Denial continues in Jefferson County schools

Schools tagged for low performance make silly excuses the data don’t support

Among the 19 new Persistently Low-Performing Schools named a few days ago by the Kentucky Department of Education, five come from the troubled Jefferson County Public School System. This table shows how they performed for reading and math averaged together in 2010 and 2011.

JeffCo 2011 PLAs

Notes to Table: Test results are averaged from the “all student” scores for each school by Innes from the scores reported in the Kentucky Department of Education’s “Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) Combined Reading and Mathematics Gap to Goal Comparison Report, District Excel Spreadsheet.”

Because the data above is based on the inflated Kentucky Core Content Tests (KCCT), I also assembled data on combined reading and math performance from the EXPLORE testing from the ACT, Incorporated. This is a much more credible test which is well aligned to what students need for success in college and careers. Here is how these five schools performed between 2010 and 2011 on EXPLORE.

JeffCo PLAs EXPLORE Results 2010 and 2011

Notes to Table: This data assembled from the 2011 EXPLORE Excel spreadsheet from the Kentucky Department of Education (note: updates to data may have been made after I downloaded the report). Some round-off error of 0.1 point may also be present.

Clearly, whether we look at EXPLORE or KCCT, performance in these schools is terrible. Worse, the trend in most cases is declining.

BUT, leaders in these schools just don’t get it.

Principals in some of these schools simply won’t admit they are failing, as comments in this October 19, 2011 Courier-Journal article sadly attest.

For example, the Courier says that Westport Middle’s principal, Staci Eddleman, said in a letter to her school’s parents that:

“This label imposed on us by the state does not change anything about the gains in test scores and improvements in student involvement and performance we are seeing.”

Well, pardon me, but the combined average math and reading scores for this school DROPPED between 2010 and 2011 on both the KCCT and the EXPLORE, rather dramatically (a 9 point drop) on EXPLORE. That sure isn’t an overall gain in test scores in the two most critical subjects of all.

Westport’s overall average math and reading KCCT proficiency rate in 2011 of just 40.68 percent is way below the overall state average rate of 69 percent shown in the “Kentucky Core Content Test (KCCT) Combined Reading and Mathematics Gap to Goal Comparison Report, District Excel Spreadsheet.”

The school’s EXPLORE benchmark performance in 2011 is way below state averages, as well (Statewide averages: Math – 32.2% and reading – 39.3%).How about comments from Thomas Jefferson Middle School’s principal, Kimberly Gregory? The Courier says she said the:

“Persistently low-achieving” label is tough on her teachers and staff members, but it’s particularly hurtful to her students. ‘It’s unfortunate we even have such labels, because they do damage to the kids that come to our school.’”

Well, pardon me again, but when the school’s already dismal math and reading KCCT proficiency rate from 2010 deteriorates by another 5.6 points in 2011, and when the dismally low EXPLORE results tumble another 8.4 points in the same time frame, I think labels are the least of the students’ problems. This school is doing a terrible job.

Excuses from the educators in these schools are, pardon me, inexcusable.

Now, there is also some good news in the Persistently Low-Achieving arena, and I’ll cover that tomorrow.