Elementary, middle both received Ds
Robbinsville – Graham County Schools, responding to low-performance grades at two of its three schools, has developed plans to bring those grades up.
The Graham County Board of Education held a special called meeting Nov. 2, to comply with deadlines to formalize the plans.
Parents and guardians of children who attend Robbinsville Elementary School and Robbinsville Middle School were sent letters in late-October, explaining the situation and corrective steps that will be taken.
The final plans can be found at the school district’s website at graham.k12.nc.us.
Deadlines to implement measures start in June 2023, with a deadline for exceeded growth expectations by June 2024. In many cases, improvement measures have been taking place and have already been implemented.
Low-performing schools are those that earn an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of “met expected growth” or “not met expected growth.”
Robbinsville Elementary and Middle schools each received D grades. Robbinsville High School received a C.
Because two out of the county’s three schools underperformed, the district has also been classified as underperforming, as well.
The School Performance Grades are based 80 percent on a school’s achievement score in student proficiency and 20 percent on students’ academic growth.
Robbinsville Middle School scores were based on testing in 6-8 grade math, 6-8 English Language Arts/Reading, and 8th grade science.
Robbinsville Elementary School scores were based on testing in 3-5 grade math, 3-5 grade English Language Arts/Reading, and grade 5 science.
“Although we are committed to improve this score, it is important to remember that just as no one single score or grade tells the whole story of a student, neither does it tell you everything about the performance of a school or the opportunities that our school provides,” according to letters to parents and guardians from Schools Superintendent Angie Knight, Robbinsville Middle School Principal Tonia Walsh and Robbinsville Elementary School Principal Jaime Hooper.
Corrective measures include new core curriculum in reading and math for K-5 students and specialized training for K-5 staff as well as “high-quality after school programming.”
At the middle school, measures include assessment and intervention programs, tutoring, optional after school programs for students and several subject-focused programs across almost all academic subjects.