Fayette County elementaries drop one rating, middle and high schools improve test scores

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Fayette County elementaries drop one rating, middle and high schools improve test scores

25% of Kentucky schools see majority upper scores in math. But most are improving.

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Fayette County’s elementary schools have dropped from the state’s second-highest rating last year to the third-highest this year, according to data in Kentucky’s K-12 accountability system released Thursday.

Middle and high schools in Fayette County remained at the state’s third-highest level.

In Kentucky’s color-coded assessment for school performance during the 2023-2024 school year, districts receive indicator ratings that correspond to colors — red (the lowest), orange, yellow, green and blue. Several factors go into the indicator ranking, including test scores, school climate and safety and, for high schools, graduation rate and post-secondary readiness.

All three levels of schooling — elementary, middle and high — in Fayette County received a yellow rating.

Overall in Fayette County, 11 schools received blue ratings, 11 received green, 18 received yellow, 12 received orange, and four — all elementary schools — received red.

The schools that received the highest rating were: Stonewall Elementary, Wellington Elementary, Clays Mill Elementary, Cassidy Elementary, Maxwell Spanish Immersion Elementary, Ashland Elementary, Athens-Chilesberg Elementary, SCAPA at Bluegrass (elementary), Edythe Jones Hayes Middle School and SCAPA at Bluegrass (middle).

The schools that received the lowest rating were: Arlington Elementary, Harrison Elementary, Northern Elementary and Millcreek Elementary. Arlington received a red rating last year, too, while Millcreek and Harrison dropped from orange to red and Northern dropped all the way from yellow to red.

Clays Mill received the highest overall rating among Fayette County elementary schools, and Millcreek received the lowest. SCAPA at Bluegrass received the highest rating among middle schools, and Winburn received the lowest. Among high schools, Lafayette scored the highest, and Bryan Station scored the lowest.

Twenty-one of the district’s 38 elementary schools improved from last year their combined math and reading score indicator, which is driven largely by test scores. Middle and high schools saw better rates of improvement: Ten of the district’s 12 middle schools improved from last year, and four of the six high schools improved.

District officials touted in a statement Tuesday that for the first time since the new accountability system took effect in 2018, no schools in the district were flagged for low achievement among Black, Hispanic or economically disadvantaged students.

“This is a watershed moment for our district,” said Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins. “I could not be prouder of the incredible progress our schools have made thanks to the hard work and collaboration of our educators, students, families, and community.”

Twelve schools in the district were identified for Targeted Support and Intervention, which happens when scores for some specific groups of students fall below state benchmarks. The total number of groups needing improvement was 15. That number is down from 34 schools and 38 groups one year ago.

The student populations flagged as needing improvement this past school year were students receiving special education or English language services.

“We will not be satisfied until all of our students reach their highest potential, but (the) reduction in student groups identified for improvement is a significant milestone,” Liggins said.

There is still work ahead, Liggins said.

“We continue to see that some of our campuses with the highest concentration of poverty are not performing at the same level as others,” Liggins said. “While we have made progress in improving student achievement across racial groups, the decades old achievement gap still remains. We are committed to closing this gap by continuing to implement proven strategies and addressing the unique needs of every child.”

After taking the state’s standardized tests, each student is given a score of novice (the lowest), apprentice, proficient, or distinguished (the highest) in several subject.

District-wide in Fayette County, 52% of elementary school students scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 47% scored proficient or distinguished in math. A little less than one-quarter of students scored novice in reading, and 25% scored novice in math.

Among middle school students, 50% scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 43% scored proficient or distinguished in math. A little more than one-quarter of students scored novice in reading, and 31% scored novice in math.

And in high schools, half of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 37% scored proficient or distinguished in math. Meanwhile, 30% scored novice in reading, and 38% scored novice in math.

A Herald-Leader analysis also showed:

Elementary schools

Exactly half of the 38 elementary schools in Fayette County reported that at least 50% of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading.

The top-performing schools were:

1. Clays Mill, 81% of students proficient or distinguished
2. Athens-Chilesburg 80%
3. SCAPA at Bluegrass 78%
4. Rosa Parks 77%
5. Cassidy 74%

In math, 17 of the district’s 38 elementary schools, or about 44%, reported at least half of students testing proficient or distinguished.

