A modest increase in Andrew Wilson’s 2011- 2012 school performance score was the main focus at the monthly board meeting, Oct 22.Last year’s school performance score was 77.9, a gain of 7.6 points from last year, just short of the 10 point growth target set by school administrators.
Principal Logan Crowe and Assistant Principal Ronicka Briscoe told the board that while the school just narrowly missed its benchmark, internal assessments reveal an upward trend in reading and math comprehension.
Using a line graph that displayed last year’s standing, this year’s current mark and the end-of-the-year target, Briscoe said recent data showed that “students are within range of the expected results…and the margin of progress is much greater among students who have been at Wilson for several years.”
Crowe also said the school’s curriculum is aligned with the Common Core Standards, the newly adopted national curriculum. But he warned that the state’s board of education is expecting a drop in test scores when the test is fully implemented.
Other agenda items during the hour-long meeting included: recent school activities, a vote on an administrator evaluation tool, a resolution with the state regarding an audit, and a health care grant.
The Wilson Charter Ensemble was a musical guest at the recent Broadmoor Fest 2012 on October 20 at the Rosa F. Keller Library and Community Center on 4300 South Broad Street.
On the same weekend, several school students attended the New Orleans Children Book Festival on the grounds of the Latter Branch Library at 5120 St. Charles Avenue.
In regard to finance, director of operations Darius Munchak said that the school had resolved issues in a state audit regarding $91,083 in questioned expenses by providing proper documentation. He said the school had submitted paperwork to substantiate another $116,943 in questioned expenses.
In other business, the board voted and approved to continue using the Val-Ed program to gauge the effectiveness of the school’s principal. The program costs $380 yearly.
Finally, school officials announced that, in collaboration with NET Charter High School, it had applied for a $500,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant.
The grant will provide health care to students and parents, particularly to racial and ethnic minorities. The program will target drug abuse and addiction and mental health care of residents in the community.
The next board meeting will be on Nov. 27.
Correction: This story originally misstated Ronicka Briscoe’s position, inaccurately described the nature of the resolution of the audit and who it involved, and incorrectly stated that the school had received a $500,000 grant. The story also inaccurately described how much the school’s score rose this year because the state had revised the school’s score of 70.1 to 70.3 after the school appealed.