During the next week, students will be bringing home copies of the North Carolina School Report Card. This Report Card includes important information about school and student performance, class sizes, attendance, school safety, instructional resources, and teacher quality. Report card data is available for each school, for the school district, and for the state’s education system as a whole. The Report Cards also provide details about school performance under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. They contain information about school discipline, high school graduation rates, and Internet connectivity. In addition, the district Report Cards provide details about student and teacher demographics, district financial information, and principal qualifications and credentials. All information in the Report Cards is from the 2008-09 school year.

These Report Cards are an excellent tool for parents to use in gathering important data about schools. Parents and community members are encouraged to ask additional questions and learn more about the special programs and efforts under way at their children’s schools. School Report Cards are available on the Web at http://www.ncreportcards.org . District Report Cards and the state Report Card can be found on this website as well. Report cards are provided for traditional public schools, charter schools and alternative schools that were open during the 2008-09 school year. Federal schools, state-operated schools and other special schools will not receive Report Cards due to differences in the way data are reported for these schools.

To learn more about the North Carolina School Report Card, talk to your child’s principal or visit the NC School Report Cards website at http://www.ncreportcards.org .