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State test scores were the agenda item of the evening at the most recent meeting of the Clark County Public Schools (CCPS) Board of Education meeting.

District officials briefed the board on how its students performed during a lengthy presentation during last Tuesday’s meeting.

CCPS Assessment Coordinator, Dr. Lindsay Hale, summarized the district’s report card.

A school district is rated on a color-coded scale that ranges from red (lowest), to orange, to yellow, to green and then to blue (highest). The ratings comprise of a combination of weighted factors, including test scores, graduation rates and student survey data.

“Each of our elementary and middle schools scored a yellow. Without getting to deep in the weeds, clearly, that is middle of the road. Our high school was orange,” Hale said.

The district’s four elementary schools – Conkwright, Justice, Shearer and Strode Station Elementary schools – received a cumulative yellow rating in reading and math, a hold from the previous school year. Its middle schools – Baker Intermediate and Campbell Junior High – increased their scores to receive a green rating. The high school – which includes George Rogers Clark and The Phoenix Academy – saw a decline in its score and received an orange rating.

All district schools maintained or saw an increase to a green rating for the school climate and safety surveys.

The high school also received a green rating for its graduation rate and student’s postsecondary readiness.

CCPS Chief Academic Officer Kelly Fithen provided further positive updates.

“Last year, we had three schools that were were identified for TSI [Targeted Support and Improvement]. Two of those were removed from that status,” she said.

The district also saw gains in other assessment areas.

“Looking districtwide, we had an overall increase in our writing proficiency. So, that is something that is still continuing. We want to see a greater growth in that area,” Fithen said.

CCPS has a plan to ensure that its assessment scores will trend in a positive direction.

A component of that plan is using i-Ready assessments.

“It is a way for us to monitor growth throughout the school year,” Fithen said.

Students will take the assessments three times during the school year. They took them once in August and will retake them in December.

Fithen expects to see progress.

“In January, we will look at that data and expect to see

improvements across the board,” she said.

As the district continues to strive for improvement, Fithen cautioned that the process will take “several years” to see significant improvement but said that there are sound structures in place to ensure that happens.

Specifically, the district will focus on five foundations:

• Continuous development, which means ensuring that structures are in place to train and support teachers in instructional strategies.

• Congruence, which means ensuring that everyone in the district is on the same page on aligning curriculum, instruction, and assessment to state standards.

• Student engagement, which means ensuring that teachers are using instructional strategies that motivate students to play an active role in their own learning.

• Differentiation, which means ensuring instruction is tailored to meet the individual needs of all students regardless of background or

ability, and making necessary adjustments so they are supported at all levels.

• Monitoring, which means ensuring improvement in teaching methods, school climate, and curriculum/assessment by tracking growth, identifying areas of concern/success, making

necessary adjustments and providing coaching.

In other news…

• The board voted to donate $5,000 to the George Rogers Clark bowling team to help with things such as costs pertaining to travel to both practice and matches.

• The board voted to approve the calendars for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years.

• The board voted to solicit bids for renovating The Phoenix Academy’s current location in the old Area Technology Center building behind Campbell Junior High.