from 1067 in 2002-03. The average score on the verbal subtest stayed at 524, while the average score on the mathematics subtest dropped from 543 to 539. The participation rate for WCPSS graduating seniors also dipped slightly from 80% in 2002-03 to 77% in 2003-04. Both the WCPSS total SAT score and participation rate, however, remain higher than the corresponding state and national figures.

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2000-2001 Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Results

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