School Improvement Plan

September 16, 2024

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Legislation (G.S. §115C-83.15) passed during the 2013 long session of the North Carolina General Assembly provides parents with an additional measure of school performance in the form of School Performance Grades. Beginning with the 2013–14 school year, the annual North Carolina School Report Cards display a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F for each school in the state.

The School Performance Grades are based 80 percent on the school’s achievement score (student proficiency) and 20 percent on students’ academic growth. At Tar Heel School, the achievement score for the 2023-2024 school year is based on how well the students performed on the 3rd, 4th , 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Reading and Math End-of-Grade Assessments, and the 5th and 8th Grade Science End-of-Grade Assessments.

The purpose of this letter is to inform you that Tar Heel School has been designated as a low performing school by the North Carolina State Board of Education. As defined in G.S. 115C-105.37: “The State Board of Education shall identify low-performing schools on an annual basis. Low-performing schools are those that earn an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by G.S. 115C-83.15.”

Tar Heel School received a School Performance Grade of “D” and a growth designation of “met expected growth” for the 2023-2024 school year. Although we are committed to improving this score, it is important to remember that just as no one single score or grade tells the whole story of a student, neither does it tell you everything about the performance of a school or the opportunities that the school provides. 

A low performing school is required to develop an improvement plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve both the school performance grade and school growth score. The plan will also include how central office administrators and I will work with, and monitor the progress of Tar Heel School. The school is already engaged in the work of refining its plan to present to the Board of Education for approval at the October meeting, scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, October 14, 2024. The final plan will be available for review on the school’s website.

One of our top priorities for 2024-2025 is to improve our School Performance Grade. There are a number of key programs and initiatives that the school has in place to help improve student performance:

• Implementation of student data chats grades 3-8, in-school tutoring, school-wide reading challenges, and Leader in Me school improvement strategies

• In-house reading coach to provide support, integrate best practices, analyze data, and assist with teaching strategies

• Regularly use formative and summative assessments to measure student progress, analyze data, and to identify students strengths and challenges

• Align instructional practices with the Dimensions of Learning framework

• Celebrate small wins, and continue the momentum of making 85% growth during the 2023-24 school year

We encourage you to actively engage in your student’s academic journey and invite you to collaborate with their teacher(s) to help ensure they stay on track for success. Working together as a team, we can improve not only how well our students are performing individually, but how the school is performing as a whole. There is nothing more important to us than ensuring students are ready for the next step in their academic careers. We appreciate your partnership and support to make it a successful school year.

If you have any questions regarding the School Performance Grade or the school’s plans for improvement, please don’t hesitate to contact Mrs. Vanessa Ruffin, principal at Tar Heel School by calling (910) 862-2475, or by email, vlruffin@bladen.k12.nc.us.

Sincerely,

Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

September 16, 2024

Dear Parent or Guardian,

As a parent/guardian of a student at Tar Heel School, I am writing to inform you that Tar Heel School has been designated as a Targeted Support and Improvement Consistently Underperforming (TSI-CU) by the North Carolina State Board of Education. As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for targeted support and improvement. TSI-CU schools in North Carolina are those that have a subgroup that is under-performing. The intent of this opportunity is to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. 

As a TSI-CU school, Tar Heel School is required to develop a comprehensive plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve student achievement. The plan will also include how our district will support us and monitor the progress of our school. The comprehensive plan will address the following areas:

• Classroom Management

• Standards-aligned Instruction

• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Instructional Leadership

• Recruitment & Retention of Effective Teachers

• Support for Grade-to-Grade Transitions

• Implementation of a Tiered Instructional System

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Student Support Services

• Family and Community Engagement

Specific goals and strategies have been developed by the school and are a part of the School Improvement Plan. To review the school improvement plan, please visit the link, http://www.indistar.org and enter the following information:

ID: GuestS15615
Password: GuestS15615

Our students need to experience higher achievement levels, but it will require hard work on the part of staff, students and families. Below are some strategies that Tar Heel School will be implementing:

• Use student performance data to identify strengths and challenges

• Regularly analyze assessment results to track progress and adjust strategies

• Provide a licensed retired teacher(s) to tutor students that need additional support with reading, math, and science skills.

