3A NEWS/iS6e Charlotte ^ost Thursday, July 27, 2006 School district discovers chaUenges and progress Continued from page 1A many of the students in Charlotte, North Carolina’s most diverse school district, continue to stru^le to mas ter basic skills and course material. “Our schools -went up in vir tually every area, however' some schools didn’t make it in subgroups,” Gorman said. The number of subgroups measured at a school range from one at Oaklawn to 29 at East Mecklenburg and Independence high schools. VWth less than a month imtil die first day of school, the N.C. Department of Education has not made sub group data available, so CMS is unable to report results for specific groups, such as minorities and poor students or those receiving special education or Er^hsh as a Second Langiiage services. The AYP results released on Wednesday may change later this fall, as North Carolina releases mathematics scores. Schools that fail to meet AYP four years in a row are placed on a plan for corrective action, ranging fix>m provid ing tutoring for students, to dosing a school. Five middle schools and one elementary school in CMS were placed on corrective action: Cochrane, Eastway, Spax^, J.T Wniiams, and "VWlson middle schools plus Shamrock Gardens Elanentary “The state gives you plans of action you can take, but doesn’t tell you exactly what to do,” Gorman said of N.C. involvement with Title 1 schools. “We’ve put corrective actions in place already and the state wid review what [we] do.” Corrective actions have already been imderway at Shamrock Gardens^ which debuts a new magnet plan for gifted and talented students when school starts. In accor dance with No Child Left Behind, parents with stu dents in CMS Title 1, or high poverty schools that don’t meet AYP standards may request change in placement for their children for the ‘06- ’07 school year. According to Gorman, about Spercent of parents are cmrently trans ferring their students out CMS schools not meeting requirements. The district mailed letters this week to parents of stu dents enrolled at Lincoln Heights, Irwin Avenue, and WTnterfield Elementary schools, which were unable to participate in the spring lot tery But with Ihe way SBC is going, or rather not going, a parent’s choice on where to transfer their child may be limited. “Some schools may be closed, in that they can’t accept more students,” said Gorman, “so this does have an impact on things ” As far as the commissioners and SBC, Gorman was tight lipped about detafts, but opti mistic. “I am hopeful that a resolu tion will be made,” he said. “The acceptable standard increases every year. No school can rest on their lau rels. It’s only a matter of time before every school should be worried about the threshold level.” , Gorman offered a four-step plan of action. “Step one is to take respon sibility” he said. “Step two, and this is the hard one, develop a plan. Step three implement the plan, and step four evaluate the plan.” Subgroup data is expected fix)m the state by August 4, but probably won’t be ava£- able until August 11, two weeks from the start of the school year. School begins on a Friday this year, due to legislation that the academic year can’t start before Ai^ust 25, and must end by June 10, the school board voted to start the school year on Ai^ust 25. An estimated 128,300 stu dents are airoUed in CMS schools an increase of 4,400 fi^Dm last year. CMS Chief Operating Officer Maurice Green gave an update on progress, saying five new schools - including Audrey Kell, Marshall, Winget, Hi^and Hills, and Washam - are slated to open on open Mecklenburg Mills Continued from page 1A said that hasn’t happened. “I don’t even know who’s officially handling the cases any more,” he said, addir^ that some items he was forced to leave behind aren’t in his possession and his computer was damaged as well as some art work. “ Mayor Pro Tfem Susan Bmgess, who is chair of City Coimdl’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Council Committee , said she hadn't heard about Mecklenbuig Mills - or fix)m resi dents - in a month. “The last time I heard, nearly everyone had been placed,” she said In May when a group of Mecklenburg Mills residents demon strated in fix>nt of the Government Center, Burgess answered questions and expressed outrage over their removal. She com pared their eviction and treatment to the displacement of Hurricane Katrina victims last year along the Gulf Coast. Calling All Livingstone College Alumni and Friends!!! The Livingstone college Office of Alumni Affairs cordially invites you to attend an alumni round-up for the rejuvenation of the Livingstone College Charlotte Alumni Chapter. Please come prepared to share your ideas related to successfully engaging alumni in this process. Tuesday, August 8th, 7 P.M. Gethsemane A.M.E. Zion Church 531 Campus Street • Charlotte, NC 28216 If we work together in the spirit of cooperation, and collaboration - collectively we can take Livingstone College “To The Next Level. ” Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. - President KEZIAH’s FURNITURE BIG SALE Large Pillow - Top Queen Mattress Set $299 Sofas, Bedroom Suit and Dinettes All on SALE 12 Months No Interest 8004 Blair Rd. (Highway 51) Mint Hill 704.573.6150 2914 Gibbon Rd. {Off 1-77 & I-85)Charlotte, N.C 704.596.7427 ing day As far as mobile units, they planned to have 163 moved by opening day and 145 are in place. Tb join those units, 34 restrooms must be moved, and 28 have been relocated thus far. Over 16,800 employees are projected for the school year, but Green said, “CMS is not quite fuHy staffed yet.” CMS has 215 teacher vacancies, including, 31 in math, 50 for exceptional chil dren, eight in science, and 12 in ESL. There are also 75 bus driver vacancies to be filled, but Green said there will be enough drivers on the first day THAFS WHY ANNUAL MAMMOGRAMS AFTER AGE 40 ARE SO IMPORTANT FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER. Mammography screening is the best available cool for findii'^ breast cancer early - when it is most easily treated. Even if you don’t notice a lump or other symptoms, a screening mammogram can detect changes in your breasts that could possibly be a sign of cancer. When detected early, many types of breast cancer have a 90% cure rate. PRESBYTERIAN SCREENING MAMMOGRAPHY Presbyterian Healthcare provides women with the latest in breast health and mammography services at six convenient locations. • PRESBYTERIAN BREAST CENTER (Upto,uny • PRESBYTERIAN BREAST CENTER BALLANTYNE • PRESBYTERIAN BREAST CENTER HUNTERSVILLE • PRESBYT_ERIAN BREAST CENTER MUSEUM (Midioxvn) •PRESBYTERIAN BREAST CENTER UNIVERSITY • PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL MATTHEWS To schedule a screening mammogram at a location near you, call 704-384-4177 or visit www.presbyterian.org ADVANCED SCREENING AND TREATMENT If something on your screening mammogram looks suspicious or unclear, a diagnostic mammogram may be recommended. At Presbyterian, we understand that this can be an uneasy time, so in most cases we've been able to reduce the amount of time between your mammo^am and dia^osis to less than 5 days —far better than the national average. 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