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3/10/2010–School systems making improvements
Data shows school systems making improvements
RALEIGH — Area school systems have once again received positive reports when looking at drop-out rates, short-term suspensions and reportable acts of school crime and violence. The 2008-09 numbers of reportable acts of school crime and violence have for the most part decreased across the board.
Surry County Schools
Based upon results presented to the State Board of Education at its March 4 meeting, the Surry County School System has made significant progress in creating alternatives to long-term suspension and continues to address the dropout rate, according to the school system. The results are based on the 2008-09 School Crime and Violence Report, 2008-09 Suspensions and Expulsions Report, and 2008-09 Dropout Report.
Results revealed the following:
1. The number of reportable acts of school crime and violence decreased from 56 in the 2007-08 school year to 34 in the 2008-09 school year. These are acts of school crime and violence which are required to be reported to law enforcement.
2. The number of short-term suspensions remained basically constant with the number of long-term suspensions reduced from 28 in the 2007-08 school year to seven in the 2008-09 school year.
3. The dropout rate for Surry County Schools increased by one with 131 dropouts in the 2008-09 school year as compared to 130 in the 2007-08 school year. This is a rate of 4.77 percent.
In an effort to continue to reduce the number of short-term and long-term suspensions, Surry County Schools has initiated Positive Behavior Support in all 17 schools across the district and continues to work with alternatives to long-term suspension, according to school system officials.
New initiatives to continue to address the dropout rate include an alternative diploma option, increased workforce development opportunities and collaborative programming with Surry Community College.
In the state’s report, from the 2007-08 school year to the 2008-09 school year, Surry County Schools saw the number of possession of alcoholic beverages charges drop from nine to three, possession of a controlled substance decrease from 32 to 27 acts, possession of a weapon drop from 12 to eight acts and assault on school personnel decrease from one act to zero.
The school system saw an increase in the number of bomb threats from one to three. The number of assaults resulting in serious injury remained steady at one act.
Dr. Ashley Hinson, superintendent, said, “We are pleased to see a reduction in long-term suspensions and reportable acts within Surry County Schools. We expect the implementation of Positive Behavior Support to impact the incidence of short-term suspensions this year. As always, our goal is to keep children in school and moving forwards towards completion of a high school diploma.”
Mount Airy City Schools
Mount Airy City Schools is in the top three out of 115 school districts in North Carolina reporting the lowest short-term suspension rates of grades nine through 12 students for the 2008-09 school year.
Additionally, Mount Airy showed a decrease of 12.5 percent in the number of students dropping out of school. While the North Carolina high school dropout rate is 4.27 percent for students in grades nine through 12, Mount Airy is at a rate of 2.60 percent. Additionally, the school system’s dropout rate has decreased each year for the past five years. Of the number of dropouts reported, half of those students have enrolled in a GED program, according to school system officials.
For the second consecutive year, Mount Airy City Schools has been recognized in the top 10 school districts having the highest graduation rate among North Carolina’s 115 school districts. According to a report issued by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, 81.8 percent of Mount Airy High students earned a diploma in the traditional four-year time frame. That percentage is higher than the state average of 71.7 percent. Mount Airy City Schools also ranked seventh in the number of students graduating in five years or less, 83.7 percent, compared to the state average of 72.9 percent. The Cohort Graduation Rate, which is based on the number of students who enter the ninth grade and graduate four years later, is one of several calculations states are required to report as part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
“We have established relationships with our students, parents and our community that enable us to provide for our students’ individual needs. I need to acknowledge that Roy Joyce, Polly Long, Judy Nations, Jason Dorsett, our guidance staff, and our wonderfully dedicated teachers are why we have such a low dropout rate. However, at Mount Airy High School a dropout rate that is any higher than zero is too high. We are continuously working to develop strategies that will improve our goal of achieving zero dropouts,” said Sandy George, principal of Mount Airy High School.
A dropout is defined by State Board policy (HSP-Q-001) as “any student who leaves school for any reason before graduation or completion of a program of studies without transferring to another elementary or secondary school.” For reporting purposes, a dropout is a student who was enrolled at some time during the previous school year, but who was not enrolled and who does not meet reporting exclusions on day 20 of the current school year. Schools that cannot document a former student’s enrollment in a U.S. school must report that student as a dropout. An exception is made for students who are known to have left the country.
“Addressing the dropout rate is a K-12 issue. In Mount Airy City Schools, our dedicated educators work hard to ensure that every one of our students is prepared to graduate from high school with the skills and experiences they need to become successful citizens. The importance of graduation is a team effort and is emphasized throughout a child’s K-12 experience. I am convinced that our small school size and emphasis on building caring relationships leads to such a low dropout rate. This report is yet another indicator that Mount Airy City Schools is on the right track,” said Dr. Darrin Hartness, superintendent.
In the crime and violence report, the city school system saw a decrease in the number of reportable acts of school crime or violence as well, as numbers dropped from 18 acts in the 2007-08 school year to 12 acts in the 2008-09 school year.
The school system saw a decrease in the number of acts of possession of a controlled substance from eight acts to five, in the number of acts of possession of a weapon from six to three and in the number of acts of possession of a firearm from three to zero.
The school system saw an increase in the number of assaults on school personnel from zero to one and the number of possession of an alcoholic beverage acts from one to three.
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