State accountability data had its embargo lifted across the Commonwealth early Thursday morning, and Christian County Public Schools officials have joined in many administrators already chewing on the positive and negative trends provided by the Kentucky Department of Education.
Among the high marks for CCPS:
+ It’s the second consecutive year in which no schools in the district were deemed for comprehensive school improvement. Furthermore, the number of targeted school improvement designations again reduced.
+ Novice scores fell, and proficient/distinguished increased, in mathematics for all grade levels — with P/D up 3% to 42% in kindergarten through fifth, 4% to 34% in sixth through eighth, and up 4% to 27% in secondary education.
+ Demographically, African American and Hispanic students had fewer novices, and a higher percentage of P/D scores than the state average. This was also true at all grade levels for reading and mathematics.
+ With red being “lowest performance” and blue being “highest” performance, the district’s elementary schools assessment remained in the yellow, middle remained in the orange, and high stayed at yellow. QSC Survey Data, which notates student opinions about their learning experiences, came back green for the entire district.
+ With a 78.2, Crofton Elementary had the highest overall index in the district. Sinking Fork Elementary showed the most improvement in overall index.
+ Hopkinsville High School was within one point from green status.
Among the needs for improvement:
+ Students with disabilities will continue to be a driven focus in the 2024-25 school year, and beyond. HHS had its targeted school improvement designation removed for this group, but other schools earned the tag this year as a point of maintenance.
+ A negligible number of students across the state, less than 1%, received a distinguished rating in science assessments last year, and CCPS was no exception. Superintendent Chris Bentzel, Assistant Superintendent Jessica Addison and District Assessment Coordinator Zachary Hibbs agreed this continues to be the district’s “most challenging area.”
+ And Freedom Elementary slipped from orange designation to slightly in the red, but did not earn CSI classification. Addison and Bentzel both agreed this effort continues to be a work in progress, but that significant positive changes have been well observed not only in this academic calendar, but in the two previous.
Bentzel said this data came with no cause for overt celebration, but also no cause for major concerns.
Though it doesn’t provide a major weight in final summative determinations, CCPS administrators do find themselves well pleased with survey data coming back so favorably. Average daily attendance was strong last year, and at 95% is off to an even better start in 2024-25.
So why is attendance up? Are kids enjoying school again? Addison and Bentzel have theories.
Up until the last 24 months, CCPS had at least one CSI or “priority school” within its ranks for more than two decades.
More information: https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2024/10/kde-releases-2023-2024-accountability-and-assessment-data/#:~:text=Using%20data%20from%20the%202023-2024%20school%20year,%20Kentucky%E2%80%99s%20accountability%20system
