ECU Community School exceeds student growth for second year

For the second consecutive year, the East Carolina University Community School (ECUCS) has exceeded growth in the annual school performance data released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

“The faculty and staff continue to work hard to make sure our students have quality learning experiences so they are prepared, not only for the next grade level, but life beyond elementary school,” said Dr. Tracy Cole, ECUCS executive director. “For us to exceed growth two years in a row, it means that we have gone above and beyond what the state expected us to do.”

The ECU Community School exceeded growth in reading and met 100% of reading participation goals in this year’s school performance grades. (Photo by Rhett Butler)

The school has also seen growth in its math school performance grade. This year, it received a B with a score of 84, which is only one point away from an A designation, and exceeded growth in math. Cole credits this growth to new initiatives the school enacted last year. The school implemented the enVision curriculum and had math tutorials for students during the school day and at the end of the day.

The school also exceeded growth in reading and met 100% of its participation goals in reading and math.

“We are able to personalize instruction for our students because the teachers and teacher assistants get to know them very well,” Cole said. “We have conversations within the grade level about students’ needs, but we also have conversations across grade levels about what children are expected to know when they get to the next grade level or what skills they should have gained.”

In addition to curriculum support and tutorial programs for students, the school benefits from partnerships across the university and community. One of these new partnerships is with the ECU Chemistry Club, which will visit the school to conduct hands-on science experiments with the students.

“They’re going to help us excite our children about the love of science,” Cole said. “There’s so much within science. There’s math and reading that’s involved.”

Cole notes that the school’s success would not have been possible without increased parent engagement over the last few years. In previous years, the school has hosted a family engagement night once a quarter. Now, thanks to a partnership with the Rural Education Institute, these will happen once a month with sessions dedicated to academics and social and emotional learning, as well as a meal for families.

“We kicked this year off with open house,” Cole said. “We have 86 students who are enrolled this year. For open house, we had 200 people to attend. To have that attendance is amazing.”

The school earned an overall school performance grade of C with a score of 67 — only three points away from earning a B. Every year, the school has continued improving, starting from the first year of operation in 2017 when it received an overall school performance grade of F.

“The ECU Community School’s continued growth is a clear indicator of the dedication of the school’s faculty and staff to the success and well-being of our students,” said Dr. André Green, dean of the ECU College of Education. “It also demonstrates the importance of innovative partnerships and the powerful role our college plays in preparing future educators to make a lasting difference in eastern North Carolina and beyond.”

The ECU Community School is part of an initiative created by the UNC System to open laboratory schools across the state as training sites for future teachers and administrators. UNC System laboratory schools are designed to work with children who are either academically at-risk or zoned to attend a low-performing school.

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