By Staff
are in line for award
Being recognizedfor test scores,work environment
By TED STRONG
Staff Writer
Two Beaufort County schools are among 50 finalists for a statewide award for exemplary student achievement combined with good teacher-working conditions.
Chocowinity Primary and Chocowinity Middle schools are waiting to hear if they will make the next cut in the 2008 Real D.E.A.L. (Dedicated Educators, Administrators and Learners) School Awards.
The awards were based on test scores for the past two years and a 2008 survey of teachers that asked them how they felt about the schools in which they worked.
Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Jeffrey C. Moss said he was particularly pleased because the award focuses on the performance of students and the happiness of teachers.
Anderson said winning the award required schools to be “working in two directions.”
He said a reward system and other initiatives helped push middle-schoolers to do well on standardized tests mandated by the state and federal governments.
And he said that viewing teachers as people, not simply employees, helps keep them happy.
School-board member Eltha Booth praised the work environment teachers have been exposed to in the schools.
Anderson also said a safe and orderly work environment is a big help, and that getting teachers as many resources as possible is a good idea.
The schools will be evaluated by a committee in Raleigh on criteria including the poverty level in the school and specific test benchmarks, according to the award program’s Web site.
Schools are selected across the state to make sure that large, small, urban and rural schools are represented along with schools from each of eight sub-regions of the state, according to the Web site.
Booth said she’s hoping the performances at the Chocowinity schools will spread across the school system.