Distinguished has gone the way of the dinosaur, and proficient is now passé, as the state Unbridled Learning accountability system has given way to new reporting and a new assessment system set to debut in 2018-19.
The state release of 2016-17 assessment data does not issue an overall score. Districts and schools are not ranked or labeled as Distinguished or Proficient, although achievement still falls into those categories. These changes are part of Senate Bill 1, which was passed earlier this year, as the state transitions to a new accountability model under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
Reporting still includes achievement, growth, gap, college and career readiness and graduation rate; an emphasis this year was placed on achievement.
Grayson County Schools saw a continued upward trend overall. Student Proficient and Distinguished level performance was up and bested state averages virtually across the board. There were many singular bright spots throughout the district, as well.
“We’re thrilled with the strides we have made in the past year,” said Superintendent Doug Robinson. “These successes can only come from our students, teachers and administrators giving it their all – and then some – each and every day. This is one fruit of those tireless efforts.”
- Caneyville Elementary’s scores leaped overall, but particularly in Reading, where a 10 percent jump topped state averages by more than 13 percentage points. The school’s Writing scores also rose an amazing 40 percentage points to 61.6 percent compared to the state’s 45.9 percent.
- Wilkey Elementary made tremendous strides, with Math scores rising 10 points, and Social Studies close behind with a nine point increase. Writing jumped nearly 30 points to beat state averages as well.
- Clarkson Elementary bested previous year scoring in Writing at 60.4 percent compared to the state’s 45.9 percent. Gains were also made in Language Mechanics. Overall the school surpassed state averages in all subjects except Social Studies.
- Lawler Elementary topped the state in all subjects except Language Mechanics. Standout areas were Social Studies with a 16 point leap and Writing, which bounded by 18 points to a district-high 82.1 percent.
- Grayson County Middle School finished strong and well ahead of state averages in all test areas except language mechanics. Notable achievement was seen in Writing with 51.5 percent compared to 37.2 statewide. Social studies results were high at 66.1 percent compared to 60.5 percent for the state.
- Grayson County High school writing scores topped the state by more than seven points, and soared 25 points from last year. All other scoring was based on End of Course assessments in English II, Algebra II, Biology and U.S. History. Math scores of 65.7 percent were nearly 28 points higher than state counterparts 38.1 percent, and closing in on the top ten percent of the state. All scores surpassed state averages except U.S. History, with only a point and a half difference in that subject.
College and Career Readiness scoring looked different this year. Several testing options previously provided by ACT were eliminated by the company, impacting scoring statewide. These included the alternative college readiness Compass tests.
In previous years, students who weren’t meeting college benchmarks could take the ACT Compass as seniors to become college ready. As a result, GCHS CCR scores appeared slightly down.
College Readiness includes ACT, KYOTE and/or Compass. Career Readiness includes academic (ASVAB or WorkKeys) and technical (KOSSA or Industry Certificates) benchmarks.
GCHS’ graduation rate based on the Five-Year Cohort model came in at 89 percent.
District Assessment Coordinator Carla Purcell noted a strong upward trend in other measures of success. “Our Growth and Gap scoring has soared in so many areas this year. Students all come from unique backgrounds and different performance levels. This really shows that we are reaching them one-on-one and making a real difference in their academic progress,” she said.
Gap, or novice reduction, targets reading and mathematics for individual student groups such as minorities, free/reduced population, and students with disabilities.
Student Growth is another measure of success, defined as improvement in reading and math over a one-year period compared to the academic peer group. For 2016-17, this category was only reported at the elementary and middle school levels.
District-wide, elementary school Growth was at 63.8 percent compared to 57.8 statewide. Middle school Growth was at 61.5 percent compare to the state’s 58.4 percent.
Supt. Robinson gave credit and appreciation to district staff for their “personal commitment to excellence and teamwork.”
“Our teachers give it all they have every single day to help our students learn, achieve and become the best versions of themselves they can be,” he said. “With that individual focus, our biggest success story is that each student benefits from the personal connections that will help them achieve success and reach their individual best.”
Robinson added that as the district continues to build on these successes, it is firmly committed to continued improvement across the board.
Parents will soon receive their child/children’s individual test results. In the meantime, complete district and school results can be viewed in the School Report Card at www.education.ky.gov.
By Grayson County Schools
