You may remember our recent announcement that Torrence Creek has been awarded an A+ school status. The School Leadership Team and PTA have partnered with our Administration and Staff to help you understand what this means to our school.
What does being an A+ school mean?
- North Carolina issues letter grades to each school based on:
- Proficiency: Are students performing at or above grade level expectations?
- Growth: How much progress did students make during the school year, regardless of where they started?
- Proficiency accounts for 80% of the grade, while the remaining 20% is based on growth
- To receive an A+ rating, a school must:
- Have at least 85% of students test at or above grade level, and
- Maintain achievement gaps between groups of students (such as racial and income groups) that are no larger than state averages.
How does TCE stack up with other CMS schools?
- TCE was one of only 10 CMS elementary schools to receive an A+ rating for 2015-2016! Only 16 out of 165 schools, system wide, earned an A+ rating. This was made up of 10 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 2 high schools, and 3 charter schools
- 85% of our students tested at or above grade level, and we met all 10, or 100%, of measurable learning growth targets set by the Federal Government
- Low achievement gaps earned our school the + rating designation
- We outperformed many of the other local elementary schools
- As our school has become more diverse, our student achievement has also increased
What else sets TCE apart from other schools?
- The quality of our teachers
- 100% of TCE teachers are fully licensed
- 8% hold advanced degrees
- 8% have more than 4 years of experience, with 55.2% having more than 10 years of experience
- Our staff currently employees the 2015-2016 CMS District Teacher Assistant of the Year and the 2015-2016 CMS North Learning Community Principal of the Year
- Access to technology – The TCE PTA is working toward 1:1 ratio of digital devices per student
- Our school is one of 6 CMS schools participating in the Cambridge International Program at the 4th and 5th grade level. This offers an academically rigorous curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking skills and inquiry based learning. 100% of the TCE students participating in Cambridge during 2015-2016 scored at the silver or gold levels on the Cambridge Progression Exams.
- Our positive school climate and mission to serve the WHOLE child