By Robert McOuat

Each fall, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NC DPI) releases test grades for schools across the state, which, let’s be honest, are more eagerly awaited than the latest season of your favorite reality show. This annual chart normally given more coverage than the Emmy Award nominees. Cue the fanfare!

Now, if you’re from Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS), you might notice a familiar pattern: every year it feels like the same well-heeled schools from the affluent Northwest region strut in with grades that sparkle brighter than a Hollywood star. It’s as if these schools are competing in an Best Actress event where they effortlessly achieve straight A’s while others are just trying not to trip over their shoelaces!

Parents gather around with their coffee cups and scroll through these numbers like they’re scanning the Emmy nominations for the shows they streamed with year. Some may even mutter “Well, that school down the road is ‘winning’ again!” as they flip through anxiously. But don’t worry—next fall brings another round of this amusing charade. Who knows? Maybe that underdog school will surprise us all and spice things up a bit! Until then, let’s enjoy our yearly ritual of same old actresses wining Emmey’s and same old school coming out on the top of the list.

When it comes to measuring the schools awards, the NC DPI has a special badge of honor known as “School Letter Grades.”  You might be wondering, “What kind of prestigious school gets an A or B?” Well, hold onto your pencils because it’s not quite what you think! Essentially, if your school district identifies as fitting such elite classifications— the precious A or B – you get to join the ranks! Just think of it as being handed an all-access pass to an exclusive party where everyone shares their tales of surviving cafeteria mystery meat and book fair excitement. The title of A or B might sound impressive—like some sort of academic superhero team—but why is it always the same, usual suspects that get the glory of the A/B while the same desperate folks keep getting stuck in the D and F doldrums?

We like to think actors get the Emmy based on Acting variables – like their acting. And probably their looks and fame. Probably subjective factors, but at least the Emmy’s seem to go to the right actors with some upsets and disappointments. How about school letter grades? Wouldn’t it be great if teachers were awarded based on teaching factors – like teaching?

Not so fast. Unfortunately, teachers (and their schools) are awarded based on something that is totally out of their control… the number of poor kids that attend their school.

Let’s talk about the world of statistics, where numbers dance and twirl like Emmy after-party. Enter the NC DPI with its glittering treasure chest of data—specifically focusing on something called Economically Disadvantaged Students (EDS). Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Economically disadvantaged? Isn’t that just a fancy way to say ‘broke’?” Well, sort of!

Here’s the scoop:NC DPI does have a measure of socio-economic status (SES) called Economically Disadvantaged Students (EDS). Economically Disadvantaged status is defined as: Any student identified by a Public School Unit (PSU), meeting the criteria of Directly Certified, Categorically Eligible, or a method consistent with state or federal guidance for financial assistance regardless of participation or eligibility in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

The definition seems more slippery than a bar of soap in a kiddie pool. While researchers might cling to the trusty measuring tapes of free or reduced-price lunch/programs, or household income figures to gauge a family’s SES—let’s be honest here—they’re only scratching the surface. Obviously, SES is most certainly a much broader factor than simply free lunch counts or even household income, but NC DPI still numbers to report as representing SES.

FINDINGS

To get started, let’s analyze a larger sample size. The Southwest Region (Region 6) comprises the districts around Charlotte, including the following counties: Anson, Cabarrus, Kannapolis City, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Mooresville City, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly-Albemarle, and Union. The Southwest Region includes approximately 383,416 students. Table A compares the percentage of EDS students at each school and the school’s letter grade.

To compare school performance grades and the percentage of students identified as economically disadvantaged, Table A includes schools in the Southwest Region of NC. Each school is listed with both its letter grade and the percentage of economically disadvantaged students (EDS). Table A presents data released in September 2024 for the 2023-2024 school year.

TABLE A: Southwest Region of NC Public Schools.  Percent of schools by School Performance Grade and EDS Percentage ranges

Percent ED	A	B	C	D	F
0-20%	46.5	42.6	6.5	3.9	0.6
21-40%	12.6	56.8	27.6	2.9	0.2
41-60%	5.9	18.5	55.6	17.8	2.2
61-80%	0.3	4.9	35.4	44.9	14.4
81-100%	0.0	0.7	13.0	58.2	28.1

For the 383,416 students in the Southwest region, socioeconomic factors, particularly the percentage of economically disadvantaged students (EDS) at a school, largely explained the NC DPI ascribed letter grades. The pattern shows that A and B grades went to schools with fewer EDS, while D and F grades went to schools with a high proportion of EDS. Only 4.5% of schools with 0-20% EDS received grades of D or F. Schools with 21-40% EDS also had a low number of D and F grades (3.1%). On the other hand, less than one percent of schools with 81-100% EDS students received a grade of A or B. In other words, the key for a school to get a good letter grade is not to have many poor kids. If the school has a large proportion of poor kids, it will likely receive a D or F.

