Have you noticed an unusual smell or flavor in your tap water over the past few days?

What's wrong with Raleigh tap water? Algae bloom at Falls Lake behind the smell, color

'Earthy and musty:' Here's why your tap water may taste strange this weekend in Raleigh

Athens Drive Magnet High School and Conn Magnet Elementary School won national awards Saturday at the Magnet Schools of America's annual conference.

Top two magnet schools in the US are in Wake County

Athens Drive High School

Searchable list: Check out how well the state of North Carolina says your school did.

RALEIGH, N.C. — School performance grades are calculated like this:

The state combines all of a school’s test scores for 80% of the grade. The state also uses a complex algorithm to determine whether the school demonstrated growth and assigns that growth score 20% of the grade.

The calculation is set by the state General Assembly. Many other states use different formulas.

Education officials in North Carolina, as well as others, have suggested the state should consider more factors in forming the grades.

Grades often correlate with school poverty levels and minority populations, and education officials tout growth scores as being a better indicator of school progress and leadership. Principal pay is tied to growth scores.

North Carolina education leaders released student test scores and school performance grades on Thursday. About one in three schools are now considered low-performing, hundreds more than before the pandemic. WRAL Education Insider Emily Walkenhorst explains what this means for schools and what happens next.

WE'LL HAVE THOSE STORIES AND MORE AND LESS THAN 15 MINUTES LATER. ALL RIGHT. THANKS SO MUCH. NORTH CAROLINA EDUCATION OFFICIALS REALLY STUDENT TEST SCORES AND SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRATES TODAY. >> AND ABOUT ONE IN 3 SCHOOLS ARE NOW CONSIDERED LOW, PERFORMING HUNDREDS MORE THAN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. WRAL, EDUCATION INSIDER EMILY WALKING HORSE JOINS US NOW TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS FOR SCHOOLS AND FOR FAMILIES. EMILY, WHAT DOES THE DATA SHOW? >> WELL SAID THE DATA BASICALLY THE IMPACTS THE PANDEMIC IS HAVING ON STUDENT LEARNING FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF TEST PASS RATES WENT DOWN. THOSE MOST STUDENTS STILL DID PASS THEIR TESTS. IT THAT STATE IS NOT MEETING ITS GOALS FOR STUDENT PASS WE DID SEE SOME BRIGHT SPOTS FOR EDUCATION RATES FOR ABOUT AT THE PANDEMIC LEVELS. VANS MASK RESOURCE KEPT SOME DISTRICTS ALSO TO FIGHT SOME NEGATIVE TRENDS. >> SO WE TALKED ABOUT A RISE IN LOW PERFORMING SCHOOLS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN HOW THAT'S MEASURED? >> SO LOW PERFORMING SCHOOLS ARE SCHOOLS THAT SCORED LOWER THAN A C IN THEIR LETTER GRADE AND ALSO DID NOT POSE HIGH ACADEMIC GROWTH. SCORES. SO WHEN YOU'RE LABELED A LOW PERFORMING SCHOOL, IT MEANS YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO TURN THINGS AROUND. AND EVEN IF YOU'RE ONLY A LOW PERFORMING SCHOOL FOR ONE YEAR. SO THAT'LL BE POSTED ON THE SCHOOL'S WEB SITES ONCE THEY'RE CREATED A LOT OF SCHOOLS WILL APPEAR ON THESE LISTS FOR MANY YEARS IN A ROW, BUT BECAUSE THEY'RE SUCH A BIG INCREASE THIS YEAR WILL WAIT AND IT'S A LOT OF THE SCHOOLS MIGHT JUST ONLY BE ON THE LIST FOR ONE YEAR. >> YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY FROM SCHOOL OFFICIALS I'VE TALKED TO AND I KNOW YOU TOO. THEY SEEM LIKE THEY WERE PREPARED FOR SOME GRIM REALITY AFTER THE PANDEMIC. SO WHAT ARE THEY DOING ABOUT THIS TO TRY TO GET THOSE SCORES BACK UP? >> RIGHT. THESE TEST SCORES ARE NOT A SHOCK. EVERYBODY WAS BRACING THEMSELVES FOR SO THEY'RE SPENDING A LOT OF FEDERAL PANDEMIC RELEASED DOLLARS ON TURNING THINGS WE KNOW THAT JUST INTERVIEWING AREA SUNDAY TO THE SUMMER SHOWED MORE THAN 300 MILLION DOLLARS HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROPRIATED FOR LEARNING RECOVERY BASICALLY JUST TO GET STUDENTS BACK ON TRACK. THAT NUMBER COULD KEEP GOING UP BECAUSE SCHOOL STILL HAVE SOME MORE MONEY. THEY HAVEN'T APPLIED SUSPENDS YET. AND SO THAT SPENDING ON INTENSIVE SMALL-GROUP TUTORING AND ALSO JUST MORE PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNOW HOW STUDENTS ARE DOING. >> ALL RIGHT. WELL, WE WILL CERTAINLY BE MONITORING THIS CLOSELY. I KNOW YOU WILL AS WELL. WE WANT THESE KIDS TO PERFORM REALLY WELL AND HAVE A GREAT FUTURE. EMILY WALKING

