Newton-Conover High Principal Kevin Campbell has several ideas for improving student performance this year, beginning with increasing the school's graduation rate.
The rate for the 2008-09 year was 77 percent, down from 81 percent the previous year.
"We want to get it back up to where it should be," Campbell said. "We want to increase it from 77 percent to 85 percent or higher. It won't be easy but it's doable. We have such a low dropout rate to start with, so that helps us."
The high school also hopes to increase the proficiency in its end-of-course exams in English I, Algebra I, physical science, civics and economics and U.S. history, so they top 70 percent.
The school scored above that in Algebra II, geometry, biology and the 10th-grade writing test, with geometry at 89 percent. Campbell wants to see continued improvement in those areas. The school scored 100 percent on physics.
To boost student achievement, Campbell wants to increase parental contact and involvement at the school.
"I hope to improve student achievement by decreasing the number of students with six or more absences by 25 percent and increasing the number of extracurriculars students are involved in," Campbell said. "If they're doing something outside the classroom, the students feel more connected to the school, and their achievement in school will be enhanced."
In the core subjects — English, math, social studies and science, the school offers students extra help during the day. Guidance counselors also meet with at-risk students.
Every two weeks, staff participates in professional learning community meetings, which Campbell said has helped develop new strategies to decrease the achievement gap.
The school is identifying students at-risk of not achieving proficient scores on their EOCs and offering two hours of remediation specifically for them each week. Prior to the EOCs, the school also will have a fifth block for the students, which will be used for review, Campbell said.
He also hopes the school will increase the number of students who take college-level classes through the Advanced Placement program as well as the number of students who score a 3, 4 or 5 on the final exams.
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