WGHP MyFox8 making it up

GREENSBORO, NC -- "School Test Results Skyrocket After Church Partnership" shouts the headline on WGHP's website. The unnamed "staff writer" explains:

Several principals were looking for possible "faith partners" Thursday after the success of a similar program at Smith High School. Smith has partnered with nearby Ebenezer Baptist Church for the past two years after receiving a $100,000 state grant.

Several principals? Really? Like who? Ah, never mind, let's get to the meat of the story, those "skyrocketing" improvements.

Dr. Noah Rogers, Smith High principal, said graduation rates have skyrocketed from 55 percent to 80 percent, fewer students are getting suspended and the attendance rate is up.

55 percent to 80 percent in just two years? Wow! Fabulous... but not true. According to the Guilford County Schools, since the church program has been in place, graduation rates at Smith went from 73 percent to 80 percent (we don't have the rates for this year, obviously). While still a nice increase in graduation rates are they attributable to partnering with the church? Smith has seen steady improvement in graduation rates since 2006, including an 8 point jump from 2007 to 2008 -- before the church program. "Graduation rates improve before church partnership" doesn't have the same ring, I suppose.

But what about the story's headline about those skyrocketing test scores? According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Smith's annual yearly progress showed year-over-year improvement from 2009 to 2010 in math and reading test scores, but not inconsistent with the kinds of improvements seen in years past, before the church program. The 10 point increase in proficiency in math last year is fantastic, but so was the 10 point increase in reading proficiency in 2008, before the church program.

Bottom line, the Fox8 story incorrectly reported graduation data and wrongly treats the improvements at Smith as attributable to the church program, ignoring that Smith has seen similar improvements prior to the church program. There is no reason to tout the church program as the reason for Smith's continuing academic improvement and so this story joins others from WGHP where they occasionally go off the rails and just make stuff up (here, here, here, here, here and here.)