From November 8, 2013

This week all schools in North Carolina received their test scores from last year and in many ways we saw a realization of what we thought would happen.  Our school's performance composite was 25.1% and the state average was 44.7%.  In one of my "Ramblings" a few weeks ago I wanted everyone to think of the growth we were making because of the efforts we had started with the transformation process.  I told you that we would likely be in a better position for improvement than other schools because we had started the hard work of improving teaching to a higher standard long before everyone else.  I had no idea how true that would be.  Attached is a document that compares our school with all of the comprehensive high schools in our surrounding counties.  While there are some schools above us and some below us in the performance composite column, compare us in the growth column.  Were are among only two schools that exceeded growth expectations.  This shows that while other schools are making one or less grade levels of progress with their students each year, we are making more.

As many of you know, I taught high school social studies.  Our situation reminds me of a famous Lincoln quote.  In 1862, Lincoln addressed Congress and stated, "The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country."  As educators we have found ourselves in the same situation.  What we used to do is now inadequate for what we have to do to prepare students.  We must rise to the occasion  and that means thinking and acting differently.  Exceeding high growth means that many of you are doing just that.  Congratulations on being a teacher in a school that recognizes that educating students has to change.  Let's aim for continuing our growth and beating out more schools on this list each year!