NKyTribune Staff Report
Data released from the Kentucky Department of Education show a mixed bag of results for the state’s public schools.
First, the good news: The latest Unbridled Learning Assessment and Accountability results show the number of students graduating from high school and considered college/career-ready continues to increase.
In 2015, the college/career readiness rate jumped to 66.8 – up from 62.5 percent last year and 54.1 percent in 2013. The four-year graduation rate is up as well to 87.9 percent – from 87.5 percent in the 2013-14 school year.
The percent of students scoring at the proficient and distinguished levels has increased in nearly every subject and at every grade level as compared to 2012, the first year of the K-PREP assessments. (In the not-so-good department, however, scores remained relatively flat in the past year.)
The number of schools and districts performing at the highest levels are up from last year. A total of 704 schools and 120 districts are classified as either proficient or distinguished, the results show. Also, 10 of the state’s 36 lowest-performing schools, known as Priority Schools, made enough improvement over the past three years to exit Priority status.
Those schools are:
Bryan Station High School, Fayette County
Greenup County High School, Greenup County
Waggener High School, Jefferson County
Knox Central High School, Knox County
Lawrence County High School, Lawrence County
Lee County High School, Lee County
Lincoln County High School, Lincoln County
Newport High School, Newport Independent
Perry County Central High School, Perry County
Trimble County High School, Trimble County
Ranking in Kentucky’s top ten in their category are these Northern Kentucky schools:
Fort Thomas’ Johnson Elementary
Beechwood High School
Fort Thomas Highlands
Walton-Verona High School
Now, the not-so-good news: The test results show students in groups that have historically had achievement gaps continue to lag behind their peers across multiple content areas and grade levels.
“KDE is in the process of addressing these persistent gaps by assisting schools and districts in the development of plans to meet the needs of all students and reduce novice student performance,” said Interim Education Commissioner Kevin C. Brown. “This is not only about compliance with state and federal law, but is a moral imperative about reaching each child. By focusing on the individual needs of students we will not only reduce achievement gaps, but also improve achievement for all students.”
Additionally, while 10 schools improved enough to move out of Priority Statues, three schools – all in Jefferson County – entered Priority status:
Byck Elementary
Roosevelt Perry Elementary
Moore Traditional School
Priority Schools receive resources and are assigned education recovery staff from the state to assist them in their
turnaround efforts.
For more detailed information from the Kentucky Department of Education, click here.
For the first time KDE has produced a ranking of schools and districts based on their overall scores for 2013-14 and 2014-15. These scores reflect all the same components and are comparable. Instead of a percentile, a simple rank is displayed. The comparison file can be found under accountability in the supplemental data section of KDE Open House.
Specific rankings of Northern Kentucky’s public schools
ELEMENTARY (713 total schools)
Beechwood Elementary 32
Bellevue: Grandview Elementary 482
Boone
AM Yealy 532
Burlington 503
Kelly 81
Goodridge 471
Erpenbeck 154
Florence 520
Collins 681
Longbranch 211
New Haven 350
North Pointe 297
Ockerman 329
Mann 121
Stephens 447
Thornwilde 165
Campbell
Campbell Ridge 387
Crossroads 193
Cline 32
Grant’s Lick 131
Reiley 37
Covington Independent
Glenn O Swing 29
Carlisle 677
Latonia 329
Ninth District 690
Sixth District 580
Erlanger-Elsmere Independent
Arnett 44
Howell 667
Lindeman 387
Miles 422
Fort Thomas Independent
Johnson 5
Moyer 25
Woodfill 32
Kenton County
Beechgrove 59
Ft. Wright 246
Caywood 255
Kenton 201
Piner 103
Hinsdale 73
River Ridge 143
Ryland 193
Summit View 333
Taylor Mill 312
White’s Tower 50
Silver Grove Elementary 707
Southgate Elementary 447
Walton-Verona Elementary 186
MIDDLE (328 schools)
Beechwood 83
Bellevue Independent 266
Boone County
Camp Ernst 150
Conner 117
Gray 32
Ockerman 124
Jones 274
Covington
Holmes Middle 303
Dayton
Dayton Middle School 229
Erlanger-Elsmere
Tichenor Middle 303
Fort Thomas
Highlands Middle 11
Kenton
Summit View 156
Turkey Foot 103
Twenhofel 129
Woodland 210
Silver Grove 194
Southgate 231
Walton Verona 36
HIGH SCHOOLS (229 schools)
Beechwood 4
Bellevue 211
Boone County
Boone County High 32
Conner 46
Ryle 53
Cooper 52
Campbell County High 32
Covington Independent 222
Dayton Independent 194
Erlanger-Elsmere: Lloyd 58
Ft. Thomas: Highlands 3
Kenton County
Dixie Heights 60
Scott 95
Simon Kenton 108
Ludlow: Ludlow High School 123
Newport:Newport High School 205
Silver Grove: Silver Grove School 149
Walton Verona: Walton Verona High School 6
FOCUS SCHOOLS
The following Northern Kentucky schools appear on a KDE list for schools that have shown a student gap group score, assessment grades below the state average or have a graduation rate less than 60 percent for two consecutive years. Here are the current year classifications for those schools:
Boone County
Camp Ernest Middle School Needs Improvement
Conner High School Distinguished
Hillard Collins Elementary School Needs Improvement
Rector A Jones Middle School Needs Improvement
Campbell County
Campbell County Middle School Proficient
Crossroads Elementary Proficient/Progressing
Campbellsville High School Distinguished/Progressing
Covington Independent
Holmes High School Needs Improvement
Holmes Middle School Needs Improvement
John G Carlisle Elementary Needs Improvement
Ninth District Elementary Needs Improvement/Progressing
Erlanger-Elsmere
Howell Elementary Needs Improvement
Tichenor Middle School Needs Improvement
Kenton County
Dixie Heights High School Distinguished/Progressing
Scott High School Proficient
Summit View Middle School Needs Improvement
Turkey Foot Middle School Proficient
Ludlow Independent
Ludlow High School Needs Improvement/Progressing
Newport Independent
Newport High School Needs Improvement/Progressing
Newport Intermediate School Needs Improvement
Newport Intermediate School Needs Improvement
Newport Middle School Needs Improvement
Silver Grove
Silver Grove Elementary Needs Improvement/Progressing
Silver Grove Middle Needs Improvement
For an excellent explanation of the process and the background, see this report from the Fayette County Schools:
http://www.fcps.net/media/1885284/background15.pdf