Push on for higher grad rates, test scores in Newton-Conover's high schools

Newton-Conover City Schools’ two high schools are raising their standards this year, planning for students to have higher test scores, pass more Advanced Placement exams and have higher graduation rates.

Newton-Conover High Principal Kevin Campbell and Newton-Conover Health Science High Principal John Robinson presented their school improvement plans at the board meeting Monday night.

Campbell said although the school has improved with some scores, the school did not make its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals for the 2010-11 school year, and had an 85.2 percent graduation rate cohort, not the 92 percent he set as a school goal.

“Some students, late in the second semester, made some decisions that impacted it,” Campbell said. “The good news is that all but one made it in summer school.”

He said the graduation cohort goal for the 2011-12 school year is 92 percent.

Although the state will no longer require as many End-of-Course (EOC) exams, testing in just three subjects instead of the previous eight, Campbell said Newton-Conover High will still test its students.

“We will have common assessments to hold us to high standards,” he said. “We want an 80 percent proficiency and all honors students to have 100 percent proficiency.”

The school also plans to incorporate more project-based learning into the curriculum.

To try to improve relationships with parents, the school has held community outreach meetings at several different area churches, and plans to hold more.

“We’re getting feedback on how to better serve them,” Campbell said. “I think this is one thing that will pay off for us. Parents have come, and it’s parents that we don’t see at open house.”

To improve student morale, the school is recognizing student character achievement.

At the Health Science High School, Robinson said he set seven focal points for the year, with project-based learning and academic rigor at the core.

He said information was gathered from some of the students last year, who said the school did not do a good enough job of providing information on colleges and careers. Robinson said the school has already begun changing that by encourages a culture that promotes college attendence.

“We post copies of college-acceptance letters and scholarship letters on a board,” he said. “We also bring in a college representative to talk to the students.”

Robinson said the teachers also talk to the students about their college experiences, and are working on career plans with the students.

Another focus is improvement on state-mandated tests.

“We want to step-up our rigor, particularly on Algebra I, one of our weakest areas,” he said. “We’re doing a retooling of the subject.”

Robinson said he has talked with the New Schools group, which Health Science High is a member of, and is making the subject more hands-on.

The school is also improving its use of technology. It is using a social networking program to post school assignments, so teachers, students and parents will have access to them; it has an online grade book that posts every grade a student makes that the teacher and that individual student and parent can access. The program also has a quiz maker and flashcard maker and is free, Robinson said.

Health Science High is also using more Wikis and other programs so teachers can share class activities.

Other things the school is improving include reducing student tardies and absences, using a way to track student improvement, improving the number of students who pass Advanced Placement (AP) exams and continue to use technology to improve communication with parents.

Board member Kyle Drum said he would be willing to help Robinson with getting students interested in colleges and careers.

“I think if you get local professionals involved, that could help,” he said. “If they have some form of a career in mind, that could help them. It could impact them more than making a 90 percent on stats, if you don’t know what that class can help you with.”

The board members approved both school improvement plans.