State-level performance grades are in for local schools in Beaufort County, and the results are a mixed bag.

At Beaufort County Schools, 11 schools came in at a C letter grade overall. One, Chocowinity Primary, received a B, and the Beaufort County Early College High School was the school system’s only A.

Rounding out the scores, the Northeast Regional School of Biotechnology and Agriscience earned a B, while Washington Montessori Public Charter School received a C. Private schools are not included in grading.

Since 2013, the state has assigned letter grades to each public school in the state based on a combination of two factors — school achievement and school growth. While achievement measures how well students did on standardized tests for one year, growth measures progression from year to year.

Overall, only three BCS schools received a higher overall performance grade than last year. P.S. Jones Middle School, S.W. Snowden Elementary and Northeast Elementary were able raise their scores from D to C this year. This in turn allowed the schools to shed the state-applied label of “low-performing.”

“Honestly, I’m really excited where we are right now,” said BCS Superintendent Matthew Cheeseman, who took the lead at BCS in January. “When we came together as a team back in January, we had three low-performing schools. … To be able to say that Beaufort County does not have a single low performing school, that in itself is an achievement.”

At the same time, school performance scores were down overall at BCS. School achievement scores were down at seven of 12 schools, and seven of 12 have a higher growth score than 2017-18.

Cheeseman acknowledged that the school system has work to do moving forward to reverse the dip in scores BCS experienced this past school year.

“In totality, we’re looking at it right now as a starting point for this school year,” Cheeseman said. “We’re taking this data and really breaking it out in terms of what our kids need and how we respond to it.”

As to how that happens, the superintendent said there is a renewed focus on working with school improvement teams at each school. It also means thinking about students moving from K-12 in each area of the county and how what happens at elementary school level translates to the high schools.

“We’re trying to be far more intentional on a day-to-day basis around what our students are learning and how our teachers are instructing them,” Cheeseman said.

Looking at other factors in performance grades, the data also speaks to the issues of poverty and race in testing.

For most Beaufort County schools, between 50% and 70% of students are considered economically distressed by the state. While not always the case, the data shows these students tend to score lower in testing than their peers. At nine of the 12 schools listed, the data also pointed to an achievement gap between black students and their white peers in terms of test scores.

For all students, Cheeseman says the key is partnering with the community to lift them up. From keeping in contact with parents to reexamining how teachers can reach students from all backgrounds, the superintendent says BCS is working intentionally to bridge those gaps.

“I think what we’re doing is working with some of our educational partners to look at best practices that can be really effective,” Cheeseman said. “Beyond that, we’re working with our communities to help support us; making sure that students are present at school and making sure that they have support systems at home.”

KEY TERMS

• Performance Grade — The letter grade assigned to each school based on its overall performance score.
• A = 85-100
• B = 70-84
• C = 55-69
• D = 40-54
• F = 0-39
• Performance Score — A combination of school achievement score and school growth score. The performance score is calculated based through a weighted formula of 80% achievement and 20% growth.
• School Achievement Score —  Based on overall student performance on state standardized tests.
• School Growth Score — Measures student progression from year to year based on test scores.