Davidson County schools sees decline in performance two-years after disruption by COVID-19 pandemic

For the first time in two years, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released school performance grades on Aug. 30. Although most school districts in Davidson County saw an increase in academic growth, many saw an overall decline in their 2021-2022 school grades.

School Performance Grades are assigned by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction by combining 80% of the school achievement score and 20% the school growth score. The grades were not previously released due to the interruption of traditional in-class instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Student proficiency, or achievement, is based on how students scored on end-of-course grades and ACT scores indicating they have mastery of the content standards. Student growth is the amount of academic progress that students make over the course of a grade or class.

These grades are used to identify schools in need of comprehensive support and improvement. Also, as required by state law, School Performance Grades and a school's growth status determines whether a school or district is low performing.

Almost every school district in North Carolina saw a decrease in their school grades which has led to questions on the accuracy of using student proficiency at such a weighted level over student growth when determining school grades.

“I share the same concerns of many educators, parents and others who have raised concerns for years about the fairness of the grades,” said Catherine Truitt, state superintendent of public instruction, “but because of the pandemic, the 80-20 formula caused more school grades to slip. The current accountability model does not do justice to the hard work that teachers and students put in every day in schools across the state, and I look forward to working with stakeholders to consider other metrics important to determining school quality.”

DAVIDSON COUNTY SCHOOLS

Of the Davidson County schools eligible for performance grades and growth, two schools, Friendship Elementary and East Davidson High School, exceeded growth standards;19 met growth expectations and 13 did not meet growth standards. Stoner-Thomas School and Davidson County High schools are considered alternative schools and are not included in the statewide grading report.

Davidson Early College was the only school that received an A grade and met growth expectations.

Friendship Elementary and East Davidson High School were the only schools in the district that received a B grade and exceeded growth expectations. Wallburg Elementary, Oak Grove High School and Yadkin Valley Regional Career Academy received a B grade and met expectations. North Davidson High School also received a B grade but did not meet growth expectations.

Seven schools in the district received a D grade, but Brier Creek, Denton, Tyro and Fair Grove elementary schools all met growth expectations. Silver Valley Elementary School was the only school in Davidson County Schools that received an F grading and did not meet expectations.

“Davidson County Schools was excited to see 77% of schools receiving a school performance grade of A, B, or C. Since the last test data release in 2018-2019, we have faced unique challenges due to COVID and last school year was no exception with increased student and staff absences due to quarantines. This data indicates that we need our students in school, receiving quality instruction,” said Dr. Emily Lipe, superintendent of Davidson County Schools.

Lipe said that although there have been some decreases in certain area, they are pleased with the increased proficiencies in math and reading at the elementary school level; as well as proficiencies in math and science at the middle school level and biology and Math 1 at the high school level.

“Academic recovery has definitely begun in Davidson County Schools,” said Lipe. “The expectation is for all schools to meet or exceed growth in student performance. With explicit instruction, by highly qualified teachers, using research-based resources, we are certain to see double the gains this coming year as we move forward. Our start to the 2022-2023 school year has been positive and our school administrators and staff are ready to strive for excellence in all of our schools.”

LEXINGTON CITY SCHOOLS

All six schools in the Lexington City Schools system received a D grade, but only Lexington Senior High School and Southwest Global Academy did not meet growth expectations.

Charles England Elementary school was the only school in the district that exceeded growth expectations. Lexington Middle School and Pickett Elementary School met growth expectations. South Lexington School did not report growth because of the ages of the students.

“We are beyond proud of students, families and stakeholders for the promising progress being made here at Lexington City Schools. However special recognition goes to our teachers and administrators who sometimes faced very difficult situations of massive attendance issues and class coverages due to COVID cases and quarantines, while working to close learning loss gaps,” said Dr. Anitra Wells, superintendent of Lexington City Schools.

She said the district is actively working to develop a district wide plan to “ensure all areas are thriving at the highest level” with a special focus on students with disabilities and English as a Second Language subgroups across the district.

This includes hiring bi-lingual teacher assistants; professional development for schools targeting instructional strategies to use with ESL and SWD students; professional development for Exceptional Child teachers on providing more services via inclusive learning environments and instructional strategies and providing additional time for students who need extra support.

“The overall increase in the LCS test scores is a testament to the diligent work and dedication of the entire LCS family during a very difficult time in public education,” said Wells.

THOMASVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

Three schools in the Thomasville Schools district received a D grading, with Liberty Drive Elementary School being the only school that received an F grading and did not meet growth expectations.

Thomasville Middle School exceeded growth expectations and Thomasville Primary School met expectations in the 2021-2022 school year.

“We are still recovering from the disruption COVID has caused,” said Dr. Chris Kennedy, superintendent of Thomasville City Schools. “We recognized there are gaps in learning that have to be dealt with and that is our top priority. We are looking at our individual schools as more than just a score and addressing all the needs created by the pandemic...We are looking at a multi-year revision of our educational planning and we already have some new initiatives underway.”

Kennedy also said there has been a “seismic shift” in education caused by the pandemic that will need to be dealt with for years to come, but he is optimistic Thomasville City Schools is on the path for future success.

“We were on an upward trajectory prior to COVID. Our test scores have improved every year, so we know the capacity is there. We are looking at what we can do to rebound, but it is going to take years. Our theme this year is getting back to business and that is what we intend on doing,” said Kennedy.

General news reporter Sharon Myers can be reached at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com. Follow her on Twitter @LexDispatchSM.

This article originally appeared on The Dispatch: Davidson County schools decline in performance grades after pandemic