Academic Excellence

Academic Excellence for all students is the commitment of Wilson County Schools. The school system, as well as all other segments of our county, realizes our children are our future, thus academic success for each and every one of them is critical. To this end, we are striving to provide the most rigorous, stimulating instructional programs possible. Following are examples of our commitment to Academic Excellence.

Early Literacy Program With the ending of the 1995-96 school year, the second year of the multi-year Reading Plan was completed. Providing instruction by reading specialists, as well as the regular K-2 classroom teachers, the Early Literacy Program is designed to prevent rather than to remediate reading problems. The three components of the program include Reading Recovery, which provides individualized instruction by reading specialists; early literacy groups, which gives small group instruction by reading specialists; and regular classroom instruction, provided by K-2 classroom teachers. Of the 152 students who were served by Reading Recovery during 1995-96, 121 received a complete program. Of the 121 receiving a complete program, 84 were reading at or above grade level in May as indicated by the students' Text Level Reading score. The 84 discontinued students' mean reading score increased from an initial score of 0.36 to 21.07, an increase of 20.71. This indicates that those students who successfully completed the program were reading at the second grade level. Thirty-five students were near grade level and moved from an initial mean Test Level of 0.45 to 14.57. As a group, the mean reading level for Reading Recovery students is Level 15. Early Literacy served a total of 377 students. Of the 377 served, 310 were first grade students and 67 were second grade students. Upon completion of the program, 86 of the first grade students were on grade level in May. These 86 students began the program reading with a mean Text Level Reading score of 2.98 and discontinued with a mean of 19.10. A score of 19.10 indicates that these students were reading at a second grade level. Results for the Second Grade Early Literacy students indicate that of the 67 students served, 27 discontinued. The second grade students began the Early Literacy Program reading at an 11.3 Test Level and completed the program at 23.9, a gain of 12.6. A Test Level score of 23.9 indicates that these 27 students were reading at a third grade level.

Middle Grade Initiatives The major instructional foci in grades 6-8 are reading, writing, and mathematics, just as in the elementary grades. Instructional initiatives include a revision of the vocational education curriculum to include more technology instructional and applications and the establishment of focused intervention programs to provide additional assistance for students scoring below level three on state end-of-grade tests.

High School Curriculum After an in-depth study of the high school curriculum by the High School Advisory Committee, the Board of Education approved several changes for the current curriculum, effective the 1996-97 school year. Providing for a higher level of academic opportunity for students, these changes include additional requirements of an English elective, a computer elective, and a second United States history course. With these additional units, the total specific requirements will be 18 with 29 being the total units needed for graduation for the 1996-97 freshmen class. Also, several new electives in the areas of English, math, social studies, physical education, second languages, cultural arts, and vocational education have been added to the curriculum.

Grade Level Proficiency Standards The advisory committees for elementary, middle, and high school levels continue to function in an assessing/recommending role to determine what is needed to better prepare our students for society. An important task all three groups are presently addressing is the defining of grade level proficiency standards for all K-12 grades. When completed, these standards will provide clearer expectations for students and teachers.

Long-Range Facilities Plan The Board of Education has begun the implementation of the Long-Range Facilities Plan, that when completed, will have a K-5 configuration in every elementary school, convert Adams and Elvie into centers for special programs, renovate all existing facilities, as well as construct new additions at some sites. The proposed plan timeline calls for the first projects to begin during the 1996-97 school year with the last ones being completed in 2004. When fully implemented, all facilities will be significantly improved. The projected cost of the proposed projects is $28,298,631.

Instructional Technology Plan The systemwide Technology Plan is being implemented in phases. With the $5 million dollar commitment from the County Commissioners, more resources than ever before are being provided to our schools. The systemwide team, comprised of 3 technology specialists, 2 technology technicians, and a director and assistant director, is providing our school staffs, students, and central staff with invaluable assistance. A major focus has been at the middle school level in order to have the students prepared for the state level computer proficiency test given for the first time during 1996-97. As additional funding is received, assistance will be focused on the high school and elementary levels.

School Violence Annual Report According to the second Annual Report on School Violence, issued by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Wilson County high schools saw a 63% drop in reported acts of school violence during 1994-95. The data also revealed that there was a 33% decrease in reported violent acts in all 23 schools. The total number of occurrences of acts committed was 60 while the total occurrences of all acts committed per 1,000 students was 4.8. The total number of occurrences reported statewide was 8,100.

Apprenticeship and Internship Programs The Youth Apprenticeship Program is an employer/school partnership that integrates academic instruction, structured vocational training, and paid work-site experience. The Internship Program is designed to provide students with additional development of technical competencies in a work setting. Internships allow students to observe and participate in daily operations, develop direct contact with job personnel, ask questions about a particular career, and perform certain job tasks.

UNC Freshmen Performance Report This report, which has been released for the past five years, reveals that Wilson County Schools' high school graduates perform well their first year of college in the UNC system. Of the 132 Wilson County graduates who entered the system in the fall of 1994, 84.1 percent returned for a second year. Of these, 66.4 percent had a grade-point average greater than or equal to 2.0 on a 4.0 scale.

Participation on NC Standards and Accountability Commission Wilson County Schools is one of fifteen school systems across the state to participate in the development of new student performance assessment instruments and procedures to be piloted in grades 4, 8, 10, and 12 during the 1996-97 school year. Throughout the year, the seven-member team from each system will be designing assessment tasks, receiving leadership training, and receiving trainer training. This is a major assessment reform effort for the state of North Carolina. The move is toward an authentic assessment approach, which will require students to apply their knowledge in real-world situations.

State Level Awards Wilson County Schools received a Governor's Program of Excellence in Education Award for its Early Literacy Program earlier this year. The Communications and Community Affairs Office was awarded the Blue Ribbon Award for effective communications for outstanding work in the area of publications. In addition, the school system was recognized for its Outstanding Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Reaccreditation by SACS All 23 schools have completed the 5-year review and have been reaccredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

New Mentoring Education Program The school system is participating in the NC State University Model Clinical Teaching Program. Eleven of our teachers are presently enrolled in the program, which is designed to better prepare teachers as mentors so stronger support can be provided to beginning teachers. The program is to accelerate the growth of beginning teachers, reduce the high rate at which beginners leave the profession, and broaden the base of competent, experienced teachers.

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