January, 2024
Dear Parent/Guardian:
As a parent/guardian of a student in South Johnston High School, I am writing this letter to let you know that South Johnston High School has been designated as a Targeted Support & Improvement – Consistently Underperforming (TSI-CU) school by the North Carolina State Board of Education. As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for targeted support and improvement. TSI-CU schools in North Carolina are those schools that have a subgroup that is consistently under-performing over an extended period of time. The intent of this opportunity is to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction.
As a TSI-CU school, South Johnston High School is required to develop a comprehensive plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve student achievement. The plan will also include how our district will support us and monitor the progress of our school. The comprehensive plan will address the following areas:
Classroom Management
Standards-aligned Instruction
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
Instructional Leadership
Recruitment & Retention of Effective Teachers
Support for Grade-to-Grade Transitions
Implementation of a Tiered Instructional System
Data-Driven Decision Making
Student Support Services
Family and Community Engagement
We have set the following goals for South Johnston High School this year:
All students will demonstrate increased performance on summative standardized assessments by an average minimum of 5% each year beginning with an increase from 43.5% proficient to 48.5% proficient on the English II EOC, an increase from 41.6% proficient to 46.6% proficient on the Biology EOC, an increase from 28.3% proficient to 33.3% proficient on the Math 1 EOC, and an increase of 82.6% proficient ro 87.6% proficient on the Math 3 EOC for accelerated math students. (A3.01; A4.01;B3.03)
Student feedback on the Panorama SEL survey will demonstrate a 5% increase in the area of Student Self-Efficacy.
Our students need to experience higher achievement levels, but it will require hard work on the part of staff, students and families. Here are some strategies South Johnston High School will be implementing:
Teachers will engage in professional learning communities to form and refine data-driven decisions, and to share resources and best practices for classroom instruction.
Teachers and students will utilize POWER block for remediation, targeted support, and acceleration in given content areas for each individual student.
Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. Here are some ways we can work together:
Make sure that both you and your student are aware of academic expectations set for your student this school year. A list of learning objectives in student-friendly language is available from your student’s teacher(s).
Call William Weaver (919) 894-3146 if you have questions or concerns about your student or to set up an appointment to meet with a school staff member who will be working with your student.
Make sure that your student is prepared and attends school/live lessons each day.
Monitor your student’s classwork.
Monitor the progress your student is making and attend meetings with your student’s teacher(s).
Keep track of our website and social media sites: (https://www.johnston.k12.nc.us/sjhs) and social media sites (Twitter: @SJHSTrojans ; Instagram: @sjhstrojans ; Facebook: @southjohnstontrojans).
Volunteer.
Sounds like a lot, but preparing our students for lifelong success is a group effort. Here are some resources available to help:
Graduation requirements: www.ncpublicschools.org/gradrequirements/
K-12 standards in academic subjects: www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/
State student achievement test results: www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/
N.C. School Report Cards: https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/
We’re excited about this school year and the future success it will provide your student!
If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact William Weaver at williamweaver@johnston.k12.nc.us or (919) 894-3146.
Sincerely,
William S. Weaver
William S. Weaver
Principal
South Johnston High School
919-894-3146 Ext. 5501