2008

Award Recipient

National Institute of Standards and Technology • U.S. Department of Commerce

Baldrige National Quality Program

Iredell-Statesville Schools

Iredell-Statesville Schools (I-SS) is a K–12 public school 

system located in southwestern North Carolina within a 

diverse community and economy. To meet the needs of its 

20,900 students, I-SS offers a variety of educational programs 

delivered in heterogeneously grouped classrooms, two at-risk/

behavior schools, and virtual curriculum and early college 

settings. The system also offers before- and after-school 

programs, short-term alternative site placement programs, 

and dual enrollment courses in partnership with a local 

community college. I-SS, which segments its 3,416 employees 

as certified, classified, and administrative staff, considers them 

to be “knowledge assets in achieving organizational learning 

and improvement.” 

Transforming a Culture

With a new vision to “improve student learning by igniting 

a passion for learning,” I-SS senior leaders are moving the 

district from a “focus on teaching” to a “focus on learning.” 

The Superintendent of Schools and the Senior Leadership 

Team use the I-SS Performance Excellence Model as the 

management approach to share and accomplish the district’s 

vision. Their strategic plan is linked to the North Carolina 

State Board of Education Strategic Priorities: high student 

performance; healthy, safe, orderly, and caring schools; quality 

teachers, administrators, and staff; strong family-communitybusiness support; and effective-efficient operations. These five 

priority goal areas are aligned with division-, department-, 

and school-improvement plans to provide clear direction for 

the system.

Meeting the Goals

To fulfill its mission of realizing high student performance

and long-term student success, I-SS uses its Model to Raise 

Achievement and Close Gaps (RACG). In the classroom, five 

key learning questions form the basis for action by focusing 

discussion and analysis on what students should know and be 

able to do: (1) “What do students need to know?” (2) “How 

will they learn it?” (3) “How will we know they have learned 

it?” (4) “What will we do if they have not learned it?” and (5) 

“What will we do if they already know it?” 

When student performance does not meet targets, the gap 

is addressed through the systematic use of a Plan, Do, Study, 

Act (PDSA) cycle to identify and implement improvements. 

Best practices are shared throughout the district, departments, 

and schools. To support RACG, both administrative and sitebased teams receive extensive analysis of student achievement 

data in midyear and end-of-year organizational reviews. 

The system’s results illustrate the impact of its focused 

efforts to improve student achievement. For example:

	 •	I-SS has achieved 94 percent of its Adequate Yearly

Progress goals and outperforms peer districts and the state in 

this No Child Left Behind measure.

Highlights

•	 Cohort graduation rates (the percentage of ninth-grade

students who graduate from high school four years later) 

increased steadily from 64 percent in 2002-2003 to 80.7 

percent in 2007-2008.

•	 At 96.03 percent, the system’s attendance rate is higher than

that of another local district, its 20 peer districts, area charter 

schools, and the state overall (ranking third out of 115 school 

districts in 2006-2007).

•	I-SS started the last two years with 100 percent of staff

positions filled, a teacher turnover rate below the state 

average, and waiting lists for most job openings.

•	 Although its per-pupil operations expenditures are

among the lowest in North Carolina, I-SS is currently 

ranked academically in the state’s top 10 school systems. 

Additionally, I-SS SAT scores rose steadily from 991 (2002-

2003) to 1056 (2007-2008) with the state rank rising from 

57th (out of 115 school districts) in 2003 to seventh in 2008.
	 •	Cohort graduation rates (the percentage of ninth-grade

students who graduate from high school four years later) 

increased steadily from 64 percent in 2002-2003 to 80.7 

percent in 2007-2008.

	 •	In the past five years, the system’s composite SAT scores

have improved by over 60 points to 1056, with its current 

performance level ranking seventh in the state.

	 •	The End-of-Grade (EOG) Reading Composite

improved from 75 percent of students proficient in 2000-2001 

to 90.6 percent proficiency in 2006-2007. Also, I-SS closed 

the EOG reading proficiency gap between African-American

children and all students from 23 percent to 12.3 percent. 

As one approach to building healthy, safe, orderly, and caring 

schools, an I-SS committee in 2003-2004 identified alternative 

schools, alternative learning processes, and student attendance 

as high priorities for improvement that could impact dropout 

rates. As a result of a district PDSA on alternative learning 

programs, the structure of alternative learning processes 

changed significantly. Several innovative programs were added 

including an out-of-school suspension-reporting center, an 

in-school credit recovery program, an attendance recovery 

program, virtual courses, virtual credit recovery courses, 

summer credit recovery programs, and Day Treatment and 

Community Classrooms provided by a strategic partnership. 

