State of the District

With the 2012 year here, I would like to provide my State of the District report. We received test data that our December test scores were exceptional. ECHS preliminary reports indicate 90% proficiency rates for math. What a way to end the semester for this school. CS Brown preliminary scores were 100%.

The January tests at HCHS will complete testing for first semester at all secondary schools. Our students return from the holiday on January 3, and they will complete the first semester as they prepare for state tests. Good luck to all in this process. This certainly indicates that the year is at the halfway mark. We have much to accomplish to complete the academic year.

All other county schools are doing well working to master skills and knowledge that will be measured at the end of the year. Thanks to all of the staff and students for their efforts.

Our website is moving toward some changes that will highlight new personnel in Academic Services as well as new resources for parents, students and teachers. Be on the lookout for these improvements.

As your superintendent, it has been an honor and privilege to serve the students, parents and staff of Hertford County. We have much to be proud of in our district so always wear that Bear Pride. This is my final blog and I thank you for your support.

John A. Fahey, Ed.D.

End 2011 with a Positive

As our schools prepare for the Winter Holidays, we need to finish a few more assignments for 2011. Finishing strong is part of a strong performance and a strong team. Preliminary test scores at our two early starting high schools have proficiency rates of 100% and 83% on the first state EOC tests. They are finishing strongly.

We need to focus on growth while we learn about the Common Core changes. We know that our grade 11 students will take the ACT tests on March 6, 2012. We know that there will be no grade 10 writing test. We know that there will be changes in teacher evaluation, school performance designation and many other state-wide modifications to the way we do our business. Please bear with us as we change with the times.

We hope you and your family have a safe and restful holiday season. Our last school day is December 21 (an early release). Encourage your children to finish strongly by putting forth their best efforts. Read a good book during the holidays and return in January 2012 with renewed enthusiasm for learning.

A Time for Thanks

Welcome to all Hertford County Public School staff, students, parents and community members. This month we thank you for your support as we complete preparation for the busy holiday season. Our seasons may be switching but our focus is continued on learning. Our teachers are examining lessons and plans to ensure our students are capable of doing their best on all forms of assessment.

We have completed local benchmark testing and we now examine the data to make adjustments in student performance. These tests are a means to check student understanding and work on mastery of skills and concepts that need extra time or energy. As our state moves forward with new standards such as the Common Core, we must ensure that our teaching covers present standards for this year’s performance. Our report cards are posted and we now have three Schools of Progress. With everyone’s support we will move these ratings forward.

Take time to talk to your children about what they are reading and working on in our schools. Take time to thank a teacher, principal or other staff member for their dedication. Take time to read to a child because if there is one area we need everyone’s support with, it is reading. We have partnered with the NC Cooperative Extension to purchase more reading materials in a program titled, “Read, Lead, Succeed.” We are committed to literacy as a 21st century skill.

Have a great finish to this part of the school year and keep expecting your children and all others to make literacy a focus. If you get a chance, look at the wonderful video on our website that was prepared by a former HCHS student. His perspective on education in Hertford County says it all.

Fall is Here – We Need to Move Forward

The chill is in the air and our schools, teachers and students have settled into the routines of teaching and learning. Our enrollments are increased within almost all of our schools. Homecoming week has passed and we enjoyed visiting with our friends and families.

Our graduation figures are final and as a district, at 83.9%, we ranked 21 of 115 school districts in the state of North Carolina. We are proud of this improvement and we want to increase this percentage and prepare our students for college and careers.

From an academic perspective, we are focused on the growth of students and teachers. We are institutionalizing an instructional model, working on teacher evaluation, literacy instruction and using data to become a better performing organization. Our leadership has teamed to provide reflection in the examination of what works best and what we need to work on to improve. We are pursuing grants and partnerships with Universities and businesses to ensure the resources are provided for growth.

As Superintendent, I am proud of what we have accomplished and know that we will need to move forward with unrelentless instruction, a data focus and an open mind toward the new curriculum, Common Core and Essential Standards, as they evolve within all of our schools.

I wish all visitors to our schools a pleasant experience and know that you will support our students as they strive towards excellence. We do have some of the best students in our state and they need your support.

September School Starts

The 2011-2012 school year start has experienced three openings. One opening for our Early College High School and CS Brown High School in early August.  One at the end of August that was very smooth for all of our other schools. Hurricane Irene then hit our area and we survived the storm with little damage. Our students lost three days that will be made up this semester once our school board approves the adjusted calendar. Labor Day weekend was a chance for all of us to catch up from the storm and now we have again opened schools after the holiday.

I can see that our students are glad to be back in school and we are diligently working to establish routines that will carry us through the year. Each classroom is working to establish “Board Essentials”, the formal description of what we will cover in class each day. This effort is aimed at providing clarity and consistent procedures for all classes within our district.

