Kentucky Teacher
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released 2017-2018 student assessment results, and also identified the state’s lowest performing schools as well as those struggling to meet the needs of specific groups of students.
In all, KDE identified 51 schools for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), meaning they are in the bottom 5 percent of schools at their level (elementary, middle or high) in the state or had a graduation rate below 80 percent.
Lewis
“CSI schools are, by definition, the lowest performing schools in the state,” said Interim Commissioner of Education Wayne Lewis. “Being on this list means that a significant shift must be undertaken to better address student learning. This is not about shaming schools, leaders or teachers, but these schools can neither continue doing what they have always done, nor make only minor adjustments.”
CSI schools will receive state support in the current school year to help them improve.
Another 418 schools were identified for Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) as a result of having at least one student group performing as poorly as schools in the bottom 5 percent. Schools not identified as CSI or TSI are identified as “Other” this year.
Lewis said being identified as TSI allows schools to focus on raising achievement for groups of students who have been underserved, and may have previously been hidden by overall school achievement data.
“It is an imperative that we ensure every group of students is performing at high levels. We can’t leave groups of students behind,” he said. “This is a moral issue. Our expectation must be that all of our students can learn at high levels, regardless of income, gender, race/ethnicity, or disability status. It is schools’ responsibility to identify approaches, curricula, and strategies for meeting students’ needs. Our students and their families depend on it, and our Commonwealth depends on it.”
Lewis said while KDE will provide resources for TSI-designated schools to improve, ultimately it is the responsibility of schools and districts to use the accountability results to chart a course that continuously improves achievement for all their students.
Kentucky is in the process of phasing in a new accountability system, which is scheduled to be fully implemented in the 2018-2019 school year and conforms to requirements of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and Senate Bill 1 (2017). Once implemented fully, school and district performance will be classified using Kentucky’s 5-star rating system.
Under this new system, accountability determinations are only made at the school level. Determinations are based on student performance on state assessments and other school quality indicators or measures, such as growth or graduation rate, depending on the grade level. Additionally, per Senate Bill 1 (2017), the new accountability system does not provide a single summative score that ranks schools against each other.
The assessment results released Sept. 26 show academic performance has remained largely flat in Kentucky public schools, including foundational subject areas like reading and mathematics. Achievement gaps persist for different groups of students, including students with learning disabilities and students of color. Writing on-demand scores did make gains at the middle and high school levels.
“There are not a lot of positives here. For the past five years there has been virtually no movement. We are not improving,” Lewis said. “And achievement gaps between student populations continue to be incredibly disturbing.”
ACT scores, which are based on all public school juniors taking the test last spring, also mimicked a national downturn, with across the board performance declines in English, mathematics, reading and science.
Lewis said the results reinforce the KDE’s current efforts to address lagging student achievement in critical subject areas like reading and mathematics. For example, proposed graduation requirements would require students to demonstrate basic competency on 10th-grade reading and mathematics assessments in order to earn a diploma.
“This is a daunting moment of truth for our state. We cannot lie to ourselves about what these scores mean any longer. While the data are sobering, it allows us to get an accurate picture of where our schools are and strengthens our conviction in what is needed in the months and years ahead,” Lewis said. “Instead of being discouraged, this is a call to action for schools, districts, educators, parents, students, and community and business leaders. We must take bold and immediate action for the benefit of our students.”
Kentucky Teacher is a publication of the Kentucky Department of Education
