by Matt Hughes
J-E News Editor
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released the results of this year’s Unbridled Learning Assessment tests on Friday, naming Webster County as a district that “Needs Improvement.”
“The overall score for Webster County Schools is a 53.7 with a percentile rank of 42,” said Kim Saalwaechter, Supervisor of Assessment & Accountability for Webster County. “The Needs Improvement Category means our scores fell outside of Proficient or Distinguished categories and did not meet the Annual Measurable Objective (AMO)”
During the first year of this testing, in 2012, Webster Scored an overall rating of 54.8.
Of the five schools in the district, the only one to be considered progressing is Sebree Elementary. Sebree scored 58.2 overall, landing it in the 52nd percentile statewide.
The other elementary schools did not fair so well. Clay was next in line with a 52.1, good enough only for the 29th percentile. Dixon (47.3) was in the bottom 15th percentile and Providence’s 45.5 placed it in the bottom 10.
As for the middle schools, it was Clay that led the way, earning a stellar 70.1 and landing in the top 97th percentile in the state. That score also earned the school a Distinguished/ Progressing rating and the label of a School of Distinction.
Webster County High School scored 55.0, landing in the 54th percentile with a Need Improvement rating from the state.
“We wish that there had been a significant improvement in all areas,” said Saalwaechter. “The district realizes the urgency to become a Proficient or Distinguished District and the work has begun to see those results. District and School administrators have met to develop a strategic plan for improvement that will impact the instructional process.”
At the state level, the KDE reports slow but steady growth.
“The statewide data clearly show we are making progress, though slower than we would like,” said Kentucky Education Commissioner Terry Holliday. “We’ve raised expectations and aligned them with what students need to be successful; we are moving in the right direction toward the goal of providing a world-class education for every Kentucky student and ensuring all children graduate college/career-ready.”
Overall student performance showed improvement from 2012 with the percentage of proficient and distinguished students increasing in nearly every subject at every grade level; students in groups that have historically had achievement gaps are also performing at a higher level.
Since Senate Bill 1 passed in 2009, the state has focused on better preparing students for life after high school. In 2013, the college/career-readiness rate jumped to 54.1 percent – up from 34 percent in 2010.
“In just three years we’ve gone from only a third of our students being ready for college and career to more than half,” Holliday said. “That’s around 8,000 students who now have a much better shot at getting a good job, paying taxes and becoming self-sufficient Kentuckians.”
Other scores:
Henderson County Overall ~ 60.3 (83rd percentile)
•Henderson County High School ~ 65.2 points
Union County Overall ~ 55.8 (54th percentile)
•Union County High School ~ 55.2 points
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