| Name and Level |
ABCs of Public Education
This is a state level program with local level control.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Status |
ABCs of Public Education
The ABCs of Public Education was implemented in the 1996-97 school year and is ongoing. Many changes made to the program in 2006 are outlined in the ABCs 2006
Accountability Report
Background Packet.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Program Description |
ABCs of Public Education
The State Board of Education (SBE) developed the ABCs of Public Education in response to the School-Based Management and Accountability Program enacted by the General Assembly in June 1996. The program focuses on strong Accountability, teaching the Basics with an emphasis on high educational standards, and maximum local control.
The ABCs accountability program sets growth and performance standards for each elementary, middle, and high school in the state. End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) test results and other selected components are used to measure a school's growth and performance. Schools that attain the standards are eligible for incentive awards or other recognition, i.e., Honor Schools of Excellence, Schools of Excellence, Schools of Distinction and Schools of Progress.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Other Programs |
The ABCs of Public Education is a consequence of the School-Based Management and Accountability Program enacted by the General Assembly in June 1996. Other district-level programs include: Guilford Mission Possible, Charlotte-Mecklenburg High School Challenge EOC Retention Program, Charlotte-Mecklenburg STAR Program and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Performance-Based Pay Pilot |
| Program Target Components |
No hard-to-staff, high needs or at-risk component found |
| Description of Component |
ABCs of Public Education
No information found. |
| Compensation Structure |
ABCs of Public Education
Individual schools receive financial incentives based on student achievement growth and the proficiency rate
within schools.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Incentives |
ABCs of Public Education
In all schools that attain the High Growth standards,
certified staff members each receive up to $1,500 incentive
awards and teacher assistants receive up to $500. In all schools attaining the Expected Growth standard (but
less than High Growth), certified staff members each receive
up to $750 and teacher assistants receive up to $375.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Incentive Recipients |
ABCs of Public Education
The ABCs program provides incentive awards to teachers, principals and other certified school-based staff, in addition to teacher assistants.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Method of Evaluation |
ABCs of Public Education
The three result measures for schools are:
- Performance Composite – The percentage of the test scores
in the school at or above Achievement Level III (how well
the students in the school did against the set standard of
proficiency);
- Growth – An indication of the rate at which the students in the
school learned over the past year. The standard is equivalent to
a year’s worth of growth for a year of instruction;
- AYP Status – Whether the students in the school as a whole and in each identified
group met the performance standards set by each state following federal guidelines
with the long-term goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2013-14.
Incentives are based on a school's academic growth and performance level.
- Honor School of Excellence
Schools with 90% to 100% of students with scores at or above a designated
achievement level (Achievement Level III) and that meet AYP.
- School of Excellence
Schools with 90% to 100% of students with scores at or above a designated
achievement level (Achievement Level III), but did not meet AYP.
- School of Distinction
Schools with 80% to 89% of students with scores at or above a designated achievement
level (Achievement Level III).
- School of Progress
Schools with 60% to 79% of students with scores at or above a designated achievement
level (Achievement Level III).
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Teachers and Teacher's Unions |
ABCs of Public Education
A year of work went into developing the model to gauge a high school's effectiveness
before the model gained Board approval. More than 1,000 people offered input
in a series of statewide meetings headed by the State Board's Steering Committee
for Assessment and Accountability. That group represented a cross-section of
educators and received ideas from high school principals, local superintendents,
high school teachers and others.
Additionally, teachers are appointed to work in teams to help improve schools
that do not meet the expected growth standards and that have a performance composite
of less than 50 percent.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Other Stakeholders |
ABCs of Public Education
A year of work went into developing the model to gauge a high school's effectiveness
before the model gained Board approval. More than 1,000 people offered input
in a series of statewide meetings headed by the State Board's Steering Committee
for Assessment and Accountability. That group represented a cross-section of
educators and received ideas from high school principals, local superintendents,
high school teachers and others.
Additionally, teachers are appointed to work in teams to help improve schools
that do not meet the expected growth standards and that have a performance composite
of less than 50 percent.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Cost |
ABCs of Public Education
The 2005-2006 cost of incentive awards is anticipated to total approximately $94 million.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Funding |
ABCs of Public Education
State statutes establish funding for this program.
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |
| Results and Outcomes |
ABCs of Public Education
In 2004-05, 490 schools, 21.9 percent, earned a designation as Honor Schools of Excellence, the highest category. Honor Schools of Excellence also met the federal requirement of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
Forty-six schools (2.1 percent) are Schools of Excellence, which means that they met at least Expected Growth and had 90 percent or more of their students' test scores at or above the proficient level.
A total of 601 schools, or 26.8 percent, are designated as Schools of Distinction, which signifies that they met at least Expected Growth and had 80-89 percent of their students' test scores at proficient or better.
A total of 273 schools, 12.2 percent, are Schools of Progress, which means these schools met at least Expected Growth and had 60-79 percent of their students' test scores at proficient or better.
Six hundred seventy-four schools, or 30.1 percent, are No Recognition schools. These schools did not meet their Expected Growth goals even though they had 60-100 percent of their students' test scores at the proficient level or better.
Fifty-five schools, 2.5 percent, are Priority Schools — schools with less than 60 percent of their students' test scores at the proficient level or better and making Expected Growth or High Growth and schools that have 50-59 percent of students' test scores at the proficient level or better regardless of growth.
In 2004-05, 69 percent of all schools made Expected Growth or High Growth. This is down from the 75 percent that met Expected Growth or High Growth in 2003-04.
Source: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction; 2005-2006 News Release
Enabling Policy: NCS § 115C-105 |