JACKSON — Overall improvement is the name of the game when it comes to test scores.

Official End-of-Grade and End-of-Course test results show overall improvement in composite scores at nine of 11 public schools in Northampton County for the 2008-2009 academic year, according to a press release from Schools Superintendent Dr. Eric C. Bracy.

Schools making High Growth as determined by the North Carolina ABC Accountability Model were Central Elementary, Northampton County High School-East and Squire Elementary. Schools making Expected Growth were Conway Middle, Garysburg Elementary, Northampton Alternative, Willis Hare Elementary and Rich Square-W.S. Creecy Elementary, which along with Garysburg are now closed due to school consolidation.

“These test scores are the result of the hard work of our students, teachers and teacher assistants, principals, maintenance and child nutrition staffs, bus drivers, Central Services professionals, parents, and community partners,” said Bracy. “It took everyone to accomplish these results.”

The results were approved on August 6, by the State Board of Education. They were based on the scores from tests taken at the end of the 2008-2009 school year. For the first time the state included students’ first retest results in grades 3 through 8 in the ABCs performance composites and for AYP.

Highlights among the 2008-09 ABCs results include:

 50 percentage points gain at Northampton Alternative School in Grade 8 Science.

 35 percentage points gain at Rich Square W.S. Creecy in Grade 3 Reading .

 38 percentage points gain at Willis Hare Elementary in Grade 5 Math.

 95 percent proficiency at Central Elementary School in Grade 5 Mathematics.

 84 percent proficiency at Central Elementary School in Grade 4 Reading .

 80 percent proficiency at Central Elementary School in Grade 4 Mathematics.

 80 percent proficiency at Garysburg Elementary School in Grade 4 Mathematics.

 72 percent proficiency at Willis Hare Elementary School in Grade 4 Reading.

 89 percent proficiency at Willis Hare Elementary School in Grade 5 Mathematics.

 14 percentage points gain at Conway Middle School in Grade 7 Reading.

 20 percentage points gain at Conway Middle School in Grade 8 Mathematics.

 19 percentage points gain at Conway Middle School in Grade 8 Reading.

 72 percent proficiency at Gaston Middle School in Grade 6 Mathematics.

 81 percent proficiency at Conway Middle School in Grade 7 Mathematics.

 87 percent proficiency at Conway Middle School in Grade 8 Mathematics.

 12 percentage points gain at Gaston Middle School in Grade 6 Reading.

 92 percent proficiency at NCHS-East in Chemistry.

 87 percent proficiency at NCHS-East in Physics.

 66 percent proficiency at NCHS-West/STEM in Biology.

 39 percentage points gain at NCHS-West in Algebra I.

 58 percentage points gain at NCHS-East in Civics and Economics.

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The high school’s accountability model also includes the graduation rate as one of its additional measures of success. North Carolina’s overall four-year graduation rate is 71.7 percent. Northampton County High School-East had over 71.9 percent while Northampton County High School-West had over 78.7 percent of their students graduating within four years or less.

“We are not at all satisfied with where we are, and we realize that the 2008-2009 school year is behind us. We have spent our summer sharpening our tools,” stated Dr. Bracy. “We are not going to be satisfied until 100 percent of our students are proficient in every subject and at every grade. Until that time, we will continue to challenge ourselves to do things differently in order to get even bigger and better results.”

All of the district’s elementary and middle schools made AYP and all of the district’s high schools are graduating students in four-years or less at a higher rate than the state’s average.