As we move through our first month, I wish all students and staff the best each day. We have some great challenges to continue to improve our performance. We are off to a wonderful start despite the weather. We are fortunate to have such a supportive community. Go Bears!

August Excitement

School is open for CS Brown High School and Early College High School. It is exciting to see our students back and to begin a new school year. We made great progress in key areas last year. Preliminary data reveals that HCPS had better than a 83% district four-year cohort graduation rate. The state average was 77.7%

 

On August 18, at 1:30 PM, our district will celebrate our 2011-2012 Convocation. In addition to acknowledging our teachers of the year and the district teacher of the year, we welcome Dr. Valerie Williams, our new Assistant Superintendent and Ms. Saysha Carter our new District Transformation Coach. The most exciting aspect of this event is the visit of Dr. June Atkinson, NC State Superintendent for Public Instruction. Dr. Atkinson will share with all staff members recognition from the state for the strong academic improvements of the district.

Middle of the Summer

I hope all are enjoying the summer. I recommend reading  a few good books. I just read Annual Growth for All Students and Catch Up Growth for Those who are Behind. Our administrators will get a copy to read and next year, as a district, we will focus on developing interventions for students to catch up. This should improve our literacy efforts.

I also have read many other books for pleasure this summer.

Our school calendars will have a modification based on new state laws. We will have five days of professional development related to the Common Core curriculum. These days will be scheduled on the work days that are included in the calendar. As soon as they are approved by the school board, we will publish the new calendar. This law and several others have been put into effect on July 1 and we are preparing for each change. Please stay tuned and enjoy the summer.

June Celebrations

Our school year ended on a positive note with a beautiful graduation at HCHS. Numerous other schools celebrated wonderful ceremonies as we moved classes of students on to the next grade level. I congratulate all graduating seniors and wish you the best success in the future. I want to thank our students and staff for a solid year.

Unofficial test scores indicate that we again made great progress as a district this year. Our four-year cohort graduation rate looks like it may end up around 83%. This would be an improvement of more than 18%.

I wish all staff and students a great summer. Read some good books and come back in August ready to learn.

May We Excell

May is the month of testing, state testing. Our time to show what we learned for the year. Results are coming in slowly and while we are seeing some growth, we also see areas of focus for improvement. For all students, keep pushing your limits to demonstrate your best skills and knowledge. For staff members this is our time to perform. Good luck to all!

May is a time for graduation at CS Brown High School. We march on May 21, 2011 at 10:00 AM. We are again celebrating the success of this senior class  as they receive their diplomas and start a new journey. Two content areas at CS Brown demonstrated 100% pass rates this spring, Algebra and US History.

May is also a time of budget planning. As we are projected to receive state funding with more than a $2,000,000 shortfall of last year, thus we are tightening up wherever possible. This means fewer staff members with the same academic challenges and a few new ones with Race to the Top. It has been a challenge for all. In Hertford County we are working hard in May to make it work for our students and parents.

May all of us keep striving to help our students grow in this busy month of May.

Spring Break

As our district enjoys a short rest during our spring break we have much to do to relax and prepare for the effort to end our year on a positive note. Our benchmark tests are completed and we see progress in many areas. I commend staff and students for their efforts this year. When we return to school we will need to focus on addressing areas that need more growth and prepare for the state tests in May. Our focus is on the results that will demonstrate the year’s efforts for all who enter our schools. May the rest bring us energy to finish strong.

From the Race to the Top perspective, we are now ready to examine the targets for our district that will enable us to learn and earn the accolades that we desire for our schools. We have the ultimate task of providing strong instruction so that our students grow and meet these targets. Much effort has been put into the examination of our performance data and the targets listed below have been set for HCPS. Note that the 2010 pass rates and targets are the baseline targets.  In addition to these targts, all of our schools also are working on North Carolina ABC growth and Federal Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) growth. In these efforts we will need to use every minute available to teach until our students learn. 

Race to the Top Targets for HCPS

1.      Student Achievement

Grade 4     2010         2011        2012        2013        2014

Reading:    49.3%      54.0%      58.9%      63.0%      66.7%                        

Math:        65.6%      69.0%       72.1%      74.0%      77.4%

Grade 8      2010        2011         2012        2013        2014   

Reading:    44.7%      50.2%      55.2%      59.7%      63.7%

Math:        70.3%      73.0%       75.9%      78.3%      80.5%

2.      Graduation Rates – 4-year cohort

2010      2011        2012       2013       2014

65.8%     69.2%     72.3%    75.1%     77.6%

3.      College Readiness -

Average SAT Composite (% students taking)

2010                   2011               2012                2013                   2014

795(46.3%)     796 (48%)     801 (50%)     806 (52%)        812 (54%)

Percent of students with 3 or above on AP exams and (% taking)

2010     2011     2012     2013    2014

22.6%    08%      10%       12%     14%

(23%)    (32%)   (42%)     (52%)   (61%)