In February 2018, the Kentucky Board of Education approved a new accountability system to be implemented beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, identifying 2017-2018 a transition year to this new accountability model. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released the 2017-2018 assessment results Wednesday, and Logan County Schools (LCS) administrators and teachers have used this assessment data to determine areas of strength for LCS students and areas for improvement.
Logan County Superintendent Paul M. Mullins says, “We are extremely proud of the continued academic growth at each of our schools. Our students once again demonstrated the high quality of education that occurs across our district. We are truly appreciative of our outstanding teachers and classified staff that work so hard each day on the behalf of our students. We also understand that we have work to do and must continue to close GAPS and reach all of students.”
Accountability for 2017-2018 is based on student performance on state assessments, the ACT college entrance exam at the high school level, as well as selective school quality indicators:
Elementary and Middle School:
Proficiency: (K-PREP reading and math scores)
Separate Academic Indicator (K-PREP science, social studies and writing scores)
Growth (progress toward proficiency in reading and math; English attainment for English learners)
High School:
Proficiency (ACT reading and math scores)
Transition Rate (academic and career readiness excluding dual credit and verification of exceptional work experience; English learner attainment of English proficiency).
Graduation Rate (average of 4- and 5-year rates)
Schools are identified only for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI). All remaining schools will be identified as “Other.”
A school is identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) if it meets any one of the following categories:
• CSI I: Bottom 5 percent of Title I or non-Title I schools (by level – elementary, middle or high):
• CSI II: Less than an 80 percent graduation rate for Title I or non-Title I high schools
Beginning in 2021-2022:
• CSI III: Title I or non-Title I schools previously identified for Tier II Targeted Support for at least three years and have not exited.
A school is identified for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) if it meets the following criteria:
Tier II Targeted Support – Low performing Subgroup(s): One or more subgroups performing as poorly as all students in any lowest performing 5 percent of Title I schools or non-Title I schools (by level – elementary, middle or high school) based on school performance
Beginning in 2020-2021: Tier I Targeted Support (Early Warning): Consistently Underperforming Subgroup(s): One or more subgroups performing as poorly as all students in any of the lowest performing 10 percent of Title I schools or non-Title I schools (by level – elementary, middle or high school) based on school performance for two consecutive years.
Logan County School students in elementary, middle and high school are above the state average in Reading and Mathematics. The district also saw elementary students and middle school students above the state average in the area of growth.
At the high school level, the district is scoring well above the state average for the transition readiness indicator and is at the state average for graduation rate. While the district did maintain student performance above the state average, there was a decrease from the prior year’s assessment in the number of students scoring proficient/distinguished in middle and high school reading as well as elementary and middle school mathematics.
Based on the 2017-2018 assessment, two Logan County Schools fell in the TSI category. Chandlers Elementary School and Lewisburg Elementary School are both identified as TSI in the area of free/reduced lunch. District and school stakeholders are analyzing various pieces of individual student data to develop plans for reducing the areas of achievement gaps that have been identified.
Kristina Rice, Adairville School principal, stated: “On the 2017-2018 K-PREP test, Adairville School saw an increase ln the number of students performing Proficient and Distinguished in several content areas. Currently, we are implementing our next steps, such as project-based learning and personalized learning. These next steps will help us refine our instruction and increase student engagement. We are very proud of our teachers, staff, and students for their dedication to learning and their continuous hard work, and we are very thankful for our parent support. We know that if we create a positive culture that focuses on high expectations, we will continue to see an increase in our student achievement.”
David Ward, Auburn School principal, noted that while school stakeholders at the school are proud of the increases in proficient and distinguished that were seen with the 2017-2018 assessment results, the focus now is on using these assessment results as one piece of data to determine students’ intervention and enrichment needs.
At Chandlers School, Principal Robbie Davis stated, “KPREP is just one of the many tools we use to measure student success. After examining the data, we realize that we have several areas of growth for the upcoming school year. In both Reading and Math, we want to continue to reduce the number of students scoring in the novice category and continue to help students move from apprentice to proficient. However, we also have many areas of celebration. We saw significant growth in proficiency in several grade levels, and several grade levels saw their novice percentages decrease to as low as percent. As we move forward, our committed staff will focus on using data to help meet the needs of individual students.”
Josh Matthews, Lewisburg School Principal, said, “We are extremely pleased with our test scores. We understand test scores are only one part of the overall education delivered at a school. Our elementary and middle school knocked growth scores out of the park. This means we are successfully growing kids and moving their academic achievement forward. I would like to thank my staff for all their hard work and dedication to our students.”
Bonnie Watson, Olmstead School principal, stated, “We are very pleased with our KPREP results from the spring. In reviewing the percentage of students scoring proficient and distinguished in reading and math, we found that up to 75 percent of students scored proficient and distinguished. We also found novice percentages as low as 2 percent in these tested areas.
At Olmstead, we are committed to continuously improving our practices that support student success. For this reason, our staff is very engaged this school year in implementation of project based learning, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), Profile of a Graduate work, and seamless technology integration so that our students are highly engaged in meaningful learning that will equip them with the 21st century skills necessary to be successful.”
Caycee Spears, LCHS principal, noted, “While this information serves as a barometer of where students were at a given point and we are glad that all of our numbers are at or above the state averages, we continue to focus on the individual growth of each student. We want to ensure that every young adult at Logan County High School has a plan for what she/he wants to do next. These data points are just one of the many measures we review as we continually work to provide LCHS students access to the best education possible. We appreciate the continued community support, and we are excited about the opportunities that lie ahead as we look to increase student engagement and collaboration with our community and business partners.”
“Each school along with district staff will continue to review our data and put a plan in place to ensure we are addressing the needs of our students. Working to provide high quality educational experiences for all of our students and preparing them for what’s next is extremely important,” Superintendent Mullins says.
“We understand the significance of performing at a high level on state assessment and it’s our goal in the Logan County school district to be a high-performing district in the Commonwealth. Continuous improvement, closing academic achievement GAPS, providing more opportunities through dual credit, offering more pathways in the vocational education and better serving our students and their needs will be a priority.”,
All data for the 2017-18 assessment and accountability reporting are publicly available in Open House – Supplemental Data on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) website.