Stokes County
Board of Education
Michael R. Rogers, Chair
Rebecca P. Boles, Vice Chair
Sonya M. Cox
Patricia M. Messick
Jamie B. Yontz
100 Courthouse Circle
P.O. Box 50
Danbury, North Carolina 27016
Telephone: 336-593-8146
Fax: 336-593-3441
www.stokes.k12.nc.us
Ronnie Mendenhall, Superintendent
Dear Parents,
On November 7, 2013, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released the State’s 2012–2013 test
results. It should be noted that statewide results revealed that fewer students achieved proficiency as compared
to previous years on the End of Grade or End of Course assessment. The decrease is a result of changes in the
expectations and proficiency standards that were established for students in order to provide more rigorous
standards.
The data for Stokes County Schools indicates that our schools fared similarly to the state average. Five of our
schools or 25 percent exceeded the expected growth and eight schools or 40 percent met expected growth. The
remaining schools did not meet expected growth based on the new growth model representing 35 percent of our
schools. The disaggregated data also reveals that the district was successful in meeting the proficiency goals for
105 of the 121 state designated subgroup targets or 86.8%. The same data also revealed that the district met 48
of the 54 federal designated subgroups or 88.9% of the target goals. Of the 115 school districts in the state of
North Carolina, Stokes County Schools outperformed 71 of those districts in the overall performance
composite.
The end-of-grade and end-of-course test scores that are at the heart of today’s accountability announcement are
the result of tests that were given for the first time in 2012-13. The state results revealed more than 71 percent
of North Carolina public schools met or exceeded academic growth expectations in the 2012-13 school year,
according to the first READY Accountability report presented to the State Board of Education. The state
academic growth data indicates 687 schools or 28.6 percent, exceeded expected growth. A total of 1,027
schools or 42.7 percent, met expected growth while 691 schools or 28.7 percent are recognized as not meeting
the growth goals.
In 2012-13 North Carolina began a task to strengthen its accountability model and launched the READY
initiative to overhaul the Standard Course of Study, student assessments and school accountability so there
would be alignment to career- and college-readiness standards. The new proficiency standards were made more
stringent as a result of the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts and
Mathematics and the Essential Standards in Science in 2010. The State Board of Education adopted these new
standards to better gage a students’ readiness and preparation for success in college and careers when they
graduate from high school.
North Carolina’s new model continues a long-standing practice of reporting both academic growth rates and
also the percentage of students who scored proficient on state assessments. Growth reflects the progress
students made during the course of the school year. It is quite possible for a student or a school to have a strong
pattern of academic growth and to also have many students who may not have scored proficient or above on
state tests.
“An Equal Opportunity Employer”
In response to the released data, State Superintendent June Atkinson noted, “We have raised standards for
students because we want them to be ready for anything they choose to do after high school. That means doing
more to prepare them for the competitive challenges of college and careers.”
District test data results as well as data for each school in Stokes County can be accessed at
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/reporting/. The information provided is more detailed than in the
past and includes a user’s guide and technical notes to assist users. In addition, to gather more information about
the specifics of the new READY accountability model, please review the READY Background Brief at
www.ncpublicschools.org under Highlights. Additional questions regarding test results and interpretations of
the data should be directed to the school principal.
Individual student score reports will be provided to parents within 30 days of the state release. Because
standards were new in 2012-13, there is no impact on students or schools. There also are no school grades or
designations during this transition year.
As we take the opportunity to examine the data released today, the district accountability team, curriculum
support team, and school level administration team will be working collaboratively to analyze the results in
order to continue to improve the instruction received by the students of Stokes County Schools.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ronnie Mendenhall
Superintendent
Stokes County Schools
“An Equal Opportunity Employer”