Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2010

School growth in Johnston stagnant; Wake improves

Most schools in Garner and western Johnston County met or exceeded academic-improvement standards this past school year.

All of the elementary and middle schools in Garner met or surpassed expectations. Only Garner High School fell below the growth mark. So did nearby Southeast Raleigh High School.

In western Johnston, most elementary, middle and high schools made the grade. Only two fell short - Wilson's Mills Elementary and McGee's Crossroads Elementary.

Overall academic performance increased in the Wake County school system, where 92 percent of schools met or exceeded growth expectations under North Carolina's school-accountability program, called the ABCs of Public Education. Nearly half of Wake's schools had passing rates of at least 80 percent while also meeting growth standards.

Growth was mostly stagnant in Johnston, where 37 of the county's 42 schools - 88 percent - met or exceeded expectations.

While growth held steady in Johnston, it made big gains statewide. Across North Carolina, the number of schools that met or exceeded growth expectations jumped seven percentage points, to 87.9 percent from 80.9 percent. But the latest statewide figure still lags behind Johnston's and Wake's percentage.

"We need to continue to make progress," Johnston school board chairman Larry Strickland said.

This past school year, no schools in Garner or Johnston County were low performing, in which fewer than 50 percent of students pass state tests.

In Garner, Rand Road and Vance elementary schools are schools of distinction, where 80 percent to 90 percent of students passed the tests.

Western Johnston County had several schools of distinction - East Clayton, Polenta, River Dell, Riverwood, West Clayton and West View elementary schools, along with Archer Lodge, Clayton, McGee's Crossroads and Riverwood middle schools and Clayton and West Johnston high schools.

Garner had no schools of excellence, in which at least 90 percent of students passed state tests. In western Johnston, Cleveland and Powhatan elementary schools and Cleveland Middle School are schools of excellence.