After months of hourslong meetings, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board is getting close to locking in goals for getting more students ready for academic success and productive lives after graduation.
The board will discuss a third attempt to craft goals for early literacy, elementary and middle school reading scores, Math I scores and the percent of graduates who are headed for employment, higher education or enlistment in the military. Afterward they’ll take public comments, preferably from people who have been following the discussion and can use the format for rating goals and guardrails that the board uses.
The process has been guided by consultant A.J. Crabill, who has laid out strategies for setting measurable goals for student outcomes, with milestones to track progress and “guardrails” that guide the superintendent on such things as equity, safety and staffing. Beyond that, his philosophy calls for the board to hold the superintendent accountable for strategic decisions and make tough budget decisions to support that work.
For instance, Crabill told the board in September that if it wants big gains in elementary school reading, that’s likely to mean eliminating jobs elsewhere to beef up support staff for reading.
The board has struggled with setting goals that are ambitious enough to make a difference for students but realistic enough not to put impossible demands on staff. The latest version of the plan calls for:
- Increasing the percentage of K-2 students meeting benchmarks for early literacy from 67% in June 2023 to 91% by June 2029.
- Increasing the percentage of elementary and middle school students earning “college and career ready” scores on state reading exams from 30.5% in 2023 to 50% by 2029. That level requires a higher score than grade-level proficiency; last year 47.7% of CMS students earned proficient reading scores.
- Increasing the percentage of Math I students earning college and career ready scores from 27.4% in 2023 to 57% by 2029. Unlike the current Math I goal, that will include students who take Math I (formerly known as algebra) in middle school as well as high school.
- Increasing the percentage of rising seniors who are on track to “graduate from high school enrolled, enlisted or employed.” CMS has not yet figured out how to measure that so the target has yet to be set.
To sign up for the goals hearing or for general public comments email boardservices@cms.k12.nc.us by noon Tuesday.
The board’s agenda includes this note: “To make the most effective use of your time, the Board wants to invite you into the same conversation they have been engaged in around its goals and guardrails. The most impactful way for you to be heard during the public hearing on October 10th is to share whether you would recommend keeping, deleting, or modifying the individual proposed goals and guardrails. If you recommend a new goal or guardrail, please first start by letting the Board know which of the existing ones you would delete to make room for your new goal or guardrail. You are not obligated to use this approach but given that the Board is months into this listening process, using the same keep/delete/modify framework for your comments that the Board has been using for months will maximize the Board’s ability to use the feedback you provide.”
