Even with difficult year, state finds things to smile about in school report cards

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released annual School Report Card data on Sept. 29, as required by statute and under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

And while state and local officials previously warned the numbers weren’t going to be good coming out of the COVID pandemic, they vowed to build on isolated successes and to use the lessons learned to go forward.

Assessments were administered to Kentucky students during the spring of 2021, which was required by the U.S. Department of Education (USED). This is one strategy to better understand how students who tested performed academically amid a variety of COVID-19 learning disruptions.

USED gave states flexibilities during the administration of assessments, such as expanded testing windows and shortened assessments.

“We knew these results would not be what we wanted to see, but the previous two school years saw extreme challenges,” said Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass. “We can use this information to address the gaps caused by COVID-19 disruptions and provide our students with the supports they need to be successful. This is one of a variety of tools our districts use on a regular basis to gauge where our students are.”

In a lengthy statement, Fayette County Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins offered a similar analysis.

“It is well documented that the COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruption to our families, schools, and the educational attainment of our students. The results from state and national tests taken by some of our students last spring and made public just after midnight today by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) again underscore this conclusion,” Liggins said.

“However, the scores do not give us a lot of information beyond highlighting some of the concerns we’ve already known from previous data. We are always hesitant to put a heavy emphasis on any one test on any one day, but even more so this year due to the circumstances surrounding the assessment.

Not only were students tested just weeks after returning to in-person learning on the heels of nearly a year at home, but they also took a newly written test, covering different standards that was administered on a computer for the first time. Additionally, the test was not required, so participation rates were significantly lower than previous years. Roughly 15 percent of elementary students, about a quarter of middle schoolers, and nearly 40 percent of high school students did not take the tests.

“Despite these barriers, we are pleased to note that on average, students in FCPS out-performed the state average in every subject area at the elementary, middle and high school level on the new Kentucky Summative Assessment, as well as the ACT – a college entrance test used to gauge college readiness. Achievement disparities between students of different races, family income levels, home languages, and individual educational needs remain a source of significant concern,” Liggins noted.

“In addition to the academic offerings during our Summer Ignite program, since returning to school this fall, every student has been assessed to see where they are and what supports they need to master grade-level content. Teachers have developed instructional plans for each student based on individual strengths and areas of growth and are regularly monitoring their progress throughout the school year,” he continued, noting millions in federal money has been divided among Fayette schools to develop a customized plan to ensure students are receiving more individual instructional time and attention.

“We know our students learn best when they attend school in-person and we are committed to keeping our students on campus as much as possible this school year. The pandemic continues to present operational challenges, but we will not allow COVID-19 to keep us from finding creative and innovative ways to impact student outcomes,” Liggins explained.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic affected many aspects of education in the 2020-2021 school year, KDE applied for and received a waiver from federal accountability. Therefore, school accountability indicators and ratings are not part of the 2020-2021 reporting.

Since no data was reported for assessment and accountability in the 2019-2020 school year, certain trends and comparisons are not reported in the School Report Card (school report Media Briefing Packet State Release 2021).

Kentucky’s School Report Card is divided into Key Topic Areas. Highlights include:

Academic Performance/Assessment Results
Kentucky administers state tests called the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), previously called the Kentucky Performance Rating for Educational Progress (K-PREP). The tests were developed by Kentucky teachers and align with the Kentucky Academic Standards. Spring 2021 testing, for the first time, was based on all new standards.
Due to COVID-19, students faced learning disruptions, changes in the opportunities to learn, lower participation rates and a shortened assessment in 2021. Because of these challenges, you cannot make direct comparisons of assessment data from prior years.
In spring 2021, more than 329,000 students were tested. The overall participation rate for each content area per grade span is listed in the table below.
Student Participation Rate Percentage – Spring 2021

Despite extremely challenging circumstances, assessment results show that at every grade level, many participating students still performed at a proficient/distinguished level in most subjects.
Spring 2021 Elementary Performance Levels Percentage for All Students

Spring 2021 Middle School Performance Levels Percentage for All Students

Spring 2021 High School Performance Levels Percentage for All Students

 
All Kentucky public school juniors participate in the ACT, which tests students in English, mathematics, reading and science and is scored on a scale of 1 to 36. Caution should be used when interpreting trends since 2019 due to the impact COVID-19 had on instruction.

ACT Subject Area Scores Kentucky Public School Juniors 

While there was a slight decrease in the overall graduation rate, Kentucky saw a slight increase in the graduation rate among African American students.
“It is good to see this improvement in the graduation rate among Kentucky’s African American students,” said Thomas Woods-Tucker, KDE deputy commissioner and chief equity officer. “KDE is dedicated to closing more gaps among student groups by helping districts use evidence-based strategies to increase equity.”

2021 4-Year Graduation Rate Disaggregated by Student Group

 All assessment result data, including result data broken down by test subject and student demographic, can be viewed in the 2020-2021 Kentucky School Report Card.

Opportunity to Learn Survey
All students in tested grades participate in the Quality of School Climate and Safety survey, one form given to grades 3 through 5 and another form given to grades 6 through high school. An Opportunity to Learn survey was added for the 2020-2021 school year, which contains seven survey items on each form. The survey was designed to capture students’ perceptions of their educational circumstances during the 2020-2021 school year.
The results from the Opportunity to Learn survey show evidence that despite the unfortunate circumstances created by COVID-19, most students viewed their virtual learning as a positive experience. Due to the extraordinary efforts Kentucky’s teachers and district staff, overall, Kentucky’s students felt supported throughout the school year.
In one survey item, students were asked if they agree or disagree with the statement: “When my school building was closed because of COVID-19, I was able to work with my teacher and classmates online.” Of the students answering the survey, 90.2% of elementary students, 80.5% of middle school students and 77.6% of high school students said they either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

Question: “When my school building was closed because of COVID-19, I was able to work with my teacher and classmates online.” 

Another survey item asked students to agree or disagree with the statement: “My teachers were available when I needed help (such as through virtual office hours, email, chat).” Of the students answering the survey, 91.5% of elementary students, 87.7% of middle school students and 84.1% of high school students said they either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

Question: “My teachers were available when I needed help (such as through virtual office hours, email, chat).” 

Another survey item asked students to agree or disagree with the statement: “My schoolwork helped me learn new things this year.” Of the students answering the survey, 95.1% of elementary students, 80% of middle school students and 61.8% of high school students said they either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

Question: “My schoolwork helped me learn new things this year.”

The Quality of School Climate and Safety survey items, including all Opportunity to Learn survey items, can be found on Open House under the Learning Environment tab.

New to SRC
Kentucky’s School Report Card also contain several new sets of data.

The Advanced Coursework section now includes participation rates of students enrolled in advanced placement (AP) courses. Currently 27% of students are participating in AP courses.

Another new feature on the School Report Card allows data sets to be downloaded at the data level, as well as be conveniently located in one place on the dataset page.

The Transition to Adult Life section now includes information on the number of students that transitioned from a Kentucky public school to an in-state postsecondary institution.

This information can be found under the Transition to In-State Postsecondary Education tab.