Would this pattern hold up in a specific school district? Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools (WSFCS) serves approximately 53,000 students in 81 schools. Using the same two variables (EDS and school letter grade), Table B shows the WSFCS data released in September 2024 for the 2023-2024 school year.

TABLE B: Winston-Salem Forsyth County Schools.  Percent of schools by School Performance Grade and EDS Percentage ranges

Percent ED	A	B	C	D	F	Total
0-20%	0	1	0	0	0	1
21-40%	3	12	2	0	0	17
41-60%	1	2	10	0	1	14
61-80%	0	0	6	13	8	27
81-100%	0	0	2	6	7	15

The pattern of high school letter grades aligning with low EDS percentages (and vice versa – low letter grades aligning with high EDS counts) holds within the school system. Of the 81 schools in WSFCS, none (0 schools) with less than 40% EDS students received a grade of D or F. Zero. Conversely, zero (0) schools with 61% – 100% EDS received an A or B. Zero.

DISCUSSION

1. Governance – The evidence of the trend in a specific school district is even more startling. Often, when people examine data trends, they consider governance, staff development, policies, etc. When the results are evident in one county, those factors can be eliminated as the cause of the trend because all schools in WSFC are under the same board, superintendent, and supposedly have the same policies and staff development. You can’t blame those governance issues.
2. Blaming the victim – By creating an accountability system profoundly impacted by a student factor (EDS), the state is blaming the victims (people in poverty) and not establishing a system that helps drive instruction and learning.
3. Teacher morale – What about learned helplessness among teachers? They are measured (letter grade) by something not under their control (student SES). Learned helplessness occurs when a person’s effort is not accompanied by a comparable impact. This is one of the factors contributing to low morale in schools. Each year, schools receive report cards that have little or nothing to do with the teacher’s effort. Learned helplessness is a psychological phenomenon where people (or animals) give up trying to change their situation because they believe they have no control over it. This may not be the only reason teachers leave the classroom, but it certainly doesn’t help.
4. Regarding consumer advocacy, parents are given the choice of where to send their child to school. Often, the school’s letter grade is a criterion that parents use. However, the letter grade has little to do with the actual teaching and learning happening in the school. The letter grade merely indicates how many (or few) poor kids your child will attend school with in their classes.

But the bad news is really, really bad. At best, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has established a system that’s about as valid as a three-dollar bill and just as questionable. This flawed grading mechanism misrepresents what our schools are genuinely doing, leaving us scratching our heads in bewilderment and wondering what all those letters—A, B, C—really mean anyway? Are they worth the paper to print and bureaucrats time to crunch the numbers? At worst, this entire situation is inflicting more harm on teachers than a paper cut on the first day of summer break. Talk about adding insult to injury! It’s killing morale so rapidly that it deserves its own Netflix documentary—a gripping tale titled “The Great Teacher Exodus: When Grades Go Bad.” Picture teachers hopping aboard the exodus train with their resignation letters flapping in the breeze like patriotic flags at a Fourth of July parade—a sad sight indeed! Their hearts heavy with frustration as they sprint for the exit. And for parents out there searching for quality education for their little ones? Forget about it! The school letter grades are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine when you’re trying to navigate through the murky waters of educational choices. They provide less guidance than a GPS stuck on “recalculating.” It’s high time we roll up our sleeves and get serious about fixing this mess before we all end up with degrees in frustration and diplomas in despair!

Further reading and references:

• American Psychological Association (APA): Education and Socioeconomic Status. (2017). https://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/education
• BEST NC. (2022). BEST NC launches updated per-pupil expenditure data explorer tool. NC schools’ per-pupil expenditure from BEST NC – EducationNC (ednc.org)

• NC DPI. (2022). Economically Disadvantaged | NC DPI

• ED NC. (2024). DPI wants school grades to better reflect school performance in new model presented to lawmakers. NC House committee talks school grade reform – EducationNC (ednc.org)