Trigg County Schools officials and corresponding site-based decision-making councils met in collaboration last week, to fully discuss and analyze the 2022 Kentucky Summative Assessment data released by the state’s Department of Education — and with mostly good news to share.
Karen Solise, director of curriculum, noted the new grading system includes color-coding and new cut scores and weights essentially based on bell curves, with two keys to keep in mind.
She added that the new mountains of data certainly serve a purpose, but require a great deal of effort at multiple levels for full understanding.
Speaking for Trigg Primary Schools, Assistant Principal Diana Banks cautioned that early testing is so much different than upper grades, with faculty and staff responsible for administering Brigance, STAR and Early Lit over the years.
Scores, particularly Brigance, “looked amazing” according to Banks, but there are some areas the school will focus on in the coming months.
Trigg Intermediate was placed in the “yellow,” or average, category — and sits in the targeted support and improvement federal classification for special education. Proficient-Distinguished scores bounced back in reading from 37.6% to 46% and from 23.7% to 38% in math, but saw drops in science from 32.8% to 28%, and in writing from 37.9% to 27%.
TCIS Principal Brian Futrell said science scores across the state were “concerning,” because of perceived inconsistencies.
Fifth grade teacher Michelle Calhoun also pointed out that the intermediate writing test can be a grab bag of prompts, and its preparation difficult.
Trigg Middle was also placed in the “yellow,” or average, category with a federal designation of targeted support and improvement. While science Proficient-Distinguished scores fell in science from 22.7% to 16%, TCMS remained steady in reading at 44% and saw noted gains in math from 18.8% to 41%, and writing from 44.8% to 57%.
TCMS Principal Amy Breckel said the jump in writing scores has been a school-wide effort.
Trigg High was placed in the “green,” or above average, category, with no federal classifications. Reading scores rebounded from 34.4% to 46%, as did math from 32.8% to 47%. Only 11% of students placed Proficient-Distinguished in 2022, and only 23% placed as such in science.
TCHS Principal Tim Bush said he was pleased to see reading and mathematics scores strong across the district, and that he was recently able to commiserate with local principals about the science score issues.
Bush added he’s seen considerable teaching effort throughout his halls.
The 2020 passing of Senate Bill 158 made “significant” changes to the state’s accountability system, requiring districts be described through performance-based quality indicators, while being evaluated on status and changes in positive, negative or static directions.
All school report cards are also made public, in order to further accountability and access.
Other low and high points included:
— Third and fifth grade reading and math scored above the state, as did fifth grade social studies, editing and writing mechanics.
— The intermediate school saw two tough questions cost them on a quality of school climate & safety survey: Is students being mean or hurtful to other students not a problem for this school? And is students being mean or hurtful to other students online (such as websites & apps) not a problem for this school?
— In the middle school, the same students who scored just 28.9% P/D in math as seventh graders, turned around and scored 53% P/D as eight graders.
— Trigg County High School’s career and collegiate readiness was rated “blue,” the second-best designation in the Commonwealth. It was the highest-ranked assessment in the district.
