Strategic
Plan
County Schools
New Hanover
Updates
2022-2027
Goal
Through rigorous academics at every grade level,
students demonstrate readiness for productive
citizenship, as well as higher education
opportunities or meaningful employment
Strategic Goals
Academic Student Safety and Supportive Equity, Diversity Family Community
Performance Wellness: People Environment for and Inclusion Engagement Partnerships
and Places Teachers & Staff
Academic
Performance
Goal: Through rigorous academics at every grade level, students demonstrate readiness for
productive citizenship, as well as higher education opportunities or meaningful employment
Outcome: By 2027, NHCS will graduate at least 90% of students ready for productive
citizenship as well as higher education opportunities or meaningful employment
Strategies:
• Increase the number of Pre-K students meeting or exceeding age expectations in Teaching
Strategies Objectives aligned with the North Carolina Early Learning Inventory to 75%
• Increase the percentage of students reading at or above grade level in 3rd grade to 90%
• Increase the percentage of students proficient in NC Math 1 by the end of 9th grade to 60%
• Increase the rate of proficiency among students taking the AP and/or IB exams by 10%
• Increase the percentage of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs of Study
(POS) by 40% through the implementation of CTE Pathways
New Hanover County Schools
Annual Accountability Report
2021-2022
November 1, 2022
Contextual Information
● The last year School Performance Grades (SPGs) were
calculated and school designations were given was 2018-2019
● Accountability results from 18-19 and 21-22 are not comparable
given the numerous factors that disrupted instruction over the
past 2.5 years
● Learning Loss - the loss of knowledge and skills that students
experience when they’re not in school. It’s the idea that learning
decays over time if students don’t engage with it regularly
● Anticipated to take 3-5 years for recovery
Learning Loss
● The following graph shows the difference
between students’ projected and actual scores
as assessed by content area.
■ The “zero” axis always represents the
expectation
■ A bar to the right indicates the performance was
better than expected
■ A bar to the left indicates that performance was
below expectation
● The 2021 results are shown alongside the 2018
results to provide reference for any pre-existing
gaps prior to the 2020-21 school year.
Learning Loss
State and District
Comparison Data
NHCS v State
NHCS v 12 Largest Districts
NHCS v Surrounding Districts
Performance Composite:
All Subjects and Grade Levels
3-Year Proficiency Comparison
Reading
3-Year Proficiency Comparison
Math
3-Year Proficiency Comparison
Science
Four Year Cohort Graduation Rate Trend
Comparisons to the 12 Largest Districts
Comparisons to the Surrounding Districts
Advanced Placement (AP) Data
Level 5
District Data Totals
Level 1
Unique Test Takers 1409
Level 4
Percent of High School Enrollment 17%
Number of Tests Taken 2541
Number of Scores at 3 or Higher 1339 Level 2
Level 3
Percent of Scores at 3 or Higher 52.7%
Every Student Succeeds Act
School Accountability Model
Proficiency
Growth
State and Federal Designations
Every Student Succeeds Act
Accountability Model
Accountability Measures
● Performance: The percentage of students who score at
Achievement Levels 3-5 or meet Career and College Readiness Indicators
■ Achievement Levels 3-5 are considered Proficient
○ Achievement Level 3 is considered Grade-level Proficient
○ Achievement Levels 4 and 5 are considered Career and College Ready
■ Performance Composite: The percentage of the test scores in the school
at or above achievement level 3
● Growth: An indication of the rate at which students in the school learned over the past year
■ The standard is roughly equivalent to a year’s worth of growth for a year of instruction
■ Growth is reported for each school as
○ Exceeded Growth Expectations;
○ Met Growth Expectations; or
○ Did Not Meet Growth Expectations.
NC Accountability Components:
Elementary and Middle Schools
Academic Achievement
• EOG assessments in Reading and Mathematics in grades 3-8
• EOG Science assessments in grades 5 & 8
• EOC assessments in middle school 80%
• EL Progress: ACCESS for English Learners (EL) assessment
School Accountability Growth
• English Language Arts in grades 3-8
• Math in grades 4-8
• Science in grades 5 & 8 20%
NC Accountability Components:
High Schools
• EOC Assessments: English 2, Biology, NC Math 1 and NC Math 3
• Graduation Rate: The percentage of students who graduate
in four years or less
• Math Course Rigor: The percentage of students enrolled
in Grade 12 passing NC Math 3
• The ACT: The percentage of students meeting the UNC system admissions
requirement of a composite score of 19
• WorkKeys: The percentage of Career and Technical Education concentrators in Grade 12
that are awarded at least a Silver Level Career Readiness Certificate based on WorkKeys
assessment
• EL Progress: The percent of EL students making progress on the ACCESS assessment
NC Accountability Components:
High Schools
Performance
• EOC assessments
• Cohort Graduation Rate
• Math Course Rigor
• The ACT and WorkKeys
80%
• EL Progress: ACCESS for English Learners (EL) assessment
School Accountability Growth
• English 2
• NC Math 1 and NC Math 3 20%
School Performance Grades
Growth Status
NHCS State
15.0%
29.0%
32.5% 29.9%
52.5% 41.1%
Schools Exceeding Growth
★ Bellamy
★ Castle Hayne
★ Eaton
★ Sunset Park
★ Murray
★ SEA Tech
Low Performing Schools
● School Performance Grade of D or F; AND
● Growth Status of Met Growth or Not Met Growth
★ Alderman ★ Holly Shelter
★ Blair ★ Mosley
★ College Park ★ Myrtle Grove
★ Forest Hills ★ Snipes
★ Freeman ★ Williston
★ Gregory ★ Wrightsboro
Curriculum & Instruction
Response
• District wide (K-12) focus on the
fundamentals of teaching
– Learning Targets
– Student Discourse
– Visual Tools
• Professional development for
elementary and middle school
instructional coaches & high school APIs
• Ongoing strategic collaboration with
school and district leadership focused on
student data
Literacy
• LETRS professional development
• Investment into daily, systemic, and explicit
phonics and phonemic awareness instruction as
part of a robust 120 min. reading block
• Revised scope and sequence
• Response to universal screener data including
peer collaboration walkthroughs
• State-approved District Literacy Intervention
Plan
NC Math 1
• Common planning and scope & sequence
– Opportunities for peer walkthroughs
• Investment in high quality district-adopted
common curriculum (enVision)
• Implemented monthly Math I leadership support
for principals and assistant principals of instruction
(APIs)
• Use of flex period and first semester foundations
• Math I Bootcamp (rising on-level 9th graders)
• Community Partnerships (Cape Fear Museum
Robotics, additional funding from NCDPI)
Biology
• Investment in high quality district-adopted
common curriculum (Miller & Levine)
• Common scope & sequence
• Self-paced professional development and district
wide biology PLC
• Hired science lead teacher
• Implemented monthly leadership support
focused on Biology instruction for principals and
assistant principals of instruction (APIs)
• Phasing out 8th grade/Earth Environmental
combination courses
