Thursday, January 27, 2000
Kentucky schools get grade reports
High schools doing better than others
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Kentucky's high schools are performing better than its elementary and middle schools on test scores, attendance and dropout rates, the state Department of Education announced Wednesday.
It is the first time in 10 years that high schools in the state outperformed the other schools.
The state released accountability scores — indexed numbers compiled from several other measures of schools' academic and nonacademic progress.
In Northern Kentucky, three Fort Thomas Schools led the region with results above 80. A perfect score would be 140, and all schools are aiming to reach 100 by 2014.
Educators consider any school performing above the state average to be doing well.
Twelve of Northern Kentucky's 20 high schools scored above the state high school average of 63.6. One of those was Boone County High, with a 72.
Principal Mike Sander said he stresses attendance, timeliness and good grades early in students' academic careers.
“A school is not a building; it's what goes on in each individual classroom,” Mr. Sander said.
The Fort Thomas Schools scoring at the top are: Johnson Elementary, 88.7; Highlands High School, 88.2; and Moyer Elementary, 80.7.
“This is not something we didn't expect. We already knew all of this,” said John Williamson, Fort Thomas' director of curriculum and instruction. “Now it's all combined into one number. We've been using the information to determine where we need to make improvements.”
The accountability results are the first in a two-year period accountability cycle. The fig ures give schools an indication of how well they need to perform on tests this spring to be eligible for financial rewards or assistance from the state.
Scores from the 2000 Kentucky Core Content Tests will be averaged with these accountability scores.
Those figures will then be compared with accountability results from the 1996-1998 cycle, which used the old Kentucky Instructional Results Information System (KIRIS) tests. In 1998, the legislature developed the new accountability testing system to replace KIRIS.
Changes between the two testing systems make it inappropriate to draw direct comparisons, said Robyn Oatley, spokeswoman for the Education Department.
“A school's performance on KIRIS and its performance on the Core Content tests can be used to determine its standing, just as a person's height and weight are used to determine how close one is to an average,” she said.
Schools' administrators and teachers have been trying to improve their scores since getting the preliminary results at the start of the school year.
In Fort Thomas, Mr. Williamson said the high school will put more emphasis on writing in all subjects. Lower grades will focus on the arts and humanities.
At Boone County High, Mr. Sander said partnerships with Square D Electric and Citibank help students see the importance of dedication and good grades. The companies sponsor academic awards at the school.
“Something I try to stress to the students is to have the school recognized as a great academic school, because all diplomas aren't equal,” Mr. Sander said. “If the school you graduate from is perceived by the public as a good academic school, that carries more weight.”
WHAT'S NEXT
At the end of the current two-year cycle, schools will be ranked in four levels:
• Meeting Goal: Meeting or exceeding predicted performance.
• Progress/Dropout Rate: Meeting or exceeding predicted performance but with a dropout rate at or above 8 percent.
• Progress: Below predicted performance and above assistance point.
• Assistance: At or below the point to qualify for state assistance.
Those in the top category may be eligible for rewards.
Those in the lowest category may be eligible for a scholastic audit review and state assistance. Those in the middle categories will not receive rewards or assistance.
Source: Kentucky Department of Education
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