Key Takeaways
Literacy: 37% of CMS students in grades 3-8 are projected to hit reading proficiency—up four points from last year, but still three points short of the district's 40% target. The district needs 2,021 more students to reach benchmark. Third grade remains "relatively flat."
Achievement Gaps: Board member Charlita Hatch asked if racial gaps are widening. They are. Black students improved four points; white students improved eight. The distance between them grew.
Calendar: Two 2027-28 options go to community survey tonight through February 13. Both eliminate early release days. Option 1 starts August 26; Option 2 starts August 24.
Personnel: Four administrative appointments, including a new Chief Academic Performance Officer and Associate Superintendent of Human Resources.
CMS Literacy Gains Continue, But Achievement Gaps Keep Growing
Everyone improved. Some improved faster. That's not the same as closing the gap.
By Jack Beckett | The Charlotte Mercury | January 28, 2026
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education gathered virtually Monday evening for what was supposed to include a video presentation from Davidson Elementary School teachers demonstrating successful literacy strategies.
The video would not play.
It was an unintentionally apt metaphor for a meeting about educational progress that remains frustratingly incomplete. CMS is moving in the right direction on reading. The trouble is that different students are moving at different speeds—and the kids who started behind are falling further back, even as their scores rise.
The Numbers
Superintendent Crystal Hill presented the district's first benchmark data for 2025-26. The headline: 37% of students in grades 3-8 are projected to be "college and career ready" in reading, based on November's MVPA assessment.
That is a four-point increase over last year's final results. It is also three points shy of the district's 40% target.
In raw terms: CMS has 22,529 students on track. It needs 24,550. The gap is 2,021 kids.
For grades 3-5—the district's primary focus—39% are projected CCR, up three points. The target is 41%. That gap is 638 students.
The five-year goal is to reach 50% by June 2029, up from 31% in 2023. The trajectory suggests progress, but not enough velocity to arrive on time.
Third Grade Isn't Budging
Dr. Monty Witherspoon asked about third grade specifically. The news there is worse.
Third grade performance was "pretty much stagnant" last year, Hill acknowledged. From first benchmark to final, the improvement was negative 0.3 percentage points. Third graders did not accelerate the way older students did.
The district has identified part of the problem. About 900 third graders last year scored "above benchmark" on foundational literacy skills but still failed the reading test. They could decode words. They could not comprehend passages at the level the state demands.
The district's response: redesign what happens during independent reading time to match the rigor of the assessment. Whether that works will show up in spring data.
The Gap Question
Board member Charlita Hatch asked the question that hovered over the entire report.
She was looking at achievement data broken out by race. Every group showed improvement. Every arrow pointed up. But the gaps between groups appeared to be widening, not closing.
"I just wanted to see if I was interpreting the data correctly," Hatch said.
Hill walked through the numbers. Black students improved four percentage points from last year's first benchmark to this year's. White students improved eight.
"So I see what you're saying," Hill said. "Even though all the arrows are going up, the difference between the groups is widening."
Hatch's video feed froze before she could follow up. But Hill confirmed her read was correct.
To close the gap rather than widen it, Hill explained, Black students would need to improve at double the rate of white students—just to maintain the current distance. Closing the gap entirely would require an even steeper acceleration.
The district pointed to growth data as evidence its strategies are working. On state measures that compare each student's progress to their own history, CMS exceeds targets for every group.
But growth and proficiency are different animals. A student can grow and still not be proficient. And if different groups grow at different rates toward the same finish line, the distance between them stretches even as everyone moves forward.
Calendar: Early Release Days Are Dead
In a separate presentation, Chief Thompson unveiled two draft options for the 2027-28 academic calendar.
The notable change in both: early release days are gone. The district currently uses four half-days for teacher professional development. Both new calendars replace them with two full workdays.
The 113-member working group—parents, teachers, students, principals, faith leaders—reached unusual consensus on this. Parents said early release days are a childcare nightmare. Teachers said students skip them anyway. Educators said two full days beat four fragmented ones for actual professional learning.
The two options differ on timing:
Option 1: School starts Thursday, August 26. Spring break is April 8-14, before Easter. Last day is June 9.
Option 2: School starts Tuesday, August 24. Spring break is April 14-21, after Easter. Last day is June 7.
The community survey opens tonight at the CMS website and runs through February 13. Thompson noted that if feedback strongly favors elements from both options, the district may blend them into a third option for its final recommendation on March 10.
Board member Shamaya Haynes asked about aligning the traditional calendar with CPCC and UNC Charlotte schedules, since some families have kids in early college programs. Thompson acknowledged the constraint: state law requires CMS to start no earlier than the Monday closest to August 26, which falls after when colleges begin.
Vice Chair Rankin offered a pointed aside about pressuring the General Assembly on calendar flexibility, then returned to procedural questions.
Personnel
The board approved four administrative appointments:
Dr. Kimberly Vaught takes over as Chief Academic Performance Officer, moving up from Assistant Superintendent of School Performance K-8. Dr. Tangela Williams becomes Associate Superintendent of Human Resources, shifting from a school performance area superintendent role. Sharon Bracey moves from Hawthorne Academy to lead Turning Point Academy High School; Jennifer Clark takes over Hawthorne.
The leadership shuffle at the top of the academic and HR functions signals continued emphasis on the district's improvement framework—though whether new titles translate to new outcomes remains the open question.
What Comes Next
The calendar survey closes February 13. A public hearing follows the March 10 recommendation.
The next literacy monitoring report will show whether third grade has started to move and whether the gap between student groups has continued to widen.
And presumably, at some point, the Davidson Elementary video will play.
About the Author
Jack Beckett writes about education and local government for The Charlotte Mercury. He takes his coffee black and his achievement data with skepticism.
The Charlotte Mercury covers City Council, housing, elections, and local business—all without tracking you. Get our weekly newsletter. Message us on Twix: @queencityexp.
Creative Commons License
© 2026 The Charlotte Mercury / Strolling Ballantyne
This article, "CMS Literacy Report Shows Progress, But Achievement Gaps Continue to Widen," by Jack Beckett is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0.
"CMS Literacy Report Shows Progress, But Achievement Gaps Continue to Widen"
by Jack Beckett, The Charlotte Mercury (CC BY-ND 4.0)