Superintendent: Schools’ test scores show ‘extremely strong’ growth countywide

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio

Board member Damon Jackey gestures during a discussion of the K-PREP scores at Tuesday’s meeting of the Nelson County Schools Board of Education.

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014, 1 a.m. — Nelson County Schools Superintendent Anthony Orr and the board of education received a detailed briefing of the district’s recently released K-PREP scores — a briefing that left Orr smiling.

“Everywhere we look in the district we see good things happening,” Orr said after the meeting Tuesday evening.

“Extremely strong growth and NCHS, Foster Heights Elementary, Old Kentucky Home Middle School… Those three schools were among the fastest growing schools in the state academically … they were all in the top 15 percent in the state.”

For the first time, the school district received a proficient rating, with a district score above 70 percentile.

“That’s driven by the work that’s happening in each of the individual schools,” Orr said.

The district’s score benefited from several notable school performances, including Thomas Nelson High School, which earned a proficient rating for the second year in a row; Bloomfield Elementary School, which earned a proficient rating for the first time, and Boston, which earned proficient for both its elementary and middle schools.

“It’s an exciting time to be in Nelson County Schools,” he said.

When first looking at the data, Orr said he heard some mention that the results were due to groups of smart kids in some grades — a suggestion he rejected.

“When you see the kind of academic growth we’ve seen from the elementary schools all the way up to the high schools, that’s not just one group of bright kids coming through,” he said. “This is due to the concerted effort of the staff.”

The school board presents certificates of appreciation to Reece Grubbs and Chris Mattingly for their role in helping Horizons Academy students’ with a landscaping program.

There’s still room for improvement, which is another important aspect of what the K-PREP testing helps show.

“It’s not just the scores, but it really is the achievement of the kids, that’s what we’re after,” he said.

“These good scores are the result of our employees and staff of the Nelson County Schools,” board member Nicky Rapier told the board. “There’s plenty of work to day, but we’re all very proud of them.”

In other action, the board of education:

— approved applying for a $37,727 technology grant. The board will match the grant, which will be used for technology upgrades.

— approved grant applications from Boston, Cox’s Creek Elementary and Bloomfield Elementary for artists-in-residence programs at each school.

— approved grant applications totaling $205,000 that will pay salaries for five math teachers to help at the elementary school level to help students who are struggling in math

— listened to a presentation from the Old Kentucky Home Middle School leadership council and viewed a conflict resolution video produced by the council and members of the Student Technology Leadership Program.

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