Schools’ growth is exemplary

By JANIE SLAVEN<br>Record Staff Writer

October 08, 2008 03:15 pm

— STEARNS — McCreary County Board of Education heard a presentation of the district's recently released Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) data during their September 25 regular meeting.
Ted Cash, supervisor of Instruction-/Professional Development Coordinator, noted that while the district fell just short of its 80.2 goal for the 2006-08 biennium, the 78.7 Combined Index score was good enough to classify the school system as one of "Exemplary Growth."
"All of our schools are progressing toward or exceeding their goals," Cash said, calling 2010's 86.7 goal attainable. "As a district, we look good."
As for individual schools, Cash delivered the bad news first. McCreary Central High School's 70.7 Combined Index was well below its 79.2 goal (and is among the bottom 30 high schools statewide) but with scores continuing to increase, the school is progressing. However, the school needs a 15-point net gain to reach their 85.9 in 2010. Cash said that the addition of Tim Moore as a Supervisor of Instruction for high school level
coursework should help but there is “some work to do.”
The same can be said for McCreary County Middle School, with its 75.2 Combined Index falling nearly three points short of its 78.1 goal and leaving the school in need of a 10-point gain to reach 85.3 by 2010. Cash noted that the middle school’s increases were enough to earn the
Progressing label and also emphasized that MCMS is on its way out of Tier 1 consequences (part of federal No Child Left Behind accountability system).
Cash moved on to the elementary schools with which district officials continue to be “really tickled.” Both Whitley City Elementary and Pine Knot
Intermediate (paired with Pine Knot Primary) schools have already exceeded their 2010 goals with respective combined indices of 91.7 and 88.6.
“Our goal for the next biennium is 100, which is our 2014 goal,” Cash said. “They [the staff] are really locked in and focused on the individual needs of the kids.”
Board member Michele Tucker questioned the discrepancy between the performances of the secondary and primary students to which Cash
responded that he didn’t know.
“It’s a trend across the state,” he said. “We have the best kids academically that we’ve ever had but we see a drop when we send them on [to the middle and high schools]. It’s something we’re trying to address.”
Renee Holloway, Supervisor of Instruction, noted that keeping sixth-graders at the elementary level has really helped close the gap in reading scores, and now the district is taking a closer look at math.
Assistant Superintendent Aaron Anderson also noted that parent participation may also affect scores.
Other presentations included Supt. Arthur D. Wright recognizing the McCreary Central High School FFA students who placed at the state forestry
competition as well as students earning certificates in the district's Reward Program.

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