Accountability Data Release
The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Board of Education heard updates on accountability data for the 2024-25 school year during their meeting on Tuesday night.
Every year, schools are assigned grades based on how students achieved and grew throughout the previous school year in accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act. Schools are graded on a curve, so grades reflect the quality of growth relative to other evaluated schools statewide. This year’s reports offered numerous positive signs for WS/FCS.
Overall, 45 of the district’s 72 evaluated schools either met or exceeded growth. Twelve schools improved their standing by an entire letter grade since last year, and seven came off the low-performing list. Scores went up on 14 out of 16 standardized tests across all grade levels. Reagan High School and Atkins High School were particularly high achievers, ranking in the top 1% of growth for all schools in North Carolina.
The principals of Forest Park Elementary School, Walkertown Middle School, and John F. Kennedy High School addressed the board members about how their schools achieved some of the biggest improvements in the district. Their stories all had common themes, including developing positive relationships between students and staff, focusing instruction on data-driven solutions, and maintaining clear communication about what each student needs to succeed.
“It’s all about keeping the main thing the main thing,” Kennedy Principal Alfreda Smith said. “Sometimes we can work hard, but we’re not working towards our goals and what it is we want to fulfil. You have to understand where you are and where you want to go as a school.”
Superintendent Search
The board also reached a consensus to delay hiring a permanent superintendent until 2026. Interim Superintendent Catty Moore does not plan to extend her six-month contract past November 30, and Summit Search Solutions Inc. says that finding a permanent superintendent by December might be too fast of a timeline to guarantee a quality candidate. The board agreed to seek another interim superintendent for the second half of the year with help from the State Board of Education.
“Based on our conversations with the superintendent search firm, it’s going to be a challenge to have someone in place by December,” Board Member Richard Watts said. “I think that to look for another candidate who’s competent, who knows our financial situation, and not rush into finding a new superintendent will benefit our district.”
Further discussions on the district’s budget situation will be covered in the next Community Budget Update, which will be released on Friday.
The Board of Education will meet again on Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30 pm.