After reviewing community and staff feedback, the Board of Education has approved specific calendar changes to make up instructional hours lost due to the delayed start of school this year.
The District surveyed families and staff on options to meet state requirements, including adding minutes to school days or converting vacation days around Thanksgiving and winter break to instructional days.
Based on the input received, the Board decided to convert Oct 30, December 20, and Jan 2 to full student days.
The Board felt this option was the least disruptive to families while still providing the additional hours needed. The calendar adjustments ensure the District is projected to meet the state mandate of 1,025 total instructional hours.
A revised ABSS School Calendar will be released soon and posted on the District’s website.
State of the District
Chief Academic Officer Revonda Johnson presented the state of the District Monday night and announced new initiatives ABSS will implement this year to improve student outcomes District-wide.
New initiatives include:
- Launching a new elementary math curriculum to strengthen foundational skills
- Providing tutors funded by federal dollars at every elementary school, targeting the most at-risk students
- Implementing a tiered support model to focus more district resources on highest-need schools
- Expanding evening and Saturday academies at all high schools to support credit recovery and graduation
- Reducing teacher vacancies by 50% compared to last year, ensuring strong staff support from day one
- Making strategic principal reassignments to better support school improvement
"We are using some of our federal dollars to launch expanded tutoring support for our most vulnerable students this year," said Revonda Johnson, Chief Academic Officer.
“This will put reading tutors in front of children daily to help our most at-risk students.”
Seventeen of the District’s 35 schools remain on the state’s low-performing list. However, the District saw significant gains in the 2022-23 school year, according to North Carolina's state test results presented to the State Board of Education on Wednesday. In fact, Hawfields Middle School has been in the Top 5 for the past four years and had the highest growth index in North Carolina in the 2022-23 academic year.
Overall, 26 ABSS schools met growth expectations during the school year, with 6 exceeding overall expectations. On the state's required standardized tests, 20 of the District's 27 elementary and middle schools met or exceeded reading growth expectations, while 21 schools reached math growth expectations.
“We educate every child. That’s the difference between us and the schools you can opt into. Often, these schools don’t serve every child. We educate all, and our goal is to help them reach their potential,” Johnson told the Board.
Many ABSS schools demonstrated impressive gains, such as Hillcrest Elementary jumping from an F to a D rating by exceeding growth in math, meeting growth in reading, and meeting overall growth goals.
"While state ratings provide one snapshot, it doesn't tell the whole story," Johnson added. "We know there are areas for improvement, but each new school year brings opportunities for student growth through daily teaching and learning. At ABSS, we're committed to supporting every student's success, even when it's not fully captured on a test."
ABSS Strategic Plan
The Board of Education officially approved the 2023-2029 Strategic Plan, which will guide the District's academic and operational priorities over the next six years.
The strategic plan outlines seven key focus areas:
- Safe and Supportive Learning Environments
- Staff Recruitment and Retention
- Mastery Teaching Practices
- Maximized Learning Pathways
- Community Partnerships
- Productive Citizens
These areas were identified through extensive community engagement over the summer, including meetings with District leaders, staff, students, families, and community members.
Over the coming months, the District will develop specific goals, action plans, and metrics to track progress within each focus area. By concentrating on these priorities, the District aims to foster student growth and achievement, recruit and retain top talent, and strengthen community ties.
The strategic plan will serve as a living document to inform decisions and measure success across the District.
New Roof Designs
The Board approved design services for three roofing projects at the following schools:
Western Alamance High School - $140,625
Western Alamance Middle School - $108,855
B.Everett Jordan Elementary - $52,500
Board Recognitions
As part of the monthly recognitions, the Board honored nearly 75 outstanding students across the District along with the staff and administration at Hawfields Middle School.
Hawfields Middle School was honored for earning the #1 growth index in North Carolina. Through their dedication to excellence, Hawfields achieved an overall growth score of 16.75, exceeding growth in all subgroups on the state’s standardized tests.
The Board also celebrated the academic achievement of 164 high school students who earned recognition through Advanced Placement exams last May.
The following students were recognized as AP Scholars. They received scores of 3 or higher on three or more AP exams:
Eastern High School - Addison Carter, Aidan Clark, McKay Fleming, Lucy Taylor, Benjamin Wilson
Southern High School - Gavin Clark, Allee Coble, Morgan Edmunds, Gianna Kraycirik, Owen Mann, Alaina McBride, Stephenie Moore, Grace Patterson, Simon Simons
Western High School - Blake Bacchus, Lela Baker, Preston Bays, Carolyn Berntson, Thomas Bullard, Kali Cotton, Ivania David Sorto, Sarah Delphias, Joyce Gao, Wesley Geiger, Caroline Gray, Caedmon Gresham, Hailey Herndon, Harry Jefferson, Taya Johnson, Chazz May, Francisco Perez, Hamilton Plunkett, Karsen Simmons, Mia Sodano, Andrew Sweat, Wison Workman
Williams High School - Mary Gabrielli, Henri Lanzoni, Abigale Robinson, Chelsea Treadwell, Lauren Turner, Tatianna Zempel
The following students were recognized as AP Scholars with Honor. They received an average score of 3.25 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on 4 or more of these exams:
Eastern High School - Julia Davis, Kristina Hudson, Vanessa Rivera Romero, Isabella Walters
Southern High School - Brandon Pasour, Rachel Ren, Isabella Salamone, Addison Sutton
Western High School - Noah Barrett, Jacob Davern, Valeria Hernandez, Zachariah Kennedy, Joshua Long, Zackery Ollis, Juliette Onder, Charlotte Walsh
Williams High School - Kenna Talhelm, Olivia Vandre
The following students were recognized as AP Scholars with Distinction. They received an average score of 3.5 on all AP exams taken and scores of 3 or higher on 5 or more of these exams:
Eastern High School - Daisy Castillo Isidro, Bridget Galicia, John Nofsinger, Lillian Smith
Western High School - Kayla Fahrner, Madelyn Hanks, Allison Tingen, Casey Troutman, Katelyn Williams
Williams High School - Luke Coker, Samantha Fish, Virginia Isley