Thursday, September 30, 1999
N.Ky. schools at top, bottom on skills tests
Poverty, truancy can affect results
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Northern Kentucky is home to the state's best and worst scores in the latest round of school performance tests of basic skills.
An Enquirer analysis of test data released by the Kentucky Education Department on Wednesday found schools in the Fort Thomas, Beechwood and Walton-Verona districts performing at or near the top of all schools in reading, math and five other subjects tested by the state last April. Covington schools fell near the bottom.
The best: Highlands High School in Fort Thomas.
The worst: First District Elementary in Covington.
Highlands posted the highest overall score of any high school at 87. Outstanding for Highlands was its 110 math score.
First District's overall score of 33.4 made it dead last among elementary schools and placed it below the state elementary average of 59.5.
Reaching the ultimate goal of 100 will take time for most districts, said Gerald Bracey, an independent testing expert from Alexandria, Va. And schools that are fighting the realities of poverty, truancy and a lack of community support will find that those factors take a toll on testing performance, Mr. Bracey said.
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ABOUT THE TESTS<
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The Kentucky Core Content tests measure student ability in reading, math, science, social studies, arts and humanities, vocational skills and writing. Grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12 were tested.
Schools compete. The goal is to reach 100 by the year 2014. School performance is used to determine financial rewards.
The 1999 scores cannot be compared to scores from previous years because of testing changes.
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“What I always say is if all I have is a set of test scores, I know more about the socioeconomic status of the community than I do about the quality of education.”
Scores released Wednesday provide a snapshot of how well individual schools are educating students. A portion of scores released in August compared schools to a national average.
In December, the state will release final overall performance ratings that will include non-academic data such as drop-out rates and attendance.
At Fort Thomas' Highlands High, top scores are becoming routine. The school also had some of the highest scores on the 1998 exam.
Principal George Frakes said the secret is student incentives.
“Our students take an interest in taking the test, and that really isn't something that's innate,” Mr. Frakes said.
At Highlands, students are exempt from first semester exams in their senior year if they score high on the 11th-grade tests. If students earn the highest marks in writing, they are exempt from second semester exams.
The school's lowest score was in writing, yet it still ranked 17th in the state.
There were only 18 schools in the state to hit the 100 mark in at least one subject. Four of them were from Fort Thomas. At the other end of the spectrum, many schools posted overall scores at 40 or below.
Covington Schools fall into that group, a fact Superintendent James Kemp said is disappointing.
“Any time students do not perform as well as their peers, it is cause for worry, regardless of what factors may be at play,” Dr. Kemp said. “Students still have the right to and parents should still expect, that we can teach their children so they can compete at the state and national level and in the world economy.”
Low scores at Covington's First District Elementary are a continuing issue, and one that educators are aggressively attacking with new programs. There is renewed emphasis on reading, and First District is receiving extra support from the Education Department and district offices.
The district is battling poverty, a geographically scattered student population, poor attendance and other obstacles.
“While the students certainly did not perform up to expectations, we have studied the matter and we are going to find specific resolutions so that each student may be recovered and will learn at expected levels,” Dr. Kemp said.
Smaller schools tend to do better.
Beechwood and Walton Verona schools performed well in nearly every category.
Walton Verona High hit 75.70 in writing, second best in the state.
Principal Gene Kirchner said students know the scores reflect on their schools and communities. Being in a school of 460 students means students have more access to teachers and services, he said.
The close-knit setting at Beechwood nets the same result, Superintendent Fred Bassett said. Beechwood High — with 454 students — was fourth in the state in writing and fifth in reading.
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