Dear Students, Parents, and Community Members:

As a parent/guardian of a student in East Union Middle School, I am writing this letter to let you know that East Union Middle School has been designated as a Targeted Support & Improvement Additional Targeted Support (TSI-AT) school and has been designated as a low-performing school by the North Carolina State Board of Education.  As stated in ESSA Section 1111(d)(2), North Carolina had to identify schools for targeted support and improvement. TSI-AT schools in North Carolina are those that have a subgroup that is under-performing. As defined in G.S. 115C-105.37: “The State Board of Education shall identify low-performing schools on an annual basis. Low-performing schools are those that earn an overall school performance grade of D or F and a school growth score of "met expected growth" or "not met expected growth" as defined by G.S. 115C-83.15.” The intent of this opportunity is to improve educational outcomes for all students, close achievement gaps, increase equity, and improve the quality of instruction. 

Legislation (G.S. §115C-83.15) passed during the 2013 long session of the North Carolina General Assembly provides parents with an additional measure of school performance in the form of School Performance Grades. Beginning with the 2013–14 school year, the annual North Carolina School Report Cards display a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F for each school in the state.

The School Performance Grades are based 80 percent on our school’s achievement score (student proficiency) and 20 percent on students’ academic growth. At East Union Middle School, our achievement score for the 2022-2023 school year is based on how well our students performed on North Carolina End-of-Grade tests in Grades 6-8 English Language Arts, Grades 6-8 Mathematics, Grade 8 Science, and Math 1 End-of-Course final exam. 

East Union Middle School received a School Performance Grade of D and a growth designation of Did Not Meet Growth for the 2022-2023 school year. Although we are committed to improving this score, it is important to remember that just as no one single score or grade tells the whole story of a student, neither does it tell you everything about the performance of a school or the opportunities that our school provides. We offer over 20 clubs that students can join and are an Ag-Tech school, which provides opportunities for students to select a specific Ag-Tech pathway that can result in graduation from Forest Hills High School with accreditations and certificates that afford students career pathways in the Ag-Tech field. 

As a TSI-AT school and as a school designated as NC low-performing, East Union 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

We have set the following goals for East Union Middle School this year:

• 10% decrease in office referrals

• 10% increase in EOG scores in all subject areas

• 10% decrease in chronic absenteeism (More than 18 absences during the school year)

Parent engagement is at the heart of our school improvement efforts. Here are some ways you can help:

• Make sure that both you and your student are aware of the academic expectations set for your student this school year. A list of learning objectives in student-friendly language is available from your student’s teacher(s). . 

• 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 our website and social media sites
•  
• Facebook: East Union Middle School

• Instagram: @eastunionmsnc

• X: @EastUnionMSNC

• Volunteer.

• Join the East Union PTO or EUMS Site-Based Management Team

Sounds like a lot, but preparing our students so they can succeed is not easy and is a group effort. Here are some resources available to help:

• Graduation requirements: www.ncpublicschools.org/gradrequirements/

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

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

• N.C. School Report Cards: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/data-reports/school-report-cards 

We’re excited about this school year and are working to make it a success for your student(s). Already, we have:

• Increased the rigor of our lessons to better prepare our students for NC Check-Ins and EOGs.

• Recommitted to the PLC process.

• Increased the capacity for teachers to use data-driven instruction and decision-making.

• Seen an increase in students earning Eagle Bucks for doing things the Eagle Way (the right way).

• Increased communication with the community via social media, Connect-Eds, and parent contacts by staff.

• Added 4 parents to the EUMS Site-Based Management Team after not having parental representation last year at meetings.

If you have questions about the content of this letter, please contact me at jared.gatewood@ucps.k12.nc.us or (704)-290-1450.

Sincerely,

Jared A. Gatewood, Ed.S

Principal

East Union Middle School