Districts that "need improvement" ready to grow - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

SHEPHERDSVILLE, KY (WAVE) – There is a new standard for ranking Kentucky's schools and Friday for the first time we learned how well districts in our area are doing.

A few were ranked proficient, while three; Oldham, Meade and Anchorage Independent received distinguished classifications. Most though, need improvement, including Bullitt and Jefferson County.

Bullitt County's Superintendent Keith Davis said they are very pleased.

Overall, Bullitt County Schools ranked in the 51st percentile, up for last year. Seven elementary schools and one middle school, Eastside ranked proficient under the new Common Core Standards.

Cedar Grove Elementary principal Andy Moberly is proud of his school's ranking as 84th percentile. He said everyone in his building is ready to take that number to the top. "What we really have to focus on is making sure our students grow each and every year."

Even Moberly's students know where they need to get better. For Hailey Watson, the science section was the most difficult. "There were some terms and questions that were worded differently than the way we learned them."

For her classmate Adam Johnson, the time constraints on the tests were the hardest to overcome, "The time. I couldn't get it in all the time."

Teaching students the best way to take timed test is a focus Moberly said his staff is going to take on. "That was something very new to us this year, making sure when students take on demand writing that they take 30 minutes."

Davis said focusing on the individual needs of students like Johnson and Watson is what will help them get better scores in the future. "We need to know where each student stands all the time."

Knowing where a student stands is the advice Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens is also telling parents, "Parents should look at how your student is doing. Just because the school is in the needs improvement category doesn't mean my child isn't distinguished or proficient."

Overall, JCPS is ranked in the 29th percentile with 15 out of 150 schools getting a distinguished classification.

Having the highest classification of distinguished is a marker every school in the state is now working towards. From the students in Jefferson County to those at Cedar Grove, their teachers and administrators are confident it will happen.

Individual results for each student across the state will be mailed home so parents will know how their child is ranked. Click here for specific numbers from your district.

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