Charlotte’s newest snarky question: What’s your school’s grade?
The Story
North Carolina just released its first-ever letter grades for public schools. They’ve become quite the talker.
NC has released grades for schools across the state. Look up your district at http://t.co/amYZkf0BZ2 pic.twitter.com/UdXHmpmRB0
— Charlotte Observer (@theobserver) February 5, 2015
The Facts
– In Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, 17 schools got A’s.
– 11 schools got F’s.
– Scores are almost completely based on proficiency on state exams. No consideration is made for how much students have improved over previous years, as other measures take into account.
– As expected, the grades track wealth: the wealthy, suburban schools rocked it, the poorer schools didn’t.
The Top 5 CMS schools
1. Cato Middle College High: 98% proficient
2. Providence Spring Elementary: 95%
3. Providence High: 95%
4. Ardrey Kell High: 94%
5. Jay Robinson Middle: 91%
The Bottom 5 CMS schools
1. Cochrane Collegiate Academy: 34%
2. Coulwood Middle: 34%
3. Winterfield Elementary: 35%
4. Bruns Academy: 35%
5. Whitewater Middle: 36%
The Reaction
CMS outperforms state averages for high-performing schools. North Carolina issues first School Performance Grades: http://t.co/xvGy2rSdrp
— CMS Media Relations (@CMS_MR) February 5, 2015
CMS leaders say grades highlight weakness in area of reading. 44% of schools received low score in that subject. @wsoctv
— Tina Terry (@TinaTerryWSOC9) February 5, 2015
School grades. Merry Oaks Elementary gets a “D”. We need to change that. http://t.co/DCeZPDRCpT
— Merry Oaks (@merryoaks) February 5, 2015
School performance grades were released today, but after years of education cuts, it’s #NCGA & McCrory who deserve Fs http://t.co/DdbF1AqnfV
— Progress NC Action (@ProgressNow_NC) February 5, 2015
High-Poverty schools did not score well on new NC DPI grades. Glad my daughter’s school got a D – most students arrive not speaking English
— Diana Rugg (@DianaRuggOnTV) February 5, 2015
Do A-F school grades measure progress or punish the poor? – http://t.co/sKrm267RoE #ncga #ncpol #ncgov #nced #ncteach
— NC Policy Watch (@NCPolicyWatch) February 4, 2015
CLT Observer lists state grades for CMS schools in alphabetical order (and royally messes up alphabetical order) http://t.co/TynOcOm3Di
— Jon Show (@jonshow1) February 5, 2015
C5’s Take
My kid’s school got a B. I’m not sure how to feel about that. Bs are okay, but not great. I like As. CMS explains it all away with a lot of “buts,” but I know my kids’ teachers won’t accept “buts.”
But …
Photos: Robert Lahser Cato, John D. Simmons, April Bethea, Mark Hames / Charlotte Observer
This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 1:16 AM with the headline "Charlotte’s newest snarky question: What’s your school’s grade?."