The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction released testing and accountability data for the 2022-2023 school year on Wednesday, September 6. Jackson County Public Schools is pleased to announce that eight schools earned “Met” or “Exceeded Growth” status last school year. Blue Ridge School exceeded growth. Our remaining schools, Blue Ridge Early College, Cullowhee Valley School, Jackson Community, Jackson County Early College, Scotts Creek, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Smoky Mountain High each met growth. Fairview did not meet or exceed growth status this year.
Each school also receives a letter grade that is based on an 80/20 calculation of proficiency and growth. While our growth scores are very strong, we have room for improvement across the district. Three schools received a School Performance Grade (SPG) of D: Blue Ridge Early College, Cullowhee Valley, and Scotts Creek. Three schools received a School Performance Grade of C: Blue Ridge School, Fairview and Smoky Mountain High School while Jackson County Early College earned a grade A. Smokey Mountain Elementary School received a School Performance Grade of F. Jackson Community School received a Maintaining Rating based on the State Alternative Accountability School Model.
State Superintendent Catherine Truitt writes, “The A-F school performance grades that schools received for 2021-22 and in 2022-23 were affected by the formula used to determine those grades because student performance on the state tests far outweighs the credit schools earn for the progress students make on the same tests from one year to the next. Eighty percent of the grade is for the percentage of tests earning a score of at least grade-level proficient; 20 percent is for growth, measured by a statistical model that compares each student’s predicted test score, based on past performance, against his or her actual result.”
