Review of Academic Achievement at Cherokee Central Schools in North Carolina

We performed this inspection of Cherokee Central Schools, which are grant operated day schools for children from kindergarten to grade 12 located on the Cherokee Reservation in Cherokee, NC. Cherokee Central Schools operate an elementary school, middle school, and high school on the same campus. 

 

The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in January 2002, requires schools to complete a comprehensive needs assessment and develop strategies to help meet students’ academic development needs. In response to our request to see their comprehensive needs assessments, staff from Cherokee Central Schools provided a school improvement checklist and needs assessment tool that they complete annually for the middle school and high school. We found that it enabled administrators to be aware of the needs of students in the middle school and high school. An assessment was not completed at the elementary school, however, although the elementary school principal noted that her school could probably benefit from doing one.

 

In addition, school children may have mastered conversational English but not yet be able to express themselves effectively using academic English, the formal written, auditory, and visual language used in learning environments. All states require some type of English language learner (ELL) assessment. We found that Cherokee Central Schools had administered ELL assessments as required.

 

We make one recommendation that, if implemented, should improve educational achievement efforts at Cherokee Central Schools.