New NC test scores show progress for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. See 2023-24 grades
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools saw steady improvement in test scores last year and fewer low-performing schools compared to the 2022-23 year, according to new school accountability data.
The state’s Department of Public Instruction on Wednesday released school performance grades, which are calculated from testing data that includes end-of-grade exam scores and academic growth students made during the previous school year. This year, state education officials released data for the 2023-24 school year, the third post-pandemic academic year.
About 53% of CMS students were proficient on statewide exams this year — just under one percentage point better than last year. That’s slightly behind the state average of 54.2%, which is up .6 percentage point from last year.
A student is considered “proficient” if they demonstrate “sufficient understanding” of grade-level knowledge and skills, according to the state. That requires a score of three out of five or higher on end-of-grade exams.
The district-wide student proficiency rate has improved significantly since 2020-21, the first year after the pandemic. However, it remains well below the pre-pandemic rate of 59.8%.
CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill said in a news release district leaders are excited and encouraged by the district’s gains.
“This progress is the result of diligent and intentional efforts from our school and district leaders, as well as our classroom teachers, school support staff and our entire community – proving that when we work together, we can achieve great results and improved outcomes for our students,” Hill said in a news release.
CMS schools with A or B grades
Approximately 32% of CMS schools received A or B grades, which is about the same as in 2022-23, according to N.C Department of Public Instruction data.
Ten CMS schools received A performance grades immediately before and after the pandemic, when data was not collected. They are:
- Ardrey Kell High School
- Cato Middle College High School
- Polo Ridge Elementary School
- Harper Middle College High School
- Hawk Ridge Elementary School
- Jay M. Robinson Middle School
- Levine Middle College High School
- Providence Spring Elementary School
- Providence High School
- Charlotte Engineering Early College-UNCC
Find school performance grades for CMS and surrounding school districts in the table below.
CMS schools exceeding growth
For the second year in a row this year, more than one-third of schools in CMS exceeded their “growth” goals.
Slightly over 83% of CMS schools, or 146, met or exceeded growth this year.
“That’s the largest number in CMS history and the second largest percentage, behind only 2015-16,” CMS Chief of Strategy and Innovation Beth Thompson said.
NCDPI defines growth as “the amount of academic progress that students make over the course of a grade or class.” It uses a model with data from end-of-grade and end-of-course assessments, career and technical education state assessments and NC Final Exams.
A number of CMS schools are no longer on the low-performing list, including Albemarle Road Middle, Lawrence Orr Elementary, Tuckaseegee Elementary, Mallard Creek Elementary and Croft Community School.
While 19 schools came off the low-performing list this year, 17 schools were added. It’s the first time more CMS schools were removed than added.
The new data show 56 schools — or about 32% — were considered low-performing schools in 2023-24, according to a Charlotte Observer analysis.
“You can expect our assistant superintendents to be working very closely with these schools,” Thompson told the media Wednesday.
Still, the number of low-performing schools exceeds pre-pandemic numbers, when 42 CMS schools made the low-performing list in the 2018-19 year, records show. A school is considered “low-performing” if it received a D or an F accountability grade from the state and did not exceed growth.
About 39% of CMS schools received D or F grades, a slight improvement from last year’s 41%. Not all of those schools are considered low-performing, since some exceeded growth targets this year.
The way North Carolina calculates school accountability grades has come under fire in recent years, with some educators and advocates saying the A through F model stigmatizes students and teachers at low-performing schools, which often have the highest proportion of low-income students and the least resources, without giving them the adequate support to improve. They say this worsens problems like teacher shortages at those schools.
Fewer than 10 out of 50 states used an A through F school accountability model as of May 2023. Out of those states, North Carolina gives the most weight to student test scores and had the highest rate of D and F schools.
This story was originally published September 4, 2024 at 10:15 AM.
