Results show progress toward improving academic achievement

Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gaston County students score higher on state tests  

State testing and accountability data for the 2022-2023 academic year indicates that school districts across North Carolina, including Gaston County Schools, continue to recover from learning loss that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to information released by the N.C. State Board of Education and N.C. Department of Public Instruction.  The statewide trend is that school districts are making progress on the various accountability and testing measures, including in the areas of student proficiency and academic growth.  

In comparison of the 2022-2023 year to the 2020-2021 year when students returned to school following the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020, the percentage of students in Gaston County Schools scoring at or above grade level (achieving proficiency) on end-of-grade and end-of-course tests is higher in all tested areas except for eighth grade science (the decrease in eighth grade science is less than three points).  The most notable improvements coming out of the pandemic are in elementary school math and science, middle school reading, and high school math and biology.

Stephen C. Laws, interim superintendent, stated, “The results for 2022-2023 show that we have taken some positive steps in improving student achievement, and we continue to gain ground on learning loss that occurred because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on our schools.  However, we realize there are some areas that need considerable attention – no doubt, we have work to do.  We plan to spend time reviewing the testing and accountability data with our school administrators and using the information to develop goals and strategies moving forward.”

“Looking at our results on a school-by-school basis, we are pleased to see that four of our schools – Bessemer City High School, Gaston Virtual Academy, North Gaston High School, and Kiser Elementary achieved double-digit gains in student proficiency, and Carr Elementary, Cherryville High School, and Bessemer City Middle School also had a commendable increase in proficiency,” added Dr. Laws.  “For the first time since the state started assigning school performance grades, both North Belmont Elementary and Pinewood Elementary have achieved a B grade.  Cherryville High School and East Gaston High School worked to improve their graduation rate to above 90 percent, and collectively, our middle schools led the way in meeting or exceeding the academic growth expectations.”

Dr. Laws concluded, “During the transition time between superintendents, we will strengthen teaching and learning, support our students and teachers, and engage everyone in understanding the obligation we have to ensuring that our students succeed and experience quality opportunities for learning.  I want us to do all that we can right now to enhance our academic program so the permanent superintendent can come in and be ready to take academic achievement to a higher level.” 

Below is information about student proficiency, academic growth, the graduation rate, and school performance grades for Gaston County Schools for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Student proficiency
Students in grades 3-8 are tested in reading and math, and a science test is given in the fifth and eighth grades.  High school students take state tests in four subject areas: Math I, Math III, Biology, and English II. Proficiency is based on the number of students scoring a Level III, IV, or V on the state tests.

• Gaston’s overall proficiency rate for 2022-2023 is 50.2 percent, which is 1.8 points higher than last year’s rate of 48.4.  The state rate is 53.6 percent. 
  
  
• Among elementary schools and middle schools, the most significant gains are in reading for sixth grade (+3.7) and eighth grade (+3.5) and in math for fourth grade (+4.2) when compared to the previous year. Although student proficiency in science (tested in the fifth and eighth grades only) decreased for 2022-2023, the percent of students scoring proficient in science remains higher than the district’s overall reading and math proficiency.
  
  
• At the high school level, Math III (+8.9) and Biology (+4.2) had a significant increase in the percentage of students scoring at or above grade level (achieving proficiency).  The proficiency rate for English II increased slightly (+0.6) while the proficiency rate for Math I dipped only one-tenth of a point when compared to the previous year.
  
  
• The elementary schools with the highest student proficiency are Hawks Nest, New Hope, Belmont Central, North Belmont, W.A. Bess, Pinewood, and Rankin.  Kiser (+10.5) leads the elementary schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency.  Other elementary schools with a significant increase are Carr (+9.6), New Hope (+6.5), Pinewood (+5.6), and Costner (+5.4).
  
  
• The middle schools with the highest student proficiency are Cramerton, Belmont, and Stanley.  Bessemer City (+7.7) had the most significant increase in student proficiency among the middle schools.
• The high schools with the highest student proficiency are Highland, Gaston Early College, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, and South Point.  The high schools with the most significant increase in student proficiency are Bessemer City (+13.1), North Gaston (+11.0), and Cherryville (+9.1).
  
  
• The Gaston Virtual Academy (online school for all grades) had a double-digit increase in student proficiency (+10.6) when compared to the previous year.

Academic growth
Academic growth indicates whether students achieve a year’s worth of academic progress for a year’s worth of instruction.  Growth is reported in one of three ways:  Exceeded Growth, Met Growth, or Did Not Meet Growth.  For the 2022-2023 school year, Gaston County had 73 percent of its schools (37 of 51) to meet or exceed overall academic growth expectations.

At the elementary school level, Carr, Catawba Heights, Lowell, North Belmont, Pinewood, and Rankin exceeded overall academic growth expectations.  Bessemer City, Chavis, Cramerton, Southwest, Stanley, and York Chester exceeded overall expectations among the middle schools.  At the high school level, Gaston Early College, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, Highland, and South Point exceeded overall expectations. 

Graduation rate
The Gaston County graduation rate for the Class of 2023 is 85.3 percent.  Six schools have a graduation rate of 90 percent or higher: Gaston Early College (100 percent), Highland (99.2 percent), South Point (94.2 percent), Cherryville (93.2 percent), East Gaston (91.9 percent) and Forestview (90.4 percent).  Cherryville (+7.6) and East Gaston (+5.3) had the most significant increases when compared to the previous year.    

Called the four-year cohort graduation rate, it reflects the percentage of students who entered the ninth grade in 2019-2020 and graduated four years later in 2022-2023. The four-year graduation rate is not the same as the dropout rate, which indicates the number of students who drop out of high school in a given year.  When the state first calculated the four-year cohort graduation rate in 2005-2006, Gaston County’s rate was a mere 68.1 percent.

Some students need an extra year of high school to complete graduation requirements.  The district’s five-year cohort graduation rate is 86.0 percent.  The five-year cohort graduation rate reflects the number of students who entered the ninth grade in 2018-2019 and graduated in 2022-2023.

School performance grades
The state uses the testing and accountability data to give school performance grades, which were assigned for the first time in 2014.  A school’s performance letter grade is determined using a formula based only on two factors:  student achievement/test scores (80 percent) and student academic growth (20 percent).  

The school performance grade should not be interpreted as a comprehensive evaluation that determines the quality of a school.  Only select criteria are used to determine the grade.  School size, diverse student population, socioeconomics, teacher experience, student learning obstacles, special programs, parental and community involvement, and other factors have an effect on a school’s performance, but are not considered in the grade.

For the 2022-2023 school year, Gaston County had nearly two-thirds of its schools (32 of 51) to earn an A, B, or C grade – three schools received an A grade, eight schools received a B grade, and 21 schools received a C grade.  Gaston Early College High School, Gaston Early College of Medical Sciences, and Highland School of Technology are the schools with an A grade.

Twelve schools are within three or fewer points of achieving a higher school performance grade:  Beam Intermediate, W.A. Bess, Cramerton, East Gaston, Grier, Holbrook, Hunter Huss, Lingerfeldt, Rankin, Robinson, South Point, and Woodhill.  South Point High School is three points away and Cramerton Middle School is two points away from having an A school performance grade, which is a status that is difficult to achieve.

The test scores released by the state are preliminary results.  The results will be verified, and the official results will be a part of the district and school report cards, which will be issued this fall.

Click here to see the attached charts for information about student proficiency, academic growth, the graduation rate, and school performance grades.