© Clinton County News

In Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008 issue

The Clinton County School District as a whole performed very well last year, according to the recently released ‘No Child Left Behind’ yearly progress report for 2008. The district met 11 out of 11 goals overall, with two of the three schools matching all their goals last year.

Instructional Supervisor Paula Little briefly discussed the reports last week. A report is issued for the district, as well as for each of the three schools, which are graded in the fields of reading and math. Each ‘goal’ is broken down via different categories, such as those who received free or reduced lunch, or the number of students with disabilities.

A certain percentage of students per category has to score a proficient in testing to meet each school’s goals, as well as the district as a whole.

The percent goal of those needing to score proficient districtwide this past year was 53.04 in English and 39.68 in Mathematics. And, each school’s percentage goal is also different.

Once again, Albany Elementary School met ten of ten goals; Clinton County Middle School, which showed the most improvement and overall went 13 out of 13 in meeting its goals for the number of students scoring proficient, and Clinton County High School met nine out of ten goals overall.

Little noted the only area in which not enough percentage of students at CCHS met its goal was in students’ math, among students who receive free or reduced priced lunch. Not enough of those students scored proficient to attain the percent needed to reach that goal.

Little noted, as did Superintendent Mickey McFall earlier, that the current school year was somewhat crucial to the high school in so far as meeting all its goals for next year.

Under the federal NCLB act, “A school or district that does not make AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for two consecutive years in the same content area is considered a NCLB Improvement School (or District, if applicable).

A series of consequences, call Tiers, is required for each subsequent year the school or district does not make overall AYP. Tier 1 of consequences begins after two consecutive years of not making AYP in the same content area.”

Since this is only the first year CCHS did not meet its goals, it will need to this year to avoid becoming an Improvement School and falling into Tier 1 under the No Child Left Behind act.

Little noted last week that personnel have already began meeting to determine specific activities to improve scores for next year, not only at the high school, but in all schools. However, at CCHS, more targeted areas, primarily in the subject of math, will be implemented, including targeted, or individualized, intervention in helping students to improve their skills in the area of math.

At one time, Clinton County Middle School fell into the Tier 1 category when it failed to meet its goals two consecutive years, but, that has changed drastically over the past couple of years and Little commended the school, students and staff for the work they have done, not only to get out of being an Improvement School, but meeting or exceeding the set goals two years in a row.

The Instructional Supervisor noted that once a school or district drops into Tier 1 status, it is hard to pull back out. She noted that since the percent goal for each school in each subject area rises by about ten percent each year, schools not only have to bring scores back up, but go above that level to meet the following year’s baseline.

Little believes it was literally just a matter of one or two more students at CCHS scoring a proficient in math among those who receive free or reduce lunch to have met that final goal the school fell just short in obtaining.

Overall, the report revealed many more positives than negatives, considering that two of three schools met all goals, and combined proficiency scored in the district--counting all three schools--also met the NCLB criteria.

Little said that CATS scores, which is state testing done twice per year in all schools in Kentucky, would be released in early September. This will also help show how Clinton County schools is doing statewide in several academic and non-academic areas.

In recent years, all the schools have shown slight to moderate improvement in overall areas and the emphasis in most schools, especially the high school, is being placed on mathematics.

Results of the CATS scores from this past 2007-08 spring school year testing will be made public in a few weeks.