The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district met an astounding 94.6 percent of the state’s 947 Common Core goals and 96.6 percent of the 560 federal goals — but its shortcomings elsewhere point out a vital need to focus on closing the achievement gap moving forward.
The scores released last week show that 27 achievement goals were not met during the 2012-13 school year.
Twenty of the 27 unmet goals were related to economically disadvantaged student groups — an alarming statistic that shows a clear need for change to give underprivileged children a chance to excel.
These new methods of scoring schools have raised academic standards in the state.
While it makes sense that increased testing standards would create a bigger achievement gap, this is not an excuse for complacency.
Closing the achievement gap should be the CHCCS Board of Education’s primary focus in the years to come. The first step in closing the gap needs to be a commitment to maximizing high-quality instruction in each and every classroom in the district.
The strategies in the school board’s new long-range plan that specifically target the achievement gap need to be implemented as soon as possible.
Most importantly, its strategy to measure and promote the growth of a student based on current academic placement must be seen to fruition.
This type of tailor-made education has been espoused in the past and will help lead to success.
The Common Core is here to stay, and the district must align its curriculum and teaching strategies to the more rigorous standards to ensure that it continues to prepare students for the future and remain a top school district in the state.
