2007-08 Adopted Plan - Wake County Public School System

Trends/Events/Initiativesstudents in Wake County.The SAT is a national examination offered through the College Board.The exam is designed to assess a student’s potential for success atthe college level and is required for admission to many colleges anduniversities. SAT scores for 2006 WCPSS seniors averaged 1066, lowerthan the average for 2005, but still above the averages for seniors in NorthCarolina and in the nation. Since 1990, WCPSS students’ combinedverbal and quantitative scores have increased 67 points, exceedingNorth Carolina’s increase of 60, and the national increase of 20 points.The national average SAT score in 2005-06 was 1021 and the averagescore in North Carolina was 1008.110010801060WCPSS2005 End-of-Grade Test ResultsPercentage at or above Grade LevelGrade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8Reading 87.7 89.5 91.8 88.0 90.7 91.0Math 77.0 75.1 72.8 73.1 72.6 71.8Source: http://disag.ncpublicschools.org/2006/The ABCs of Public Education is a statewide accountability model thatmeasures growth in student achievement from one year to the next inindividual schools as well as the percentage of students at or abovegrade level. A total of 138 WCPSS schools participated in the stateABCs program. The percentage of WCPSS schools meeting either HighGrowth or Expected Growth standards decreased from 86 percent in2004-05 to 80 percent in 2005-06. None of the schools were rated as lowperforming.It should be remembered that the State Board of Educationadopted new methods for measuring growth in 2005-06, which accountsfor some of the decline in schools identifi ed as “high growth” schools.1040ABCs of Public Education Schools' Academic Growth 1997-20061020USA100%1000980NC90%80%70%9601997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006WCPSS 1047 1052 1059 1061 1054 1067 1067 1063 1075 1066USA 1016 1017 1016 1019 1020 1020 1026 1026 1028 1021NC 978 982 986 988 992 998 1001 1006 1010 1008Percentage of WCPSS60%50%40%The EOG test score composite percentage, which includes reading andmath scores for all grades 3-8 students who took an EOG exam, declinedfrom 90.8 in 2004-05 to 81.8 percent in 2006. This decline is almostentirely attributable to the new cut-scores in mathematics set by theState Board of Education. There was no decline in percent of studentsat/above grade level in reading.30%20%10%0%1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006Less Than Expected Growth Expected Growth High Growth8