RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Parents in North Carolina have a new tool for seeing and understanding how their child’s school is performing.
The state Department of Public Instruction launched a redesigned website, schoolreportcards.nc.gov, Tuesday morning with school report grades for schools. The data was first publically released in August.
State superintendent Mark Johnson walked CBS North Carolina through the new site, which is also designed to format on smartphones for the first time.
The site gives parents data on schools and districts, including student performance and academic growth.
The deigns allows users to compare schools side by side. Growth is color-coded.
Johnson highlighted two new features. One shows courses available in career and technical education and the credentials earned by students in those classes.
Another feature, called a “student readiness indicator,” shows how proficient students are when they enter a school’s lowest grade level.
Johnson said that’s meant to give context to these numbers.
He said the numbers show progress, but also areas that need work.
“Without this information, we might not know the successes or the struggles going on in our schools. Information is power and it’s power for the educators to tell the struggles they’re up against and where they need the extra support. It’s power for the parents to be able to know that their students are going to school and getting their shot at an education,” he said.
Johnson said the state needs to look at ways to transition classroom into the digital age and personalize learning for each student. He said he plans to talk more about how to do that in 2018.
Website features will continue to be added and tweaked.
Cary-based SAS worked on the site at no cost, a DPI spokesman said.
The report card results are released once a year.
