Student Performance
N.C Annual Testing Program
E/aiwr ■ note: This is the
■•cond of a three-part series
on the Competency Testing
program.
In March and April 1979, a
battery of achievement tests
was administered to students
In the first, second, third, sixth
and ninth grades throughout
North Carolina. Results from
the tests will be used to
identify students’ learning
strengths and weaknesses, to
improve students’ academic
performances, to inform
parses and the general public
of the progresa of their child
ren, to Inform the public of the
current educational programs
and to plan and improve edu
cational efforts.
A reading test and a mathe
matics test, designed to give
teachers and parents explicit
information about student per
formance on skills and know
ledge emphasized at the
student’s grade level, were
administered to students in
grades one and two. Achieve
ment tests in reading, matbe
mattes and language arts
were administered to students
at grades three, six and nine.
These tests are designed to
obtain general measures of
performance and to compare
the performance of various
groups of students.
From March 20 to April 9,
466,912 puhlic school young
sters took the annual tests.
Additionally, 17,009 non-public
school youngsters were admi
nistered the tests along with
approximately 1,000 students
In two federal schools at Fort
Bragg and Camp Lejeune.
The following is a summary of
the results.
+ Generally, the average
scores for students in grades
one, two, three and six surpas
sed the average scores nation
ally on tests administered as
part of the Annual Testing
Program. There were two
exceptions. The state scores
were Identical with national
scores in reading at grade
three but the national average
was two months higher in
reading than state students in
Graduation Requirements
Change For NeW Students
by Susan Ellsworth
Post Staff Writer
Students entering high
school in September must
meet new requirements for
graduation.
The state board of education
has raised the requisites to 18
units in grades 9 through 12 for
all North Carolina’s high
school students graduating
during 1982-83.
In Chariotte-Mecklen burg,
the requirement had been 16
units through grades 9-12 or 13
units in grades 10-12.
“All but 13 of the state’s 145
schools already require 18
units and in most of those units
students generally have 18 or
more units anyway,” accord
ing to state superintendent
Craig Phillips.
Under the old system ninth
graders were limited in the
Cber of high school offer
available to them.
Each student under the new
...111 k._X_J S.
tag the last four years of
school. One additional unit in
John Caldwell
Joins UJS.
Air Force
John W. Caldwell, son of
Mrs. Lizzie Caldwell, of 2828
Columbus Circle, has enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force.
Airman Caldwell, a 1978
graduate of Harding High
School, Joined under the Air
Force’s Delayed Enlistment
Program (DEP), which
allows him to accumulate
time in the Air Force Reserve
until he enters active duty on
September 10,1979.
Sergeant Steve Dagenhart,
Air Force recruiter in Char
lotte, stated that Airman
Caldwell successfully comple
ted a series of tests which
qualified him for the Aircraft
Armament Systems Specialist
field of training.
Wliat Is A Biopsy?
Biopey is the surest method
for diagnosing cancer. It la
generally a minor operation in
which a small piece of suspect
tissue is removed and examin
ed under a microscope by a
doctor called a patho
%glst. If the tissue contains
cancerous cells, treatment is
begun. Contrary to what some
people believe, a biopsy will
not spreed any cancer that is
found._._
mathematics and one more
elective will be required.
The new math requisite
raises the number needed to
graduate to two and the addi
tional elective increases that
requirement to seven.
Students may also take
courses at technical schools
and community colleges and
have them approved as a unit
for graduation.
Passing the state competen
cy test is also required to
receive a diploma.
Those students who com
plete all required coursework
but fail the competency test
are allowed to retake the test
as many times as they need to
pass it up to age 21.
Students who have met re
quirements but owe the school
money can participate in gra
duation exercises but will not
receive a diploma until their
financial obligations have
been met.
the sixth grade
+ With the exception of
spelling, the average ninth
grade student nationally
scored higher than the aver
age North Carolina student on
the tests administered as part
of the Annual Testing Pro
gram.
+ When North Carolina
students were compared with
national averages, they
generally achieved the highest
scores in mathen^tics,
second highest in spelling,
third highest in language, and
the lowest in reading.
+ Generally, the average
student at all grade levels in
each subject area in all eight
regions of the state gained in
performance from 1977-78 to
1978-79, with the exception of
reading at the first grade level
in Region III and reading at
the ninth grade level in Region
VIII. No changes were noted
there.
-r m uie ninm grade level,
the average student in
Regions one, two, three, four
and six generally scored be
low the national average.
However, the average ninth
grade student in regions five,
seven, and eight generally
surpass the average ninth
grade student nationally. The
average ninth grade student in
Region V surpassed the
national average in all subject
areas.
+ The greatest improve
ment in achievement between
1977-78 scores and this year’s
administration of the Annual
Testing Program was noted in
language. Substantial im
provement was also observed
in mathematics, spelling, and
reading. Sixth grade students
showed the largest gain of the
five grades in which the tests
were administered. Third and
ninth grade students were
approximately the same and
the least progress was noted
between the two test adminis
trations at the first and second
grade levels.
