Romaine Edwards, principal of Veterans of Excellence Academy, presented a detailed overview of the school's performance and improvement plans during a recent government meeting. Despite the school earning a grade of D in 2024, Edwards expressed optimism about the progress made over the past two years, particularly in reading, math, and science.

Edwards highlighted that the school had anticipated achieving a C grade based on their internal calculations, which indicated significant learning gains among students. However, the official scores revealed missing data due to the school having only eight students in the bottom quartile, falling short of the ten-student requirement for reporting. Despite this setback, Edwards noted that 70% of those eight students had made gains, reinforcing confidence in the school's educational strategies.

The principal outlined the school's primary goals for the upcoming year, aiming to increase student proficiency from 28% to 30% and ensure that 50% of students demonstrate learning gains. Special attention will be given to economically disadvantaged and African American students, with a target of 60% making progress. The school plans to achieve these goals through biweekly monitoring, weekly assessments, and ongoing professional development for teachers.

Board members acknowledged the school's upward trend in performance metrics, expressing disappointment over the D grade but recognizing the improvements made in recent years. Concerns were raised regarding the number of substitutes and the experience level of staff, with suggestions for additional professional development and community engagement to further enhance student outcomes.

Overall, the meeting underscored the school's commitment to continuous improvement and the importance of data-driven strategies in fostering student success.