January 30, 2007

 Dear Parent,

 The North Carolina School Report Card provides for you important information about our school.  Report cards are issued by the state for all charter schools, regular schools, and alternative schools.  Since charter schools are actually their own district, out data is compared directly to the state rather than other schools or districts.

 The Report Card contains a wealth of information that parents will find of interest, ranging from statewide testing results to student computer access.  For 2005-2006 our school continued to maintain a high percentage of students who passed the End of Grade Reading test.  The percentage of students who passed the End of Grade Mathematics test decreased this  past year.  This drop in the passing rate was mirrored across the state, perhaps due to the newly designed test and the sharply increased standards which were set by the State Board of Education.  Our 8^th graders continue to excel, surpassing the state passing average by ten points for the Computer Competency test and by 11 points for the Algebra I End of Course test.

 As you review the information on the report card, please remember that while data can be informative it can sometimes be misleading. The State Report Card uses a very narrow definition of “fully licensed teacher.”  We have many fine teachers on staff who have a “lateral entry” license or “provisional” license that was issued by the state.  These teachers are currently working on requirements that will change their status to “fully licensed” in the near future.

 The data in this report only tells part of the story for our school.  The Downtown Middle School is multi-faceted and many of our strengths cannot be measured with hard data.  The Paideia philosophy allows for student-centered learning and opportunities to develop higher thinking skills.  All of our students participate daily in a band or music class and our emphasis on drama continues to thrive.

 At the Downtown Middle School, we want parents to be informed about our school’s progress and involved in our school on a regular basis.  Please feel free to contact me directly to discuss this report card or any other interest you have in our school. Also, more detailed information about our NC Report Card is available at www.ncreportcards.org.  Thank you for allowing me to share this report card with you and thank you for supporting our efforts to provide your child with a high-quality education.

 Sincerely,

 Amanda Gane, Principal