The top-performing schools were:

1. Rosa Parks, 76% of students testing proficient or distinguished
2. Athens-Chilesburg 75%
3. Cassidy 74%
4. Wellington 73%
5. Clays Mill 70%

Three schools — Arlington, Booker T. Washington and Russell Cave — reported more than half of their students testing novice in math.

Clays Mill’s reading mark ranked 10th statewide among elementary schools, and Athens-Chilesburg’s ranked 11th.

Rosa Parks’ math mark ranked 12th.

Middle schools

At the middle school level in Fayette County, five of the district’s 12 schools reported that at least 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished in reading.

The top-performing schools were:

1. SCAPA at Bluegrass, 82% of students tested proficient or distinguished
2. Edythe Jones Hayes 70%
3. Morton 64%
4. Jessie M. Clark 59%
5. Beaumont 53%

Zero middle schools saw more than 50% of students test novice in reading. Lexington Traditional Magnet School saw significant increases from last year in combined reading and math indicators — only Crawford Middle School saw a bigger jump among middle schools in the district — but still had 46% of students testing novice.

In math, five of the district’s 12 middle schools reported that at least 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished.

The top-performing schools were:

1. SCAPA at Bluegrass, 78% of students tested proficient or distinguished
2. Edythe Jones Hayes 64%
3. Jessie M. Clark 64%
4. Morton 53%
5. Beaumont 50%

Lexington Traditional Magnet School reported that 50% of its students tested novice in math.

SCAPA at Bluegrass’s reading mark ranked second in the state among middle schools, and Edythe Jones Hayes ranked 10th.

High schools

High schoolers in Fayette County scored particularly well on reading assessments last school year.

Four of the district’s six schools reported at least half of their students tested proficient or distinguished in reading.

1. Lafayette, 63% of students tested proficient or distinguished
2. Henry Clay 56%
3. Frederick Douglass 54%
4. Paul Laurence Dunbar 52%
5. Tates Creek 41%
6. Bryan Station 39%

All high schools reported fewer than 40% of students tested novice in reading. At Tates Creek, 37% of students tested novice, and at Bryan Station that figure was 36%.

In math, Lafayette was the only school to report that at least 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished.

1. Lafayette, 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished
2. Paul Laurence Dunbar 46%
3. Henry Clay 42%
4. Frederick Douglass 37%
5. Tates Creek 30%
6. Bryan Station 24%

At Bryan Station, half of students tested novice in math.

Every high school in Fayette County either remained flat or improved their graduation rate from one year earlier. District-wide, it was up 1.9%.

District cites achievements

The school district statement noted that the jump in middle schoolers scoring proficient or distinguished — up three points in reading and seven points in math — were also seen for students from historically marginalized populations including black and Hispanic students, as well as students receiving English language or special education services, officials said.

Another area of significant improvement was for students receiving English language services, officials said.

Children classified as “English learners” take both the Kentucky Summative Assessment and an English language proficiency exam called ACCESS, which assesses their progress in listening, speaking, reading, and writing English.

Students must reach a certain level of profciency in each area before they can exit the English language program. Results from the 2022-23 school year resulted in 766 “exiting” the program after they met the state requirements for English language proficiency. That number rose to 970 students last spring, which is a 27% increase, district officials said.

Other areas of celebration, according to district officials, include:

● Attendance: From 91.25% in the 2021-22 school year, to 91.87% in the 2022-23 school year, and 92.4% in the 2023-24 school year.

● Graduation Rates: From 89.85% in the 2021-22 school year, to 90.75% in the 2022-23 school year, and 92.65% in the 2023-24 school year. Also notable is that all six of FCPS high schools increased their graduation rates in 2024.

● Climate and Culture: As part of the Kentucky Summative Assessment, students complete a survey to help measure school climate and culture. 86.9% of Fayette County schools had an increase in this area.

● Post-secondary Readiness: All six FCPS high schools posted gains in this category, district officials said.

Fayette County Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Houston Barber said the district would do several things to improve:, including having strategic plans of support at all lower performing campuses.

The district will have instructional coaching at all campuses and culturally responsive professional learning for linguistically diverse students. There will be specialized instruction based on data, support for English learners and students with disabilities and focus on academic rigor and resources.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct Millcreek Elementary and Northern Elementary’s rating from the 2022-2023 school year.

This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 12:01 AM.