Special to Iredell Free News
Iredell-Statesville Schools administrators and their counterparts in the Mooresville Graded School District pointed to data in the state accountability report that shows student growth in several key areas.
But they also conceded, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, that there is work to be done in other areas.
Iredell-Statesville Schools
I-SS outperformed the state proficiency percentage in every subject, including significant gains in biology, fourth-grade reading, and all middle school end-of grade state testing, district officials said in a news release.
Comparing the district’s state test scores from the previous year, the highest gains occurred in Math 6, which increased 8.6 percent proficiency, and Math 8 with an increase of 8.9 percent proficiency. In addition, the district’s graduation rate increased slightly from 87 percent in 2020-2021 to 88.1 percent for the 2021-2022 school year.
Three district schools — Woodland Heights Middle School, the Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership, and Crossroads Arts and Science Early College — exceeded growth.
“We are grateful for the dedication and hard work by our educators and students,” Superintedent Jeff James said in the news release. “The 2021-22 school year continued to present challenges from the pandemic impacting our performance. Schools were faced with working through remote instruction, school closures, teacher and student absences, and the large gaps of learning loss created from the year before.
“While these challenges may have varied from day-to-day, the goal remained the same. We are committed to providing a high-quality, relevant education in a safe and caring environment,” he added.
The district is committed to closing learning gaps and making sure students are prepared for the future. Specifically, elementary schools continue to focus on math and English Language Arts gaps, as well as science and reading proficiency in the primary grades. Secondary schools continue to focus on high school English and biology as well as math proficiency across all subgroups.
Mooresville Graded School District
MGSD made gains in several achievement areas while working to tackle “learning loss” during the pandemic. Out of 115 public school districts in North Carolina, MGSD ranked:
♦ No. 1 for Graduation Rate (> 95 percent);
♦ No. 4 for Grade 5 EOG Science Test;
♦ No. 5 for Grade 3 EOG Reading Test;
♦ No. 8 for Grade 5 EOG Math Test; and
♦ No. 16 overall for students testing proficient or advanced on state EOG/EOC tests.
MGSD’s overall composite score grew by 5.4 percent compared to 2021, and the district also made proficiency gains in 16 out of 18 tested areas with the largest gains in the following areas:
♦ Grade 7 Math (15%);
♦ Grade 8 Math (13%); and
♦ Grade 5 Math (12%)
“We are grateful for the dedication of the MGSD staff and our community as we navigated one of the most challenging times in public education,” Superintendent Jason Gardner said in a news release.
“We understand that climbing back to pre-pandemic proficiency is a multi-year effort, and we believe the results from the 2021-22 school year are the first step in that journey. We will continue to unite as a community and focus on providing the best educational experience possible for every child, every day.”
Related
September 1: N.C. students made gains in 2021-22 following COVID-19 decline