Salem Community High School received a Commendable rating on the school report card.
Principal Clint Wolfe says that is the second highest classification a school district can earn, but he wants to do better.
“One of the biggest parts of that measurement is graduation rate and ninth grade on track,” Wolfe said. “Trends show that if a student is not on track their ninth grade year, that directly correlates to their graduation rate. One of the tactics we’re going to try is really getting with our freshmen and address keeping them on track in hopes of changing that overall graduation rate down the road.”
Wolfe says staying on track includes having no failing grades.
He also wants to address the math scores that currently show only 33 percent of the students meeting or exceeding on the ACT test.
“The ACT is a college prep test, essentially. College is not necessarily the direction everybody goes. A lot of our kids enter trades, and they’re taking technical skills, math skills that are more aligned with a technical trade. We need to go ahead and look at our curriculum a little bit, make some tweaks and see if we can’t serve both (types of students) so that they can perform better on the ACT, and also get the skills that they need for their careers.”
Wolfe says the report card shows Salem High students at the state average in English. There will also be a greater effort to get more participation in the school’s climate score for extra points. The survey of parents, students, and school staff can also help the district address issues.
