Eighth Grade Continuation

One thing I have discovered over my years in education is: change is hard. I think a lot of times change is much harder on us adults than it is on our children. I want to talk to you about a change that we have made, and why we have made it.

At the end of last year, we made a decision as a school system to change the way we handle the 8th grade continuation exercises. We looked at surrounding schools and school systems and what they were doing, weighed the pros and cons, and decided to no longer hold “continuation” exercises (essentially a graduation ceremony) at the 8^th grade level.

Our principals informed parents at the beginning of the school year and again in the middle of the year, and now as we start to enter the final stages of this school year some have expressed concern, which I completely understand. I know many of our parents have looked forward to the day when their child can walk in these continuation exercises, proud that they have made it through the 8th grade. We want our students to feel proud of their accomplishments. We also want to recognize them for outstanding achievement in all areas. I have asked for all schools to create an awards ceremony or dinner to do just that. Now instead of students being recognized just for passing 8^th grade, students will be recognized for achieving high grades, good attendance and behavior, as well as other accomplishments. Also, high-performing students will continue to be recognized as “marshals” or “ambassadors” in seventh grade—and will serve an important role in their schools. We will continue to recognize achievement in the middle grades as we always have. But- we want to stress to the parents and the students that the journey is just beginning, and that much hard work lies ahead in high school. The truth is that graduating from 8th grade is no more or less important than graduating from 5th grade or 10^th grade. I do not want students to look at reaching the end of 8th grade as a goal; this implies that the journey is over. In this day and age, we must keep all students looking forward to graduating from high school with real skills and abilities to take them to the places they want to go: college, technical school, the workforce. A child who drops out before that walk across the stage is at a tremendous disadvantage, and we must do everything in our power from Kindergarten on, to keep our students focused on the goal of graduating from 12^th grade. The proud feeling of watching a child walk in a graduation ceremony should be reserved for graduation from high school, for then it is an accomplishment of a thirteen year journey that has true life-changing significance.

School version 2.0 - End of the School Year—Yesterday and Today.

Thirty years ago, late April and early May was a much different time in schools. As the days got longer and warmer, recess would last just a little bit longer, class would “wrap-up” a little bit sooner, and basically everyone connected with the schools were more or less passing the time before the arrival of summer. The serious work of school was over, and the time was filled with year-end parties, movies etc. This is not to say that teaching and learning didn’t take place, but the pressure lessened with each passing day.

Fast-forward to today’s schools, and we see the reverse is true. The days may be warmer and longer, but this time of year has become the most important in students’ lives, because it is in these last few weeks of school that the students learn and review for End of Grade and End of Course tests. The pressure grows each and every day. The scores that a student receives on these tests has a tremendous impact on his or her academic future. If a student fails to pass an EOG (Grades 3-8), they will have two more times to take the test, but those opportunities happen very close together. A year’s worth of material cannot be learned in this time, so it is essential that parents stay in contact with their teachers to understand areas of weakness that need to be improved upon BEFORE taking an EOG. After three tries, the child stands a high probability of being retained. EOC’s in High School count 25% of the overall grade. A student can be passing a course but fail because of a low EOC score. Here again, it is essential that parents monitor their child’s progress closely, and encourage them to spend some time each week reviewing material from earlier in the year. Finally, students should do everything possible to be in class these final few weeks, and parents should encourage good attendance. The reality of the situation is a child can fall behind in only a couple of days, and at this point in the school year it can be very difficult to catch up.

With all the pressure that students face today, it is also important to remember that the many events that are taking place: athletic events, spring musicals, concerts etc. are very valuable to our students. These activities give our students an outlet and help prevent them from burning out on the pressures applied by testing and the end of the school year.

Thirty years ago, this was a relaxing time for educators and students alike. Those days are gone, and while the pressures have increased, so have the levels of achievement. We realize across our system that the final weeks of school are more important than the first ones, because it is in these final days that the concepts that have been learned are taken to higher levels of thinking, which of course, is what we are all about.

We welcome your comments on my blog at http://www.drstrickland.blogspot.com/ and be sure to check out our website at www.columbus.k12.nc.us.

Awards – Yesterday and Today

I think most schools have some old, dusty trophies sitting around somewhere. Some are long-forgotten accomplishments and some are more recent activities. If you look at the older awards you see that the metal is tarnished or bleached from constant sun. Even last year’s awards don’t look quite as “nice” as they once did.

Recently, I attended several award ceremonies where our school system was recognized for outstanding achievement.

At the North Carolina Association of School Administrators Awards Ceremony, Hallsboro/Artesia Elementary School was recognized as the Eastern Region Elementary School Trailblazer Award Winner for their after school program that partners with a local church. Tabor City Middle School was the Eastern Region Middle Schools Trailblazer Award Winner with their Academic Intramurals, a program designed to inspire and encourage academic achievement. Our entire School District was recognized as the only recipient of the Trailblazer Award for School Districts.

The American School Board Journal also awarded our school system a national honorable mention for our Beginning Teacher Support Program, which aims to retain and support new teachers, and finally The American School Board Journal awarded Southeastern Early College, our partnership with Whiteville City Schools and Southeastern Community College, a national award for Early College’s program to provide college access to high school students.

I can’t begin to describe how thrilling it was to see our schools recognized on the state and national level. I honestly feel each award was earned, as there were many hundreds of other eligible schools and systems. Who deserves credit for these accomplishments? Our support staff does. The principals do. The teachers do. Our parents, community and business partners do- but most importantly – our students deserve the credit. They have accomplished the really hard work of making tough decisions and sacrifices so that their future may be brighter.


So what happens to these awards now? Well, they’ll be displayed and admired for a little while. They’ll serve as a reminder of the benefits of hard work. But awards and plaques fade. They go on the shelf and are soon forgotten. The true awards for us as educators are the living, breathing ones that walk through our doors each morning. I am very proud of our school system, and our accomplishments. But the reason that I am proud is that I know that these accomplishments represent improving education for our students.

The awards may tarnish and fade, but once a fire has been lit in the eyes of a child, it never goes out. We must now work doubly hard to make sure that fire burns deeper and brighter with each passing year.
Thanks for listening. We welcome your comments on my blog at drstrickland.blogspot.com. Also, information about our school system can be found at http://www.columbus.k12.nc.us.