FROM THE STATE

So here's a release from Asheville City Schools in regard to the new state School Performance Grades - due for release this week. Please read!

State Issuing School Performance Grades (SPGs) this Thursday, Feb 5^th

The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation requiring our state to issue A-F grades for nearly all schools in North Carolina. The grades are coming out this week.

While that may sound simple, it really isn’t. We don’t think the way the grades are computed reflects the quality of education our schools are providing. In fact, the Asheville City Board of Education passed a resolution calling for the development of an alternative grading system that would provide a more accurate reflection of true school performance.

The grades are calculated using just a few numbers: 80% is based on proficiency on state tests (high school grades include a few other measures, such as graduation rates and ACT scores) and 20% is based on growth.

Asheville City Schools is concerned about this because any fair evaluation of the quality of a school requires looking at multiple measures of performance, not just one or two numbers. 

Imagine if your child took a couple of quizzes over the course of a year and received a letter grade based solely on those few numbers? That’s not a complete picture, yet that’s what our schools are facing.

In addition, good evaluation systems don’t change how high the goal post is every year – which is currently the case in North Carolina – especially in light of all the other changes that have recently occurred, with more still to come.

Here’s a more concrete example. This year, the A-F grades are being calculated on a 15-point scale. That means a score of 55-69 would be a C, 70-84 a B and 85-100 an A.

But next year, the letter grades will be on a 10-point scale, so a school could score a 71 this year and receive a B, and improve to a 79 next year and receive a C. That just doesn’t make sense.

Our district has a clear roadmap to ensure student success in character, academics and all that we do. It’s outlined in a two-page document posted on the district web site and adapted at each school and available on their sites.  Also, this month we are launching a new strategic planning process that will guide Asheville City Schools for the next two years.

Our current district priorities include:

· Excellence with Equity

· Progression in Literacy

· Affirmative School Cultures

· Invested Leaders and Staff

· Engaged Parents and Community

We are proud of our schools!  Despite both new standards and new tests this past year, Asheville City Schools’ students outpaced the state average in reading, math and science.  Our 86.5% graduation rate was the highest in history. For the seventeenth year in a row, Asheville High and SILSA seniors far outpaced the state and national averages on the 2014 SAT exam.

Please share this information with your friends and family. We need your help to tell our story and let the Asheville community know about the good things happening in our small, family-friendly, safe and academically sound public school district.