Dare Schools Excel in State Standardized Tests
Each of Dare County’s ten regular schools qualified for honors according to preliminary results of the state’s standardized testing program, commonly referred to as the ABCs. To earn recognition, a school’s student body must demonstrate at least the “expected growth” that should be attained during one academic year. Six of Dare’s schools exceeded the “expected growth” mark to earn “high growth.”
Schools may also earn recognition for their proficiency scores, which refer to the percentage of students who are at or above grade level. Schools with 90 percent or more at or above grade level receive the prestigious designation of “School of Excellence.” The next highest level of recognition is called “School of Distinction,” reserved for schools with 80 to 89 percent of students at or above grade level. “School of Progress” refers to schools with 70 to 79 percent on or above grade level.
Leading the pack for 2008-2009 was Cape Hatteras Elementary School, which demonstrated high growth and achieved a composite proficiency score of 92 percent, the highest in the school district. The complete list of school honors follows:
| School | Growth | Proficiency | Recognition |
| Cape Hatteras Elem | High | 92 | School of Excellence |
| First Flight Elem | High | 88 | School of Distinction |
| Kitty Hawk Elem | High | 89 | School of Distinction |
| Manteo Elem | High | 77 | School of Progress |
| Nags Head Elem | High | 84 | School of Distinction |
| First Flight Middle | Expected | 84 | School of Distinction |
| Manteo Middle | High | 83 | School of Distinction |
| Cape Hatteras Secondary | Expected | 77 | School of Progress |
| First Flight High | Expected | 81 | School of Distinction |
| Manteo High | Expected | 81 | School of Distinction |
“Coming on the heels of the good news about our outstanding results with federal standards called ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’ last week, the state results are doubly satisfying,” said Superintendent Sue F. Burgess. “Although the Department of Public Instruction has not yet calculated the status of Dare County Alternative School, it is a banner year when ten of ten schools make or exceed expected growth and qualify for official recognition by the State of North Carolina.”
Burgess lauded the schools’ use of intervention strategies to keep students caught up during the year, noting that the widespread use of summer school was abandoned for the most part three years ago. “Waiting for summer to work with struggling students has many drawbacks,” she said. “The students get further and further behind, and it is unrealistic to expect students to catch up on 36 weeks of work in 4 weeks. Another obvious flaw is that summer school comes after state testing so that students have no opportunity to demonstrate any gains achieved through remediation.”
“I may sound like a broken record,” Burgess continued, “but I can’t emphasize enough the positive impact of the efforts of our teachers and administrators to keep Dare County students on track.”