Both Starkville School District and Oktibbeha County School District maintained their respective “C” district-level state accountability grades based on state testing for the 2013-2014 academic year, but OCSD would have dropped to a “D” without a statewide waiver for transitioning standards.
After previous adjustments, the formula that the Mississippi Department of Education uses to grade district and individual school performance was again changed for its latest accountability measurements. Specifically, a district’s ability to help its lowest-performing students meet growth goals significantly impacts its rating in the system, as the model counts the group twice.
Waivers were issued to all Mississippi schools because of the transition.
OCSD and SSD both matched their 2012-2013 academic rankings, but without this year’s waiver, OCSD would have earned a “D” letter grade in the new formula.
Factoring in waivers, all nine schools from OCSD and SSD maintained their respective 2012-2013 testing marks; however, East Oktibbeha County Elementary School (OCSD), Henderson Intermediate (SSD) and Ward-Stewart Elementary (SSD) all would have dropped a letter grade without the exemption.
OCSD’s West Oktibbeha County Elementary School again scored a “B” rating and earned the highest cumulative grade for any campus within the county. Its counterpart, EOCES earned a “C” with the waiver applied. Without the exemption, it would have earned a “D.”
Both East and West Oktibbeha County High School earned the lowest grades — “D” — out of the three city and county high schools.
The county school district’s four-year county graduation rate, which previously measured at 67.2 percent, dropped to a combined 61.4 percent, according to MDE’s statistics.
EOCHS, which previously held a 75.4-percent mark for four-year graduation rates, dropped to 59.3 percent, while WOCHS jumped from 58.9 percent to 64.4 percent.
SSD delivered upon a promise by administrators to increase its graduation rates, as Starkville High School’s four-year rate increased almost 10 points from 66.6 percent to 75.4 percent.
Ward-Stewart, SSD’s highest-graded school, maintained a “B” with the waiver, but it would have earned a “C” without the exemption. Henderson’s grade also drops from a “C” to a “D” without the pass, while SHS (“C”) and Armstrong Middle School (“D”) maintained their previous marks with and without waivers applied.
Both AMS and SHS fell just shy of improving their respective letter grades.
Sudduth Elementary, which did not receive a letter grade in previous years of testing, would have earned a “C” without the waver.
“I continue to be impressed with our teachers’ hard work and their students’ results in an ever-changing educational environment. There are areas identified where we need to increase efforts and re-align resources to provide additional support, and we have a plan to do that,” said SSD Superintendent Lewis Holloway in a release. “More importantly, what is happening in our classrooms every day is far greater than a single test score on a particular day. While the scores are important, they do not define our students or our teachers. SSD is committed to embracing the uniqueness of every child and nurturing his or her talents, even in those areas that are not tested, to help each one be successful.”
OCSD Conservator Margie Pulley applauded the students, teachers, administrators and parents involved with WOCES maintaining its high rating while acknowledging the district is still working to improve its overall graduation rates.
“We will continue to teach the curriculum, provide professional development for our staff and make sure students are at school every day. I think parents have bought into their children’s success, and we appreciate their efforts,” she said.
While state testing delivers some insight to how schools are functioning, administrators from both school districts agree they do not tell the system’s full story.
“There’s been a culture shift in this district over the past three years that doesn’t show up in these grades,” said SSD Assistant Superintendent Tori Holloway. “With the state having a moving target as far as standards, we’re fortunate to have (Measures of Academic Progress) testing that measures individual students’ growth from one year to the next. Our teachers and administrators are focused on each child, those students are doing what they need to do at home with their parents and they’re getting the access to technology they need to succeed. It takes everyone doing their parts, and that’s what we’re really starting to see here.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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