This report includes a sum
mary of student performance
for the entire student popula
tion in the state, as well as for
the total student population in
each of the eight educational
regionB.
MRS. DAVIS CELEBRATES 88th BIRTHDAY
Mrs. Annie Strong Davis of 2851 LaSalle
Street recently celebrated her 88th birthday
at her home with her family and relatives.
Mrs. Davis is the mother of five daughters
and one deceased son.
Her daughters are: Willene Huff, Louise
Vanderburg, Thelma Wallace, Lola Twitty
and Blanche Goodman.
Mrs Davis, who has lived in Charlotte all her
life, has been a faithful member of Salem
Baptist Church for 50 years. She is also the
oldest living member of the church
Retiring five years ago at the age of 83, Mrs
Davis worked for Francis Martin, a surgeon.
for 40 years.
Mrs Davis' birthday gifts consisted mostly of
monetary surprises.
Among family members present at this
memorable event were her 12 grandchildren:
Thomas Wallace, Martin Davis, Nathaniel
Smith. Cecil Wallace. Ralph Jordan, Carleen '
Clybourne. Tresdant Goodman, Aretta
Goodman. Roselyn Jordan, Thomasina
Massey. Andrea Moore and Cynthia Smith; 37
great grandchildren, four great-great grand
children. an aunt, a brother and nephews and
cousins.
“Illegitimate” Children Eligible For Annuity Benefits
“Illegitimate” children of
deceased Civil Service em
ployees or Members of Con
gress from throughout the
country are now eligible for
survivor annuity benefits on
the same basis as other survi
ving children, as the result of
a recent federal court decision
in the District of Columbia.
Between 10,000 and 22,000
children are affected by the
Court’s ruling. Many of them
are now eligible for benefits of
at least $135 per month.
A provision of the Civil
Service survivor annuity law,
which restricted survivor
benefits to those “illegiti
mate" children whose Civil
Service parent died on or after
February 24,1972, are entitled
to back (“retroactive”) bene
fits which the Office of Per
sonnel Management (former
ly, the Civil Service Commis
sion), improperly denied
them.
While the Government has
appealed the Court’s decision
and has gone to the Supreme
Court on a similar case. Judge
Richey ordered that some of
the children in the nationwide
class action must receive
benefits immediately. Under
the Court's recent Order,
children whose Civil Service
parent died after February,
1972 and who were 18 years of
age or younger as of Decem
ber 1, 1977, may be entitled to
current and future benefits
now.
Persons who think they may
be eligible for benefits or who
know about children who may
be eligible for benefits should
visit or call the local office of
the Office of Personnel
Management.
Retirement Means Only Tlie
Beginning Of Old Age
"For many tolKs, retire
ment means only the official
beginning of old age." says
PRIME TIME host Don
McNeill, "and that’s too bad
because things that were
never possible before should
be the very things we now look
forward to with great antici
pation."
McNeill, for 33 years the
host of ABC Radio’s "Break
fast Club," introduces viewers
to some very special people
who have "turned what they
thought were going to be the
down years into the time of
their lives" on "Learning to
Enjoy." episode two of
PRIME TIME, airing nation
ally on PBS. Saturday, July
14, 6 p.m. ET (WTVI is airing
Saturday, July 28 at 4 p.m.).
Retire and Relax
"A lot of older Americans
prepare for retirement with
the same precision as balan
cing a checkbook," remarks
McNeill. Among those people
are:
+ Joe and Elsie Collins,
who have returned to live
again amidst the rural plea
sures of their childhood in
Michigan's upper peninsula,
where they are designing a
year-round vacation
residence.
+ Art and Bernice Lartz of
Spring Hill, Florida, who re
call "Our children told us to go
and enjoy ourselves - and
that's just what we did." The
Lartzes are now part of Spring
Hill's social establishment, do
as much swimming, fishing
and golfing as they can. and
work in helping others adjust
to retirement ( "If they only
knew they could come here
and just relax," says Art).
For some, though, their
"self-identity through the
years is completely linked to
their occupation," as McNeill
puts it. Yet, even they can
discover that retirement is far
less traumatic, far less a thing
to be dreaded, than they fear
ed Among those who've
made that discovery:
Margaret Richards, a
Kansas City journalist who
now teaches poetry, is making
new friends and claims that
it's "the happiest period of my
life."
- 86-year-old Max Engel of
Los Angeles - a life long tra
veller who hasn't stopped ex
ploring yet and now has as
much time as he wants to
devote to his life-long passion
to see new places
* Naomi Gates Hodge, a
civil servant in Chicago all her
adult life, who now sings in a
church choir and is heavily
involved in church activities
says Naomi, "If we live like
we should, we won’t age").
Keep your out-of-towr
friends informed on what's
happening in Charlotte by
sending them a copy of the
Charlotte Post each week
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