Higher standards bring new baseline reading scores, lower ABCs results
DURHAM—Final ABCs of Accountability results for the 2007-08 school year released by the state Department of Public Instruction today are lower than in previous years because they reflect the state’s new, higher standards for performance. The 2007-08 is a baseline year for the new standards. Districts across the state are experiencing similar results.
Seventeen schools reported High Growth. They are Bethesda, Club Boulevard, Creekside, Eastway, Glenn, R.N. Harris, Hillandale, Lakewood, Little River, Mangum, Merrick-Moore, Morehead, Y.E. Smith, Southwest and George Watts Elementary Schools, and Brogden Middle School and Durham School of the Arts.
It is important to note that school districts across the state experienced similar decreases due to the renorming of scores. In fact, last year, 84 percent of third-graders were reading proficiently across the state. That number is expected to be around 56 percent statewide this year. For eighth-graders, the drop is expected to be even more dramatic, from 89.8 percent to 55 percent.
Adequate Yearly Progress results indicate that four schools – Easley, Hillandale, Mangum Elementary and Josephine D. Clement Early College High School – met 100 percent of their goals. Another four – Little River, Pearsontown and Southwest Elementary and Shepard Middle – met at least 90 percent of AYP goals.
This isn’t the first time new standards have affected test scores. In 2006, standards were raised on math scores to set a new baseline. Since that time, Durham Public Schools has shown overall growth in mathematics.
“It is of critical importance that parents and our community members keep in mind that we are starting from a new baseline this year, and that while scores look lower, student performance is, in fact, higher in many cases,” said Superintendent Carl Harris. “We have a high level of confidence in our schools’ commitment to reaching these new standards. We will continue to focus on data-driven work to implement new strategies and build on those that are already working well, such as Professional Learning Communities and Central Services support teams.”
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