A Differentiated Diploma Program was targeted at preventing 

juniors and seniors from dropping out of school. As a result:

	 •	I-SS has the lowest dropout rate (3.5 percent) for

students in grades 9-12 in its history. 

	 •	At 96.03 percent, the system’s attendance rate is higher

than that of another local district, its 20 peer districts, area 

charter schools, and the state overall (ranking third out of 115 

school districts in 2006-2007).

	 •	Class size in core subject areas decreased from 21.8

students in 2001-2002 to 18.6 in 2007-2008. 

As a result of Baldrige process feedback, I-SS aligned 

school-specific Safe School Plans to the crisis management 

phases identified by the National Incident Management 

System. The now more-comprehensive Safe School Plans 

address a broader range of events and hazards, including 

severe weather, fire, crime/violence, transportation, medical/

public health, and hazardous materials.

Effective training and mentoring approaches ensure that 

the system has quality teachers, administrators, and staff to 

increase student achievement and close gaps. Professional 

Learning Communities provide classroom teachers with 

face-to-face and virtual opportunities to improve student 

learning and share best practices across grade levels and 

departments. Instructional Facilitators support these 

communities by providing ongoing professional development 

through coaching, modeling, and mentoring. Throughout 

I-SS, teaching assistants are trained alongside teachers and 

staff. Beyond the classroom, a Leadership Academy trains 

administrators in the Performance Excellence Model.

A recruitment program recently increased both the 

number of applicants and the minority workforce at I-SS. 

Incentives to recruit and retain teachers for math, science, and 

exceptional-children instruction and at-risk schools include 

signing bonuses, moving allowances, at-risk supplements, and 

improvement bonuses. I-SS started the last two years with 100 

percent of staff positions filled, a teacher turnover rate below 

the state average, and waiting lists for most job openings. 

According to No Child Left Behind standards, nearly 95 

percent of the system’s teachers are highly qualified, having 

increased from 84 percent over the last five years. 

I-SS depends on strong family, community, and business 

support from active partners—including suppliers, community 

organizations, parents, and volunteers—to achieve its goals. 

They participate on school and district improvement teams, 

advisory committees, and specific task forces, working 

side-by-side with staff on school initiatives. I-SS volunteers 

contributed nearly 147,000 hours serving in roles such as 

mentors, tutors, lunch buddies, and clerical/classroom support 

for staff. 

I-SS partners with a community college and another 

school district to offer students dual-enrollment opportunities 

in an early college setting. I-SS is working with the Statesville 

City Council and the Blumenthal Center for Performing 

Arts to establish a performance and fine arts magnet school 

and with the Boys and Girls Club to provide after-school 

enrichment activities for at-risk students. A partnership with 

the YMCA affords second graders the opportunity to attend

regular swim lessons. A strategy to involve key partners in 

obtaining grants to impact strategic goals has resulted in more 

than $8 million in grants being awarded in the last three years.

Achieving and maintaining effective and efficient operations

throughout the system has been another key element in I-SS’s 

success. Although its per-pupil operations expenditures are 

among the lowest in North Carolina, I-SS is currently ranked 

academically in the state’s top 10 school systems. Additionally, 

I-SS student achievement rose from a ranking of 55th out of 

115 North Carolina school districts in 2003 to ninth in 2008. 

With competing priorities, ISS’s cost containment and 

wise allocation of the annual budget of $160 million are 

essential to ensure that student and stakeholder needs are 

met. Overall cost minimization is considered in the design

and monitoring of key work processes. For example, since 

the late 1990s, all elementary schools have been built on the 

same “green” school (environmentally sound) floor plan, 

facilitating healthy and responsible environments for learning. 

A systematic cost avoidance system provides capital to schools 

that are able to reduce energy consumption—saving more 

than $4 million in its four years of existence.

For more information:

Iredell-Statesville Schools

549 N. Race St.

Statesville, N.C. 28677

Telephone: (704) 924-2032

Fax: (704) 871-2834

E-mail: dcreason@iss.k12.nc.us

Web site: http://iss.schoolwires.com