Whitley County Schools make huge leap in state assessment scores

An overall look at the “Unbridled Learning” state school accountability results for the 2012-13 school year turned out very favorable for the Whitley County School District, moving it in a single year from a middle-of-the-road district to being rated one of the best in Kentucky.

The district overall improved an impressive 5.7 points over last year, up 61.5 from 55.8, and moving from the category of a district that “needs improvement” to one that is “proficient” and progressing.

And it was the only district in the tri-county area that met all three “delivery” targets set for it — Annual Measurable Objective (AMO), Participation Rate and Graduation Rate.

“While we are certainly not where we want to be, we are encouraged by the gains we have seen district-wide.  It tells us that our instructional staff, both at the district and school-level, are on the right track,” said Scott Paul, Superintendent of the Whitley County School District.

Whitley administrators are pointing to positive gains at Whitley County High School as the cause for most celebration.

Last year, the school scored 51.6, putting it in the 34th percentile … a source of disappointment for just about everyone involved in the district. This year, it scored 64.7, and jumped into the 90th percentile. The Department of Education labeled it a “Distinguished/Progressing” high school, one of only 15 high-performing schools in the state for the testing cycle.

“Obviously everyone was disappointed in last year’s high school score.  We knew our students were capable of so much more than the scores indicated and we also knew that we had an outstanding high school faculty,” said Paula Trickett, Deputy Superintendent for the Whitley County School District. “The Unbridled Learning model represents substantial changes to core content, assessment and accountability.  Everyone knows it takes longer to turn a large boat than it does a small one and I think that’s what we are seeing here.  We are now realizing the effects of some large scale changes implemented at the high school in response to the mandates of Unbridled Learning.”

While only 46.9 percent of the 2012 graduating class were deemed college/career ready, 63.8 percent of the 2013 graduating class earned this distinction.  This number far exceeds the state average of 54.1 percent. 

Trickett praised school administrators and faculty for the increases.

The school also saw increases in ACT scores, going from an average of 18.0 to 19.1.

As far as other schools in the district:

• Boston Elementary scored 56.9, up from 50.0, putting it in the 47 percentile. Last year it was in the 23rd percentile. It was rated as “needs improving.”

• Oak Grove Elementary dropped to 59.8 from 62.1, going from the 68 percentile to 58. It was classified as “needs improving.”

• Pleasant View Elementary’s overall score dropped a point from 58.0 to 57.0; from the 52 percentile to 47. It is labeled as “needs improvement.”

• Whitley Central Intermediate moved up to 69.5 from 65.1 a year ago, going from the 79 percentile to 89. It was labeled as “proficient/progressing.”

• Whitley East Elementary saw a slight drop from 72.1 to a score of 70.2 this time around, and from a lofty perch in the 94th percentile to 90. It was rated as a “distinguished” school. It missed being named a “high performing school” by a small margin.

• Whitley Middle School jumped from 54.7 to 58.1 this year, moving it to the 67 percentile from 52. It is labeled as “needs improvement/progressing.”

• Whitley North Elementary dropped to 56.6 from 58.4 a year ago, going from the 54 percentile to 45. It was classified as “needs improvement.”

“As a large, rural, high poverty school district we have much to be proud of, but we also still have much work to accomplish. Our district instructional leadership and our principals and teachers are already analyzing the data and developing school plans to address our deficiencies and weaknesses,” Trickett said. “The ultimate goal is for each student who graduates to be ready for that next step whether it is further education or the job market. Our job is to make sure that happens.”