OCTOBER 1, 2015
LCHS GETS ‘DISTINGUISED’ RATING, SCHOOLS HAVE 8TH HIGHEST GAIN IN TEST SCORES IN STATE…
Time was, and it hasn’t been that long, that the students and staff of Lawrence County Schools cringed when they looked at their state test results and the county high school was in the bottom ten in the state bringing on millions of dollars in extra state assistance to improve the schools.
Not this year.
Superintendent Robbie Fletcher in his first year on the job, and the BOE have managed through hard work and sacrifice of teachers and staff as well as students, to improve scores this year, especially the high school. Fallsburg and Blaine as well as Louisa Middle School are rated as progressing. according to the scores, but their rankings are disappointing compared to recent years.
Here is the BOE released statement on the scores which were released today:
“…The latest state accountability scores have been released, and the parents, staff members, and students of the Lawrence County School District have some great results to celebrate. At the district level, our school system:
- Received a PROFICIENT rating;
- Increased from the 29th percentile (in 2014) to the 80th percentile (in 2015) based on the 2013 state-determined cut scores;
- Achieved the 8th highest gain in test scores when compared to the other 172 school districts.
- Is the most improved school district in the 15th and 16th Regions.Here are some statistics/rankings for all our schools:
Here are some statistics/rankings for all our schools:
* Lawrence County High School was rated as a DISTINGUISHED high school and ranked in the 90th percentile (based on the preset 2013 cut scores).
* Lawrence County High School had the 4th highest gain out of 220 high schools in the state. Only Lyon County, Bullitt East, Knox Central showed more improvement.
* Lawrence County Schools will exit Persistently Low-Achieving status, pending the state review in the fall.
* Louisa East Elementary scored in the 78th percentile among elementary schools and received a PROFICIENT/HIGH PROGRESS SCHOOL rating.
* Louisa East Elementary had the 23rd highest gain when compared to the other 711 elementary schools in the state.
* Blaine Elementary School ranked in the 59th percentile when compared to other elementary schools in Kentucky.
* Blaine Middle School ranked in the 57th percentile and is classified as a Needs Improvement/Progressing (or Improving) school
* Fallsburg Middle School ranked in the 44th percentile when compared to other middle schools in Kentucky.
* Louisa Middle School ranked in the 42nd percentile and is classified as a Needs Improvement/Progressing (or Improving) school.
* Fallsburg Elementary ranked in the 30th percentile and is classified as a Needs Improvement/Progressing (or Improving) school.
As a special note, the Kentucky Department of Education “locked” the 2013 cut scores for rankings and for classification for a three-year time frame. All rankings and classifications for all schools across the state are based on these 2013 locked scores. Beginning in 2016, the state will increase the cut scores for schools to achieve proficient/distinguished status.
Finally, we are very proud of the hard work that our parents, staff members, and students across our district have given to make us a proficient district. As superintendent, I appreciate their drive to be ALL IN!
For more information, please visit the Kentucky Department of Education website to view School Report Cards for all schools and districts. http://education.ky.gov/Pages/default.aspx…” –Supt. Robbie Fletcher
State officials said the test scores were based on a variety of factors. The schools received final ratings based on students’ performances on tests that occurred in the spring along with such other factors as graduation rates.
This year, 704 schools and 120 districts were classified as performing at the highest levels of Proficient or Distinguished. More than 550 schools were classified as needing improvement. The number of persistently low-achieving schools, called Priority Schools, fell to 29 while the schools labeled Focus Schools because of large achievement gaps or low graduation rates climbed to 284.
Go to the bottom of the results (On wesite listed above) for further explanations of the categories.