• Offer enrichment programs for high-achieving students and additional support for striving students

• Provide individualized instruction to students based on needs and data results

• Enhance collaboration among teachers to share best practices and instructional strategies

Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. A few ways we can work together include:

• Make sure that both you and your student are aware of academic expectationsMake sure that your student is prepared and attends school each day

• Monitor your student’s homework

• Monitor the progress your student is making and attend meetings with your student’s teacher(s)

• Keep track of the school website and school social media sites

• Always reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns

Collaboratively, we can work together to ensure that our students are successful in meeting their academic goals. We are excited about this school year and are working diligently to ensure it is successful for your student. Here are some resources available to help you learn more about academic standards and achievement results:

• K-12 standards in academic subjects: www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ 

• State student achievement test results:www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/

• NC School Report Cards: https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/

If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact Mrs. Vanessa Ruffin, principal of Tar Heel School, at (910) 862-2475 or by email at vlruffin@bladen.k12.nc.us.

Sincerely,

Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

September 16, 2024

Dear Parent/Guardian,

In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation (G.S. §115C-83.15) that introduced School Performance Grades to provide families with additional insights into school performance. Since the 2013–14 school year, North Carolina School Report Cards have assigned letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F) to every school in the state.

Unfortunately, the state of North Carolina has determined that 80% of a school’s performance grade is based on how students perform on a single test (End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests), while only 20% of the grade reflects the academic growth made by students throughout the year. Along with other school districts in North Carolina, we believe this formula is skewed and does not accurately reflect the work and progress of our schools. Our staff and students work hard daily, and our growth measures for each school are indicative of this.

According to G.S. 115C-105.37, a low-performing school is defined as one that earns a grade of D or F and either meets or does not meet academic growth expectations. We are writing to inform you that the following schools have been identified as low-performing:

School	Performance Grade	Growth Status	Percentage of Growth Made
Bladen Lakes Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	81.7%
Bladenboro Middle	D	Did Not Meet Growth	59.4%
Dublin Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	75.9%
East Arcadia Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	83.4%
Elizabethtown Middle	F	Did Not Meet Growth	67.8%
Elizabethtown Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	80.3%
Tar Heel School	D	Met Expected Growth	84.7%

Due to the number of low-performing schools, Bladen County Schools has been designated as a low-performing district by the North Carolina State Board of Education. While we are committed to improving these scores, it's important to remember that one grade or score does not capture the full picture of a school’s performance or the learning opportunities we provide. For the 2024–2025 school year, we are focused on improving School Performance Grades across the district. To support this effort, we are implementing the following strategies:

• District Strategic Plan Core: The District Improvement Plan will be built upon the primary indicators and strategies of the District Strategic Plan.

• Support and Monitoring: A District Improvement Team will continuously support and monitor progress, especially at low-performing schools.

• District Administrator Support Coaches: Each low-performing school will be assigned a coach to provide direct support.

• High-Dosage Tutoring: Schools will implement intensive tutoring and additional academic supports during and after school hours.

• Focused Professional Development: Teachers will receive targeted training on high-impact instructional strategies.

• Small Group Instruction and Intervention: Teachers will be trained in effective small group instruction and evidence-based interventions.

• Curriculum Specialists: Specialists will concentrate their efforts on supporting low-performing schools.

• Quarterly Data Meetings: Schools will hold quarterly meetings to review student progress based on instructional data.

• Resource Alignment: We will ensure district and school resources are aligned with the specific needs of low-performing schools.

• District Admin Coach Engagement: Coaches will attend monthly meetings at each assigned school and provide weekly support.

• Prioritization of Resources: Low-performing schools will receive prioritized support and resources.

As a low-performing district, we are required to develop an improvement plan to address how we will improve the school performance grade at these schools. Central office administrators and I will work closely with the schools to monitor progress. The preliminary plan will be presented at tonight’s Board of Education meeting, and the final version will be posted on our district website at http://www.bladen.k12.nc.us.

We encourage you to stay engaged with your student’s academic progress and work closely with their teacher(s) to ensure they remain on track. By working together, we can improve both student performance and the overall success of our schools. The success of our students is our highest priority.

If you have any questions about School Performance Grades or our improvement plans, please contact Director of Accountability and Federal Programs, Brendan McCarthy, at (910) 862-4136 or via email at btmccarthy@bladen.k12.nc.us.

Sincerely,

Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent