AG Test Scores

LITTLEFIELD— Ayden-Grifton High School ranked last among the county’s six high schools on the preliminary ABC’s Performance Composite released last Friday by Pitt County Schools. The data is preliminary and all composite scores reflect the percent of students at each school that scored at grade level on end-of-grade tests. The state will issue individual report cards and make that data official on August 5, 2004.

In a press conference at Northwest Elementary School, Pitt County School officials released the preliminary 2003-04 and ABCs and AYP test results to the public.

As a school, Ayden-Grifton fell from a composite performance of 67.7 to 66.4 from the 2003 year. The 2003 score, too, was the lowest among the county’s high schools.

Asked to comment on Ayden-Grifton’s test scores, Pitt School Superintendent Michael Priddy stated, “The efforts to improve - at all levels county, state nation - over the last 10 years have a fundamental assumption that all students can learn. Successful schools have faculties and communities determined to ensure every student’s success, regardless of ability or family background. The other critical ingredient - high expectations - is built in to the daily culture of a school and all of its classes. From my perspective those two concepts – high expectations and determination - have been embraced more  by the faculty at the other five high schools than they have thus far at Ayden-Grifton.”

Priddy added, “But to be successful, the school and community must demand excellence in both. Ayden-Grifton has all the ingredients, including more resources per pupil than any other high school in Pitt County. Yet the fundamental belief that all students are capable is not yet a permeating characteristic of the school culture. We know that the community, board leadership and administration desire this.”

On the other side of the coin, Farmville Central moved from a performance composite of 74 in 2003 to 84.4 in 2004 - the highest score among the county’s high schools. Rose followed at 83, D.H. Conley at 82.7, South Central at 80.1 and North Pitt at 78.

Past performance indicates that North Pitt High School has made the biggest turn around in performance over the past seven years. During that time the school has moved from a 45.4 performance composite to a 78 score, a 72 percent rise.

Farmville Central moved up 45 percent from 58.1 in 1998 to 84.4 in 2004. D.H. Conley’s performance composite moved from 62.6 in 1998 to 82.7, a rise of 32 percent. Ayden-Grifton composite rose 28%, from 51.7 in 1998 to 66.4 in 2004. And, J.H. Rose High School’s composite - tops for six consecutive years until 2004 - rose 16 percent, from 71.6 to 83.

Under North Carolina’s ABCs testing program schools are held accountable on two measures: growth and performance. A snapshot of how Pitt County schools performed in 2003-04 is as follows:

-Twenty-three of the 32 schools made either “Expected” or “High” growth

-Twenty-three of the 32 schools have at least 80% performance composite

-All six high schools met growth

-Nineteen schools are expected to receive ABCs special recognition

-Sixteen schools are expected to receive “School of Distinction” recognition (80%-89% performance composite)

Three schools are expected to receive “Honor School of Excellence” recognition (90%-100% performance composite and made AYP)

Among the county’s high schools, D.H. Conley, Farmville Central, J.H. Rose and South Central are all expected to be “Schools of Distinction” and met the “No Child Left Behind”  (NCLB) legislation. Ayden-Grifton and North Pitt did not meet recognition nor did they meet the NCLB legislation.

Ayden Elementary School had a 79.9 performance composite and Ayden Middle had a score of 83.3. Grifton School scored 81.6. Neither of the three schools received recognition but Ayden Elementary and Grifton School all met the NCLB legislation.

A.G. Cox Middle scored 86.8, was a “School of Distinction” but did not meet NCLB requirements. W.H. Robinson, at 85.8, was both a “School of Distinction” and meet all NCLB requirements. Wintergreen Intermediate scored 84.3 and is expected to be a “School of Distinction” and met NCLB requirements.

Chicod School scored 97.8 and is expected to be a “School of Excellence” and met all NCLB requirements. G.R. Whitfield Elementary scored 85.6, is expected to be a School of Distinction and met all NCLB requirements.

As a group Pitt County Schools has met many of the challenges set forth in the NCLB  legislation its leaders believe. “We faced another year of rigorous standards and high expectations, but our students, teachers and parents rose to the challenge,” said Superintendent Dr. Michael Priddy about the overall results.

No Child Left Behind requires schools across the nation to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. AYP measures students in a number of subgroups. Those subgroups must meet a certain percentage of their target goals to be considered meeting their AYP. A preliminary look at how Pitt County Schools performed in 2003-04 include:

-Twenty-one of the 32 schools made Adequate Yearly Progress

-All schools made 85% or more of their AYP target goals

-PCS met 93% of the AYP target goals  

Schools that receive Title I funding and do not meet AYP for two consecutive years will enter into school improvement and offer choice to parents. Pitt County has four schools falling under this designation. The schools are: H.B. Sugg Elementary, Sam D. Bundy Elementary, Bethel Elementary and Pactolus Elementary. School officials plan to spend the next year working closely with those schools to ensure AYP is achieved next year.

Recognizing that more work needs to be done, Barbara Owens, chair of the Educational Programs and Services Committee, ensured parents and the community that achievement in the classroom would be top priority. “We will continue to challenge students of all levels to achieve higher standards. And we will ensure our teachers are getting the necessary training to educate all children,” Owens said. 

Additional information on AYP and No Child Left Behind can be obtained on July 19th by visiting Pitt County Schools website on at www.pitt.k12.nc.us.

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