SMITHFIELD – For the third consecutive year, Neuse Charter School students academically outperformed both the local school district as well as the state. At the October 24th Board of Directors meeting, Superintendent Dr. Melissa Blackwell presented the comprehensive report detailing the 2022-2023 grade level proficiency, student growth, and other accountability indicators specific to all K-12 schools in North Carolina.
Neuse Charter’s grade level proficiency for the 2022-2023 school year was 62, which is 11 points higher than the state and 7 points higher than the Johnston County school district. Neuse added 5 points to its School Performance Score (SPS), raising it from 62 in 2021-2022 to 67 in 2022-2023. Only nine K-12 charter schools in the state raised their SPS more than Neuse Charter.
The SPS for K-12 schools is based on many indicators which include EOG growth and proficiency, EOC growth and proficiency, graduation rates, ACT/Workkeys performance, English Language Learner progress, etc.
“I need to make it very clear that our school performance score, which is a 67, is not based on just EOGs or EOCs. It is based on all of these indicators” stated Dr. Blackwell.
In addition to continuing to make strides academically, Neuse Charter School also met or exceeded growth as projected by the North Carolina Department of Instruction’s SAS EVAAS data in all 8 subgroups for the entire school population. Students also met expected growth on the end-of-grade Math and Reading assessments for the 2022-2023 academic year.
When asked what was proving to be most helpful in the school’s positive momentum toward academic excellence, Dr. Blackwell acknowledged the relentless efforts of the entire staff at Neuse Charter, stating, “We are only stronger if we work together.”
Dr. Swartzlander, Director of Special Programming, said, “Neuse Charter School continues on a trajectory of success and these scores are just the latest evidence that shows we are moving in the right direction, and we will continue to do so. Neuse Charter School’s success is attributed to the hard work of our students as well as to a staff who are not only dedicated but are also committed to ensuring the highest quality education to the students of Johnston and the surrounding counties.”
It’s amazing what a school can do when they remove all the disruptive kids and special needs kids. Non Charter public schools will continue to perform lower than schools that can pick and choose who goes to their school.
It’s also amazing how much disinformation one can spread when they are uninformed. Charter schools do not pick and choose who they want nor do they just remove disruptive kids and special needs kids. Charter schools are run on a lottery system and have to take anyone who gets chosen through the lottery and accommodate whatever needs they may have.
They certainly do get to pick and choose. They don’t have to provide transportation or free and reduced lunches. That eliminates a lot of the kids who tend to be more disruptive as they don’t usually have parents willing to drive them far away. They can also write up a charter, asking for certain students, and then tell special needs kids that their school just doesn’t have the ability to accommodate them. They do this all the time. They can also require parents have mandatory duties, which again, tends to eliminate students who don’t have much parental support. So don’t give me the nonsense that they don’t pick and choose. They do.
so, what I’m hearing is… the bottom line problem is “lack of parental support.” THAT is what needs the most attention!
To my knowledge, none of the Charter Schools in Johnston County have any exceptions for special needs or any other type of student written into their charters. They all follow the lottery system as outline in NC General Statue 115C-218.45. Check out sections e and h.
As for transportation and nutrition, charters also do not receive funding for these programs.
Your knowledge ignores the facts. The lottery has nothing to do with it. Once students are enrolled, the charter school and force them to leave for many reasons. Those less than desirable students end up at the non-charter schools. No one is making this up, it happens every year. Inform yourself before blabbering like an ignoramus.
I have personally taught students who were a. Kicked out of Neuse for behavior and b. Left Neuse because they weren’t receiving their IEP required services.
The lottery system means nothing when one filters out special ed students ahead of time. They do! They do receive funding for transportation, they just have the flexibility to use it for other purposes, which they usually do. It’s apples to oranges and regular public schools don’t have the same ability to filter students like they do.
@YNOT, you are very ignorant. Every year I watch students from Neuse enter my school and other schools for the reasons already mentioned. Just because you are ignorant, does not make it “disinformation”.
Why not tell the whole story? Growth not met in 2022 and the overall score has dropped from previous years. Also, a C (D in math) is nothing to be proud of compared to MANY individual middle and high schools in JCPS. Wake County Public Schools has scores in the 80s and 90s. Typical JoCo Report story. https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/school?school=51A000&year=2022&residing_district=510LEA