Every school ranked high for quality of school climate and safety
Henderson County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bob Lawson says the district’s scores from the most recent Kentucky Summative Assessment shows local public schools are on a “good trajectory.”
Lawson said the scores indicate a slow, steady growth and a district that continues to “improve our processes.”
Comparing this year’s scores, released from the Kentucky Department of Education last week, with last year’s, the district improved in reading and math, but fell across the board in social studies and writing.
This discrepancy, Lawson said, comes from a district-wide initiative in which math and reading have been emphasized since the COVID-19 pandemic because those subjects are base of all learning. Coming out of COVID, students were struggling and Lawson said the district had to take a step back and “put first things first.”
Lawson said the district focused on math and reading, including more resources and professional development.
“It’s all been by design, and that’s been at my direction,” he said.
Now that the district is at strong levels in math and reading, more attention will be shifted back to social studies, writing and science, Lawson said, while still keeping high expectations in math and reading.
Regarding scores, every level—elementary, middle and high school—tallied the same or higher results in math this year. Henderson County High School students who scored at or above grade level in math jumped 9 percentage points to 75% this year, according to the data sheet supplied by HCS. High school students who scored at “Proficient and Distinguished” in math moved from 35% last year to 48% this year.
Similarly, the high school’s reading scores also moved upward. Those who scored at or above grade level was 78%, an increase of 7%, and those who scored “Proficient and Distinguished” increased to 53%, up 8% over last year.
Additionally, according to HCS:
- 84% of elementary school students scored at or above grade level in reading, and 82% of elementary school students scored at or above grade level in math.
- 76% of middle school students scored at or above grade level in reading, and 78% of middle school students scored at or above grade level in math.
Of the decreases, those in high school social studies were the most dramatic, with those scoring at or above grade level at 58%, a 12% decrease compared to last year. High school “Proficient and Distinguished” scores in social studies were at 32%, an 11% decrease.
Another score with a big drop was the “Proficient and Distinguished” score for elementary social studies, which came in at 39%, a 14-percentage point decrease. Other scores for social studies and writing in the district fell, as well, but not as great as those mentioned.
Lawson said educators have done all that he’s asked with the focus on reading and math—education’s “bedrock”—and now the schools will build up from there.
Highlights include HCHS’s rankings in the state. In math and reading, the high school placed 21st out of 228 schools, a top 10% ranking. In postsecondary readiness, it was 19 of 228, a top 9% ranking.
Of schools with more than 1,700 students, HCHS ranked 4th in math, reading and overall ranking, and 2nd in postsecondary readiness.
Postsecondary readiness is an indicator that measures how well a school prepares students for life after high school graduation, whether it be continuing at a college or university or entering the workforce. HCHS scored a 97.1% in this category, up 3.3% from last year.
He said HCHS administrators and teachers have taken it to heart to offer each student a personalized pathway.
“People are working hard,” Lawson said. “They’re working together. Our community should be proud.”
Another piece of the summative rankings includes the quality of school climate and safety, of which every school in the district ranked as blue, the highest segment, said Lawson, adding he’s proudest of this designation.
He said that speaks to the safety at schools, which includes school resource officers, but also the relationships that are formed between students and faculty, staff and administration. He said students have an employee at schools that they feel comfortable talking to if they are having problems.
This result “shows they’re cared about,” Lawson said. “People know they’re safe.
“It’s important.”
This article was updated Thursday, Oct. 10 with additional information.