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Superintendent credits "balanced instruction" for test gains; board votes to send letter over credit-taking
Summary
At the June 8 Burke County Public Schools board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Swan presented unofficial test gains and promoted the district's balanced-instruction initiative; the board voted to send a joint letter to a neighboring district and news outlets after Dr. Swan said another district had taken credit for Burke County's work.
Dr. Swan, superintendent of Burke County Public Schools, told the school board on June 8 that unofficial test results show double-digit percentage-point increases in several subjects and attributed much of that improvement to the district's balanced-instruction initiative and staff placements.
"If you had a student that had a poor day...we were able to retest those students and several of those students increased in their proficiency," Dr. Swan said, noting the state's accountability mix of 80% proficiency and 20% growth and that final state certification of results is expected in September or October. He also highlighted a Scholastic partnership and summer programs that provide take-home books to students.
The board reserved judgment on the finality of the results: Dr. Swan repeatedly described the scores as "unofficial" and reminded the board that the state's certification timeline remains in effect.
Board discussion turned to the district's broader instructional strategy. Dr. Swan and other speakers credited the gains to staffing choices, retesting policies and the balanced-instruction approach, including selective check-ins and expanded STEM professional development. Board members also emphasized play-based learning for pre-K and early grades and asked staff to continue monitoring screen time versus hands-on instruction.
Late in the meeting, Dr. Swan said he believed another district and some news reports had cited a different district as the innovator for balanced instruction despite Burke County's earlier implementation. "We've pretty much started it ourselves and we've got it looks like we've got one district that's taken the credit," Dr. Swan said, urging the board to respond.
The board voted 6-1 to send a joint letter to the other district and to the reporters who covered the story documenting Burke County's role and the district's evidence for the initiative (motion by Mr. Wyoff; second by Mr. Johnson). Mr. Beck recorded the lone dissenting vote.
The board did not adopt new instructional policy at the meeting; members asked staff to prepare follow-up materials, including the evidence and a proposed letter draft, before distribution to the external parties.
What happens next: staff will draft the joint letter and distribute it to board members for review; the district will await state-certified test results in the fall and continue implementing balanced-instruction steps through professional development and the two-year partnership with Mr. Bill Daget.
