Elementary schools Cairo, Niagara and Spottsville also ranked blue
Local school officials were impressed with several pieces of data of Kentucky Summative Assessment results released Wednesday, but what stood out was the results of Henderson County High School, which moved into the highest rated category—the “blue” category—in the state for the first time.
Henderson County Schools officials say it’s not a one-year achievement, but instead a calculated effort that has taken years to accomplish.
“They’ve been progressing this way over a good number of years,” said Superintendent Dr. Bob Lawson.
Chad Thompson, the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for secondary education and also former HCHS principal, said high school administrators and faculty have spent a lot of time reviewing systems, processes and procedures and then making changes to them to make them last.
HCHS Principal Amber Thomas, in an email to the Hendersonian, said, “This success has been years in the making, and at its core is the relentless commitment of our teachers, staff, and leadership to do what is best for students.”
Thomas said that a big part of the high school’s growth started five years ago, when high school administrators, faculty and staff began studying what other high-performing schools were doing and then “worked to redesign our own systems.”
Some of the changes were to organize schedules so that teacher teams have common planning time for embedded professional learning and expanded MAP Growth testing for 9th and 10th grades so there was a better understanding of student needs. Curriculum in English, math, science and social studies was redesigned, blending rigorous content with strong literacy skills, she said.
Finally, the principal said the school strengthened its approach to postsecondary readiness “so that every student leaves HCHS with a plan for life after graduation—college, career, or both.”
“None of this happened overnight,” Thomas said, adding it took dedication from teachers and instruction leaders.
“Through it all, our teachers remained focused on one guiding question: What is best for student learning?”
In addition to the overall blue rating, HCHS also scored a blue in the quality of school climate assessment in which students rate the school. Basically, this means students enjoy attending the school, there are adults in the school who care and who students can talk to, and teachers set expectations and push students.
HCHS scored third in the state in overall ranking, math scores and reading scores, according to information on the school’s Facebook page. And the school ranked blue in postsecondary readiness, math, reading, science, social studies and writing, according to the HCHS Facebook page.
“It’s a special time for our high school,” Lawson said.
Some of the statistics shared by Henderson County Schools include:
In elementary schools, 84% of students scored at or above grade level in reading, and 82% of students scored at or above grade level in math. The reading and math tests were taken by 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.
In the middle schools, 75% of students scored at or above grade level in reading, and 76% of students scored at or above grade level in math. The reading and math tests were taken by 6th, 7th and 8th graders.
In the high school, 81% of students scored at or above grade level in reading, and 78% of students scored at or above grade level in math. The reading and math tests were taken by 10th graders.
Additionally, the KSA rated each school in the system based on the test scores that were taken last spring. As mentioned above, HCHS was rated “blue,” the highest performance. Green is a step below highest. Yellow is the middle category. Orange is the second-to-last. Red is the lowest performance.
Lawson noted that Cairo, Niagara and Spottsville were all rated blue, while Bend Gate and Jefferson made “nice jumps.”
Schools’ ratings from the district include:
A.B. Chandler: Yellow
Bend Gate: Green
Cairo: Blue
East Heights: Green
Jefferson: Green
Niagara: Blue
South Heights: Yellow
Spottsville: Blue
North Middle: Yellow
South Middle: Green
Central Academy: Does not have a performance rating.
Thelma B. Johnson Early Learning Center: Does not have a performance rating.
