Cabarrus County Schools officials presented the district’s latest state school performance results to the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, reporting higher average letter grades, stronger student growth and an all-time high graduation rate for the district. Dr. Kopicki, representing Cabarrus County Schools, and Carl Sain, chief technology and information officer for the district, led the report and answered questions from commissioners.

The district outperformed the state on multiple measures, Sain said, including a districtwide proficiency rate of about 63.7% compared with a state average near 55%. He said roughly a quarter of Cabarrus County schools earned an A on the state performance grade, compared with about 7% statewide, and more than half earned an A or B. “By any objective measure, this was the most successful school year we've had from a testing, from a graduation, from a participation standpoint in Cabarrus County Schools history,” Sain said.

The report focused on three statewide measures that feed school performance grades: achievement (roughly 80% of the formula), growth (about 20%), and grade-level proficiency (students scoring at least a level 3 on end-of-grade or end-of-course tests). Sain explained that growth measures student progress relative to expectations and noted that nearly half of Cabarrus schools exceeded growth, while 88% either met or exceeded expected growth.

District officials highlighted several school-level achievements. W. R. O'Dell Elementary ranked first in the state for overall growth among elementary schools and first in reading across elementary, middle and high schools. Hickory Ridge Elementary moved from a B to an A rating; Northwest Cabarrus moved from a D to a B; A.T. Allen and Roberta Road middle schools moved from D to C; and seven schools improved their letter grade. Sain said 34 of the district’s 41 schools improved their numerical school score year over year.

Officials also reported gains on other indicators. The district’s graduation rate reached the highest level in its recorded history and every high school met or exceeded growth for the first time, Sain said. Several schools had graduation rates above 95%, including Cabarrus Early College of Technology and Kannapolis Early College. English-learner progress rose to 37.9% from 29.7%, officials reported; ACT qualifying scores improved districtwide; and WorkKeys career-readiness scores rose.

Commissioners asked about the district’s process for addressing schools labeled D or F. Dr. Kopicki and Sain described an annual school improvement cycle: administrators and school teams analyze multiple data sources, set goals, write improvement plans and monitor progress with benchmark assessments during the school year. “Every school… has a school improvement plan,” Dr. Kopicki said, adding that the district conducts three benchmark assessments each year and holds data digs to follow individual students’ progress.

Commissioners and officials discussed the nature of the growth metric, which is comparative across schools. Sain explained the “race” analogy: when some schools exceed growth, others will be categorized as not meeting growth because growth is measured relative to statewide peers. Commissioners also asked about classroom standards mentioned in state law; Sain said the district teaches the North Carolina standards, including multiplication facts and cursive where prescribed, and uses benchmark assessments to identify specific standards needing intervention.

Commissioner Pittman praised the district’s Performance Learning Center (PLC), saying the program had prevented dropouts and that he wished the county had more such programs. Dr. Kopicki credited “teachers, administrators and parents” for the improvements and said the district would return next year with further results.

No formal action or vote accompanied the report; the presentation was informational and followed by commissioners’ questions and staff answers. The district requested no additional funding during the session and did not present any proposals requiring immediate board action.