Primary to high school see growth
By Marcia Barnes
Staff Writer
End of year test results reported at the Clay County Board of Education meeting on Monday, June 30 continued to show an upward scholastic curve at all four schools.
Hayesville Primary School Principal Heather Plemmons reported that two separate measurements are used to follow students progress and growth. MClass and iReady both provide pieces of measurement data. Plemmons said that most significant at the end of the year testing was that there was no red at the top.
“That means the school didn’t have students showing significantly below at the end of the year in reading,” Plemmons said. “And yes, there is growth.”
From the beginning of the year to end of year testing, 38 percent at or above grade level moved up to 66 percent. Plemmons said that all grade levels had something to be proud of. Two things that helped make that happen was contracting a reading intervention specialist three days a week. It closed gaps for some of the students. Also, adopting a new phonics tool, University Florida Literary Institute which is free was a teaching help.
“Things are going well,” Plemmons said. She plans to implement UFLI and hopes that a reading specialist in the 2025/2026 school year will be available for primary school children who may need it.
Hayesville Elementary School Principal Karissa Teague said that there were lots of things to celebrate. The college and career ready data showed that students will have the ability to be college and career ready. Students at the third grade level were 68.9 percent proficient in math. Beginning of year to end of year, iReady data showed growth from 39 percent to 59 percent.
Teague said that third grade teachers worked very hard this year with students showing proficiency from 44 percent to 76 percent at the end of the year. Fourth grade students had a phenomenal year, over one-half of students scored in level four or five in reading. In math, fourth grade students’ data showed college and career ready and intervention groups have helped to push the academic growth.
“In fifth grade some work is ahead of us,” Teague said. Two plans already in place are staffing changes and going back to a two-block model.
Hayesville Middle School Principal Dr. Tiffany Clapsaddle said that overall achievement at the middle school from the 2023/2024 school year to the 2024/2025 school year did happen and that students had an overall 200.2 percentage of growth, but in testing data used by the State of North Carolina scores have to be 91 percent or higher to be considered proficient. Some testing scores were just under that mark.
“The people making the rules just don’t understand fantastic,” Clapsaddle said.
Clapsaddle said that everything is not perfect and that eight grade math scores are a sore spot for her as a former math teacher.
Overall changes in sixth, seventh and eighth grade performance numbers show non-proficiency decreasing. Math and reading scores already indicating the 2025/2026 school year will be one of continued academic growth at the middle school.
Hayesville High School Principal Stacey Overlin, high school teachers, staff and coaches watched 84 graduating seniors receive diplomas in May having met all the requirements of the State of North Carolina. Overlin reported that academic growth at the high school is on an upward curve.
A growing Career and Technology Education program is strongly in place under Director of CTE, Revonda Palmer and Hayesville schools’ athletic program continues to receive recognition.