State Testing Results: Edmonson Schools Show Improvement

Kyrock, South Edmonson Show Success

Edmonson Voice Report:
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released assessment results for the 2023 Kentucky Summative Assessment on October 31, 2023. This year’s results are based on the state’s revised accountability system.

“This year’s data release has significant changes from last year’s accountability model," said Carol Stice, District Assessment Coordinator for Edmonson County Schools. "We continue to see a color-coded rating system that ranges from red (very low) to blue (very high), but now we have added in a “change” score that looks at each indicator score and whether it increased or decreased from the year before. That change number is either added to or subtracted from the current year’s score to give the overall indicator score.”

Elementary and middle schools were scored in the areas of Reading and Math (grades 3-8), Science (grades 4, 7), Social Studies and Writing (grades 5, 8), and Quality of School Climate and Safety (grades 3-8). High schools were scored in the areas of Reading and Math (grade 10), Science, Social Studies, and Writing (grade 11), Quality of School Climate and Safety (grades 10 and 11), Post-Secondary Readiness (grade 12), and Graduation Rate. Schools and districts were also scored on English Language Proficiency, however, the ECSD does not have a high enough student population for public reporting.

The tables below show each school’s results for each indicator and their overall scores and rank. Scores are listed for all students that were accountable to the school.

Brian Alexander, Superintendent of Edmonson County Schools, said, “Overall we are pleased with the test scores we received from the state. Every school was at least at the yellow indicator and no school was classified as low-performing. We are happy to report that we saw growth across our district and know that the sky is the limit for our schools. I know our teachers and students worked very hard to see all of this come to pass and we are very happy with the increases we’ve seen.”

Among the successes noted in this year’s data release are those seen at Kyrock and South Edmonson. Alexander stated, “There were 128 elementary schools out of 719 in Kentucky that scored Blue/Very High. We have two of those schools in our district. When we looked at that further, Kyrock ranked 11th out of 719 overall and 1st among the 126 elementary schools in the GRREC (Green River Regional Educational Cooperative) region. Additionally, we saw gains at South Edmonson Elementary and are thrilled that they have reached the blue performance rating. They are 91st among 719 elementary schools in Kentucky and 9th in the GRREC region. Also, two of our schools in the “Medium” category were less than two points from a “High” designation.”

Mr. Alexander also explained that while there were many positives to be found in the data, plans are already being developed to improve accountability across the district. “We have had these scores for a couple of weeks, but this is the first day that we have been allowed to share them. Now that we have a better understanding of this revised accountability system, I am confident we will improve on this new rating scale. We already have a plan in place for improvement that we feel will make our scores even better when we see them next year. Our Board, our administration and our teachers are all committed to continuing to make Edmonson County Schools a great place to learn. While we have work ahead of us, Edmonson County has a lot to be proud of. We want to thank all of the community stakeholders that make an effort day in and day out to support our schools and make each of our schools a great place to learn. When kids and staff know they are valued on a daily basis it shows up in test results. ”

For more detailed information on the release of state assessment results, you may access the Kentucky School Report Card.