School Improvement Plan

September 16, 2025

Dear Parent or Guardian,

As a parent/guardian of a student at Elizabethtown Middle School, I am writing to inform you that Elizabethtown Middle School has been designated as a Comprehensive Support and Improvement Low Performing (CSI-LP) school by the North Carolina State Board of Education. As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for comprehensive support and school improvement support. CSI-LP schools in North Carolina are those whose school performance grade is in the bottom five percent of all Title One served schools in North Carolina. The intent of this opportunity is to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. 

As a CSI-LP school, Elizabethtown Middle School is required to develop a comprehensive plan that specifically addresses how the school will improve student achievement. The plan will also include how our district will support us and monitor the progress of our school. The comprehensive plan will address the following areas:

• Classroom Management

• Standards-aligned Instruction

• Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

• Instructional Leadership

• Recruitment & Retention of Effective Teachers

• Support for Grade-to-Grade Transitions

• Implementation of a Tiered Instructional System

• Data-Driven Decision Making

• Student Support Services

• Family and Community Engagement

Specific goals and strategies have been developed by the school and are a part of the School Improvement Plan. To review the school improvement plan, please visit the link, http://www.indistar.org and enter the following information:

ID: GuestS15319
Password: GuestS15319

Our students need to experience higher achievement levels, but it will require hard work on the part of staff, students and families. Below are some strategies that Elizabethtown Middle School will be implementing:

• Professional development will be provided based on teachers’ needs evident in both frequent administrative walk-throughs and data review

• Professional development on and implementation of Leader in Me, a character education curriculum

• Staff will analyze student performance data during grade level and vertical PLCs to identify student challenges and strengths, and drive instructional planning and design

• Tiered instruction will allow teachers to deliver individualized instruction that meets the needs of each student and an intervention block is included in the master schedule to ensure time and resources are available

• District and local behavioral expectations are posted, taught, reviewed, and enforced to provide an effective learning environment for all students

• Provide opportunities for teachers to collaborate, demonstrate, and share best practices and instructional strategies in small and large group settings

Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. A few ways we can work together:

• Make sure that both you and your student are aware of academic expectations set for your student this school year.

• Make sure that your student is prepared and attends school each day.

• Monitor your student’s homework.

• Monitor the progress your student is making and attend meetings with your student’s teacher(s).

• Keep track of the school website and school social media sites.

• Always reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Collaboratively, we can work together to ensure that our students are successful in meeting their academic goals. We are excited about this school year and are working to make it successful for your student. Here are some resources available to help you learn more about academic standards and achievement results:

• K-12 standards in academic subjects: www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/ 

• State student achievement test results: www.ncpublicschools.org/accountability/

• NC School Report Cards: https://ncreports.ondemand.sas.com/src/

If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact Mr. Bobby Godwin, principal of Elizabethtown Middle School, at (910) 862-4071 or by email at bdgodwin@bladen.k12.nc.us.

Sincerely,

Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent

September 16, 2025

Dear Parent/Guardian,

In 2013, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation (G.S. §115C-83.15) that introduced School Performance Grades to provide families with additional insights into school performance. Since the 2013–14 school year, North Carolina School Report Cards have assigned letter grades (A, B, C, D, or F) to every school in the state.

Unfortunately, the state of North Carolina has determined that 80% of a school’s performance grade is based on how students perform on a single test (End-of-Grade (EOG) and End-of-Course (EOC) tests), while only 20% of the grade reflects the academic growth made by students throughout the year.  Along with other school districts in North Carolina, we believe this formula is skewed and does not accurately reflect the work and progress of our schools. Our staff and students work hard daily, and our growth measures for each school are indicative of this.

According to G.S. 115C-105.37, a low-performing school is defined as one that earns a grade of D or F and either meets or does not meet academic growth expectations. We are writing to inform you that the following schools have been identified as low-performing:

School	Performance Grade	Growth Status	Percentage of Growth Made
Bladen Lakes Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	78.3%
Bladenboro Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	80.7%
Bladenboro Middle	D	Met Expected Growth	77.0%
Dublin Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	72.1%
East Arcadia Primary	F	Met Expected Growth	81.2%
East Bladen High	D	Did Not Meet Growth	57.3%
Elizabethtown Primary	D	Met Expected Growth	75.3%
Tar Heel School	D	Did Not Meet Growth	59%

 

Bladen County Schools has been designated as a low-performing district by the North Carolina State Board of Education due to the number of low-performing schools. While we are committed to addressing these challenges, it is important to remember that a single score does not fully represent the rich learning opportunities, leadership development, and growth taking place in our schools.

For the 2025–2026 school year, we are focused on improving student achievement and school performance across the district, guided by our theme Learners to Leaders and our Wildly Important Goals (WIGs). To support this effort, we are implementing the following strategies:

• Instructional Coaches/Interventionists: Each school now has a coach who supports teachers with high-impact instruction and ensures Tier II and Tier III interventions are provided for students in need.
• School & District WIGs: Every school has developed its own WIGs, aligned with districtwide WIGs in academics and culture, to drive measurable improvement.
• Support and Monitoring: The District Improvement Team will provide ongoing monitoring and support, particularly at schools identified as low-performing.
• District Administrator Support Coaches: Each low-performing school will be assigned a district coach who provides on-site support and attends monthly school meetings.
• Research-Based Interventions: Schools will continue implementing interventions and academic support during and beyond the school day.
• Leader in Me Integration: Daily Leader in Me practices will be implemented across all schools to build leadership capacity in students and improve school culture.
• Focused Professional Development: Teachers will engage in targeted training on small group instruction, evidence-based interventions, and leadership practices that support student success.
• Quarterly Data Meetings: Schools will conduct data meetings every quarter to track progress toward WIGs, using student leadership notebooks and digital dashboards.
• Resource Alignment: District and school resources will be strategically aligned to meet the needs of students and support continuous improvement.

Through these efforts, we are committed not only to raising scores but also to building a culture where every student develops the skills, habits, and confidence to move from learner to leader.

As a low-performing district, we are required to develop an improvement plan to address how we will improve the school performance grade at these schools. Central office administrators and I will work closely with the schools to monitor progress. The preliminary plan was presented at the Board of Education meeting held on September 15, and the final version will be posted on our district website at http://www.bladen.k12.nc.us.

We encourage you to stay engaged with your student’s academic progress and work closely with their teacher(s) to ensure they remain on track. By working together, we can improve both student performance and the overall success of our schools. The success of our students is our highest priority.

If you have any questions about School Performance Grades or our improvement plans, please contact Director of Accountability and Federal Programs, Brendan McCarthy, at (910) 862-4136 or via email at btmccarthy@bladen.k12.nc.us.

Sincerely,

Jason B. Atkinson, Ed.D.
Superintendent