Norwalk Catholic Students succeed during pandemic

During the 2020-2021 school year Norwalk Catholic students met the unique challenges of COVID-19 head on and succeeded. In review of our student success data, our students showed learning gains. While nationally there is much conversation regarding learning loss, our students demonstrated high levels of learning. At Norwalk Catholic, we strive to provide an academically rigorous environment that prepares students to serve and lead in the global community. These test results show a snapshot in time. In reviewing the information, it is clear our partnership with our families, students, alumni and the greater Norwalk Catholic community is bearing fruit for our students. The education received at our school is focused on growth: spiritual growth, academic growth, growth for the whole student and the entire family. We are proud of the results being accomplished together. Here are examples from each of our buildings. St. Paul High School AP Exam passage rate (score 3 or better) improved by 9% from 2020. 64% of students received a score of 3 or better. This is the highest passage rate in the last five years. The AP Government class scored a class average of 3.8 out of 5 on the AP Exam. These results compare favorably with the global average of 2.6 out of 5. Even more impressive, all St. Paul High students that took the exam passed with a 3 or better, with the global average being 50.7%. When reviewing these results we see great students, great teachers and great families. At Norwalk Catholic, we are striving for excellence in all we do. We have work to do to keep our students learning and growing. The upcoming school year will have unforeseen challenges; however, I know the Norwalk Catholic community is ready to overcome the challenges together with a focus on our students and our mission. We are a mission driven school; we are proud of our mission: Building on the legacy of our parishes, families, and alumni, the mission of Norwalk Catholic is to guide students to cultivate a personal relationship with Christ rooted in the Catholic tradition and to educate students in a rigorous academic environment to serve and lead in the global community. Martin Linder is president of Norwalk Catholic School. Editor's note: School Matters runs every Friday in the Norwalk Reflector and all schools are invited to participate. If you have school information or if you would like to submit a School Matters column, send it to Joe Centers at jcenters@norwalkreflector.com. It's your newspaper — share your good news with everybody.