News Summary
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in North Carolina are witnessing significant gains in student performance for the 2023-24 school year. Over 83% of CMS schools exceeded growth expectations, with 33 schools improving their letter grades. Additionally, the district’s graduation rate rose to 84%, and college and career readiness is on the upswing. However, achievement gaps remain a concern, prompting CMS to enhance support for schools that face challenges. The encouraging data highlights the commitment and potential for further academic improvements within the district.
Exciting Times in Charlotte: Schools Soar in Student Performance!
Charlotte, North Carolina is buzzing with good news as the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) showcase remarkable advancements in student academic performance. The latest data from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) revealed some pretty impressive numbers for the 2023-24 school year, making it a historic moment for the district.
A Record-Breaking 83% of Schools See Growth
Hold on to your hats because here comes the big numbers! Over 83% of CMS schools—146 campuses to be exact—met or exceeded growth expectations. This achievement marks the highest number of schools reaching such impressive milestones in the district’s history. What a fantastic way for CMS to kick off the school year!
Letter Grades Improve
In a further show of progress, an impressive 33 CMS schools managed to improve their letter grades from the previous year. That means more students are learning and doing better academically! Overall, 108 schools earned performance grades of A, B, or C, which is an increase of five schools when compared to last year’s results.
College and Career Readiness on the Rise
As for college and career readiness—there’s good news here too! North Carolina students have shown an increase in readiness in math for the second consecutive year. In CMS, students are reaching grade-level proficiency across all grades from third to eighth, with a slight uptick of 2.1 percentage points compared to last year. How encouraging it is to see our students thriving!
Graduation Rates Trend Upward
Switching gears to graduation rates, there’s a little celebration in order. The overall graduation rate for North Carolina has climbed to an exciting 86.9%, up from last year’s 86.5%. Even better news for CMS: the graduation rate has improved by 1.4% to reach 84%. This is especially encouraging for Hispanic and multilingual learners who are seeing some positive trends.
Still Room for Improvement
While the numbers are uplifting, it’s important to note that CMS graduation rates still fall behind other large districts like Wake County and Guilford County, which have graduation rates of 91.3% and 92.2% respectively. The district also saw 19 schools removed from the state’s low-performing list, while 17 new schools were added, leaving a total of 56 out of 174 categorized as low-performing. That’s quite a rollercoaster of moves there!
Addressing Achievement Gaps
Despite these positive developments, achievement gaps are still a concern. In early literacy, Black students showed a proficiency rate of 67.2% compared to their white peers at 87.8%. Fortunately, CMS is actively working to narrow these gaps. They’ve noted that proficiency disparities between white and Asian students and their Black and Hispanic friends have decreased by as much as 9.5% over three years. Progress, but there’s still a journey ahead!
Support for Schools Facing Challenges
To tackle these achievement gaps and support schools not meeting state standards, CMS is ramping up assistance and coaching. Education leadership acknowledges the strides made in math, science, and early literacy but continues to stress that gaps due to racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities need urgent attention.
The Future Looks Bright
All in all, CMS’s accomplishments come with a touch of cautious optimism. While hard work has led to improvements, there’s no doubt the journey toward higher achievement continues. And with the community’s support and dedication, there’s reason to believe that even more incredible milestones are around the corner for Charlotte’s schools! Let’s keep cheering them on!
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Additional Resources
- WCNC: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 2023-24 Student Performance Data
- Charlotte Observer: CMS Student Performance Overview
- WSOC TV: CMS Trending in the Right Direction
- Axios: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Performance Data
- QC News: CMS to Release 2023-24 Student Performance Data
- Wikipedia: Education in North Carolina
- Google Search: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
- Google Scholar: Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Performance
Author: HERE Charlotte
