Agenda - 09-20-1994 - Laserfiche WebLink

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?Pif 9' .>0 Presentation to Board of Education by Peter H. Morcombe at the Chapel Hill town hall on September 1, 1994 On August 25, I attended a press conference in Raleigh. Bobby Ethridge, our state superintendent of education was releasing the 1993/4 SAT results. Even though the state SAT average has only advanced by one point, he was very up beat because this was the fifth straight year of improvement. In 1989, North Carolina was 67 points below the national average and in 1994 we are 42 points down. The state has closed the gap by 25 points in 5 years. What has happened in Chapel Hill? Compared to the national average, our scores have dropped by 33 points since,1992. Superintendent Pedersen is reported to have said "They're in line with the results that we've had for the past five years, with the exception of two years ago when we had, it seems, an exceptional class." For the record, this year's SAT results are the lowest for 5 years. Not only are they lower than the "exceptional" 1992 results, but also the 1990, 1991 and 1993 results as well. CHCCS SAT POttsfTS ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE 160 — / 140 — / .r 120 100 83 111111=„adm= _ 60 — El 1\ PIPV 20 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 CO 81 82 83 84 85 66 87 89 :t 93 91 92 93 94 As you can see from the trend lines in the graph above, this school district struggled for 20 years to raise academic achievement. Now we have a group of administrators who are leading us in the wrong direction. In spite of repeated appeals, we cannatset thern_to focus on the academic mission. This administration puts politics and bureaucrats„,before students, teachers and parents. The result is declining achievement and increased alienation for our children. Let us make sure that we all remember this in November 1995 when the next elections for the Board of Education will be held.