Whitley Schools make the grade in recent No Child Left Behind report

Whitley County’s largest public school district was the only one to reach all its goals in the increasingly tougher No Child Left Behind federal accountability assessment, released by the Kentucky Department of Education Tuesday.

The county’s largest school district met all 13 of its target goals in reading and mathematics, one of only 22 school districts in the state to meet 100 percent of its goals, down from 60 districts a year ago.

"We are pleased that our KCCT results show an across the board increase in the number of students scoring proficient and distinguished. We are especially encouraged that we were able to show such an increase and meet AYP in a year when our teachers were transitioning to the new common core standards.  Times of transition are always challenging, but we feel we are well poised to meet these new challenges and we are excited about what the future holds for our students," said Deputy Superintendent Paula Trickett.

All 6 Whitley County elementary schools and the middle school met 100% of the target goals for AYP per NCLB in a year when only 42.6% of schools statewide did the same.  The high school failed to meet AYP for Mathematics even though the number of students at the proficient and distinguished level increased by almost 5%.

Whitley County High School saw an almost 3% increase in the graduation rate, which exceeds the state average.

The number of WCHS graduates deemed college and career ready by state standards almost doubled, increasing from 19% in 2010 to 35% in 2011.  According to Director of Instruction Doug Bennett, "Our student learning shows momentum in gains as reflected by our students’ 2011 EXPLORE average composite score of 15 – which surpasses the national average.  We expect this momentum to help support continued acceleration of the number of our students meeting the benchmarks for College and Career Readiness.

Over the past four years, the average composite ACT score for WCHS has increased by a whole point, doubling the state average increase for the same time period.

"I am very proud of our students, teachers and staff for the high level of learning reflected in our 2011 assessment results," said Superintendent Scott Paul. "The data we receive from these assessments is a snapshot of how our district is progressing and I think it clearly shows that we are on the right track.  We remain committed to providing the students of Whitley County with an education second to none."

At the Corbin Independent School District, it was a near miss this year. While administrators found much to like in the recent release of state KCCT assessments that show steady increases, and ACT scores that show Corbin in the top 17 in the state, it was NCLB mandates regarding proficiency of subpopulations of students that were the difference between making it or not.
As a district, Corbin failed to make adequate yearly progress in the number of students with disabilities who showed proficiency or higher in reading. Dave Cox, Director of Instruction for Corbin Schools, notes that students among that group made a 22 percent jump from last year, but still fell below the target of 76 percent.

"It’s a tough target and it is going up every year," Cox said, noting that next year the goal is 84 percent, 92 for 2013 and 100 by 2014. "We did show some improvement and we hope to show more next year."

Corbin Elementary School, Corbin Intermediate School and Corbin Middle School met all targets, individually this year. Corbin High School missed only one of its 10 targets – math for students who receive a free or reduced lunch. The goal was 69 percent proficiency. Only 40 percent made it among that subgroup of students.

Cox said the school district is working to close the gap by identifying students who are struggling and implementing "intervention programs" to help them. He said the schools trimester schedule will also be helpful because it offers more time to "build in remediation" for students who are having trouble with a particular subject like Algebra before they move on to Geometry.

"Our teachers are very cognizant of test scores now. They are becoming problem solvers," Cox said. "They are starting to get involved with some solutions to these issues, and, quite frankly, they have better ideas than we do."

Cox noted that overall, as a district, Corbin is making good steady progress. For instance, the number of students, overall, proficient in reading jumped from 75 to 85 percent. And math proficiency is up from 48 to 55 percent. He credits the use of research-based "Carnegie Match" curriculum along with a partnership with Eastern Kentucky University to improve rote memory of some mathematic principals as reason for the improvements. Currently, 64 percent of Corbin High School seniors are "college and career ready" according to recent ACT assessments.

The situation in Williamsburg nearly mirrors Corbin.

The district met nine of its 10 federally mandated targets, missing the mark in math with the subgroup of students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. The goal was 70 percent proficiency. Williamsburg checked in at 61 percent.

"Our scores over the course of time are continuing to show growth, but the expectation level with No Child Left Behind makes it almost impossible to sustain good success with the current support mechanisms in place when it comes to funding," said Loren Connell, Director of Instruction for the Williamsburg Independent School District. "At the end of the day, there’s not enough money to provide the support for the various demographic groups who need help. Our test scores just aren’t that bad. They just aren’t."

While Williamsburg Elementary and High School are technically separated as far as accountability for NCLB, it is almost statistically impossible for an individual school to be out of step with the district as a whole because of its size.

Connell said, like Corbin, Williamsburg offers supplemental services for students who are struggling with a subject. He also said there is an upcoming "paradigm shift" in the way subjects are taught, shifting the focus from more broad concepts to "mastery of very specific standards." He added teachers would have more flexibility within their own classroom to create groups of students and tailor the learning experience to the needs of individuals.

The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law January 2002 and requires states to provide information on schools and school districts progress toward proficiency by the year 2014. Every year in Kentucky, NCLB reports are released for schools and school districts using state assessment tests to determine if they make the grade. Students in grades 4 and 5, 7 and 8 and 10 and 11 are included in the report. Their progress in the areas of mathematics and reading are measured.