Mark Bergin

Emily Walkenhorst

What's next for low-performing schools?

Federal law requires each state issue performance grades.

<ul>	<li><a href="https://www.wral.com/story/1-in-3-nc-schools-are-low-performing-test-score-data-shows/20442172/">1 in 3 NC schools are low-performing, test score data shows</a></li>	<li><a href="https://www.wral.com/story/New-data-Just-about-half-of-NC-students-test-at-grade-level-in-most-subjects/20442173/">New data: Just about half of NC students test at grade level in most subjects</a></li></ul>

What's your school's performance grade for the 2021-22 school year?

pandemic classroom, classroom generic

Department of Public Instruction,WRAL Data Trackers,WRAL specialists,education,standardized tests

A person is in custody Tuesday after a firearm was brought to Shaw University's campus in downtown Raleigh.



Firearm brought to Shaw University campus, person in custody 

Dozens of people are being forced to leave a homeless encampment on a strip of land along the Raleigh and Garner border, not far from the highway.

'Nowhere else to go:' Dozens forced out of homeless encampment along highway near Raleigh 

'Nowhere else to go:' Dozens living in encampment by Garner highway forced to move

Police are investigating after officers found a 13-year-old dead early Monday morning in a Raleigh apartment.

13-year-old girl shot to death in Raleigh apartment attended Ligon Middle School

Crowd gathers outside Raleigh apartment complex where 13-year-old was shot and killed.

VinFast Auto announced Tuesday it officially signed agreements with 12 new dealers in the U.S., including a dealership in Greensboro.



VinFast dealership coming to Greensboro months after Leith VinFast opens in Cary

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GOOSE CREEK, S.C. (AP) -- Out of air and pinned by an alligator to the bottom of the Cooper River in South Carolina, Will Georgitis decided his only chance to survive might be to lose his arm.

Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice: Lose his arm or lose his life

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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The Carolina Hurricanes were down big at home in the NHL playoffs, playing desperate hockey full of withering long shifts in the offensive zone as they tried to rally.

Aho, Martinook cap Hurricanes' late rally to beat the Islanders for a 2-0 playoff series lead

Islanders_Hurricanes_Hockey_23556

Since his final NBA season playing for the Dallas Mavericks in 2021, JJ Redick has served as an analyst and basketball commentator for ESPN. 

Duke legend JJ Redick to interview for Hornets head coaching job, report says

JJ Redick and other Duke greats were honored at halftime during the Duke vs. Maryland game pm Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. (Photo by: Will Bratton)

The Minnesota Vikings need a quarterback in this draft. That much is easy to see. The hard part is picking the right one -- and determining what it's worth to them to get him.

NFL teams often misfire on drafting QBs. But how often do they fail? And why?

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A man was taken into custody Tuesday after an hours-long standoff in Fayetteville.



What's your school's performance grade for the 2021-22 school year?

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