Principal's Message

11/11/11
    Pilot Point Middle School is recognized again as a NCEA Higher Performing School
9/13/10
    Exemplary!
7/5/10
    Summer letter - July 2010

2006 - 2007 Archive

Pilot Point Middle School is recognized again as a NCEA Higher Performing School

by Larry Shuman
November 11, 2011

Pilot Point Middle School

Recognized as a 2011 NCEA Higher Performing School

The National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), a department of ACT, Inc., recognized Pilot Point Middle School as a 2011 NCEA Higher Performing School. Pilot Point Middle School received Higher Performing (HP) recognition in the following areas:

·        Reading growth

·        Social Studies growth

The Higher Performing Schools (formerly known as Just for the Kids Schools) are identified by two measures: consistent improvement in student achievement from previous years (growth) and/or absolute student achievement using the school's Commended Performance results on the spring 2009-2011 TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) test. NCEA's higher performing methodology controls for school and student demographics to allow for an apples-to-apples comparison of school achievement and to demonstrate that with the commitment of educators, all schools can have success no matter the zip code. NCEA provided award certificates to each Higher Performing School and the district.

How does the NCEA Higher Performing Schools List differ from the Texas Education Agency's Recognized/Exemplary List?

The NCEA Higher Performing Schools List is a more select group of schools than the TEA list and is identified by one of two measures. In 2011, TEA identified over 47 percent of Texas schools as Exemplary or Recognized. In comparison, the 2011 NCEA Higher Performing Schools List identifies approximately 11 percent of the state's public schools.

The specific metrics used by NCEA for analysis are different than those used by TEA in the Texas Accountability System.

·        Passing vs. Growth
The Texas School Accountability Ratings are based on the percentage of students meeting the Passing standard on the spring 2011 TAKS. By contrast, the first NCEA measure looks at student growth.:

·        Higher Standard of Achievement
The percentage of students reaching Commended on the TAKS is used for the second NCEA measure rather than the state's Passing standard.

·        More Years of Data
The NCEA Higher Performing Schools List is based on performance in three school years: 2008-2009, 2009-2010, and 2010-2011. State ratings are based on performance in single year of data.